Overview:
The White Mesa Ute Community will hold its 10th annual spiritual walk October 17 to protest the Energy Fuels uranium mill and demand protection of the community’s water, air, land, cultural traditions and sacred sites from radioactive waste and expanded uranium development.
The White Mesa Ute Community will hold its 10th annual spiritual walk on October 17 to protest the Energy Fuels uranium mill and raise concerns about the potential impacts of radioactive waste processing on the community’s water, air, land, culture and sacred sites.
The community-led rally and spiritual walk will begin at 11 a.m. MDT at the White Mesa Ute Community Center. Participants will then walk approximately five miles on relatively flat pavement to the Energy Fuels uranium mill, located just north of the community and east of Bears Ears National Monument.
Organizers are inviting tribal citizens, residents of Utah and people from across Indian Country and beyond to join the event in solidarity with communities affected by uranium mining and radioactive waste.
The White Mesa Ute Community and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s Environmental Programs Department have raised concerns about contamination associated with the mill, as well as the potential desecration of sacred sites.
“They want to expand the mill’s waste pits south towards our reservation,” said Yolanda Badback, cofounder of White Mesa Concerned Community. “We are standing up and doing whatever we can to stop that from happening. We are a small community. We cannot do this alone. Please come join our walk and show the state of Utah and the world that we’ve had enough. Our children need clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. Your radioactive waste is not welcome here.”
Concerns over uranium transportation and waste
Energy Fuels Resources operates the White Mesa Mill, which has become a focal point for controversy over uranium processing and radioactive waste in southeastern Utah.
The mill processes uranium ore transported from mines and projects across the Southwest. Uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon, for example, is transported more than 300 miles to the White Mesa Mill for processing. The Havasupai Tribe has strongly opposed the Pinyon Plain Mine because of concerns over its impacts on their ancestral lands and water resources.
Additional uranium ore is transported to the mill from the Energy Fuels-owned La Sal Mines Complex, approximately 60 miles away.
Organizers also point to increased mining activity around Bears Ears National Monument. At least 72 new mining claims have been staked on lands removed from the monument, according to environmental advocates.
The increase in uranium mining and transportation comes as the Trump administration and the State of Utah push for expanded domestic uranium production and nuclear power.
For the White Mesa Ute Community, the issue is particularly immediate because uranium haul trucks regularly travel Highway 191 through the community. The highway is also used by local children traveling to and from school.
Community members say uranium transportation poses additional risks because of the potential for vehicle accidents and spills. At least two uranium haul trucks have crashed on the Navajo Nation this year.
The processing of uranium ore also leaves waste that is stored in pits near the White Mesa Ute Community.
Organizers say the concerns extend beyond the immediate region. Energy Fuels has pursued projects and mineral processing operations involving materials from other parts of the world, including Madagascar, where Indigenous communities have opposed mining activities.
Water and cultural concerns
For White Mesa Ute residents, concerns about the mill extend beyond environmental contamination. Community members say changes to water quality have affected cultural practices that have been part of their lives for generations.
“The water under the mill is becoming more and more polluted and is moving toward our community,” said Anferny Cly of White Mesa Concerned Community. “The acidity of the water is increasing, and heavy metals are rising.”
Cly said the community has changed how it interacts with the land and water because of those concerns.
“We used to drink the spring water for ceremonial purposes,” Cly said. “We don’t do that anymore. We used to hunt for animals near our homes; we used to gather plants for baskets, and to eat. We don’t do that anymore as well.”
Those concerns underscore what organizers describe as a broader struggle to protect not only public health but also cultural practices, traditional foods, water resources and sacred places.
The annual spiritual walk has become a way for the community to publicly express those concerns and call attention to the potential consequences of uranium development in the region.
Organizers say the walk is intended as an act of solidarity with Native communities and other communities around the world affected by uranium mining, radioactive materials and nuclear waste.
The event will begin with a rally at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 17, at the White Mesa Ute Community Center in White Mesa, Utah. The center is located off Highway 191 on the west side of the highway. Participants should turn west at the gas station and travel one block south.
The five-mile walk is relatively flat. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. A limited number of vehicle seats will be available for elders and people who are unable to complete the entire walk.
The White Mesa Ute Community is asking supporters to join the walk and stand with the community in its effort to protect its water, air, land, culture and sacred sites.
