A public hearing on a license renewal for the White Mesa Uranium Mill near Blanding, Utah, was set to convene Thursday in Salt Lake City.
The mill, which is located just four miles from the boundary of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe reservation, filed for a renewal of its radioactive-materials license in 2007. Changes of ownership have delayed the process. The mill is also seeking for its groundwater discharge permit to be renewed and for permission to process radioactive waste, called “alternative feed,” from a decommissioned plant in Oklahoma called Sequoyah Fuels. The Ute tribe and a number of environmental groups have raised concerns about the mill. One major issue is potential contamination of groundwater through possible leaks in the 37-year-old liners of three waste ponds. In addition to the hearing in Salt Lake, a public information meeting has been set for Thursday, June 15th,at 5 p.m. in Blanding at the Arts and Events Center.
