During a public hearing Thursday, Ute tribal leaders complained that an 85-mile slurry pipeline proposed for moving the tailings from Moab to International Uranium Corp.'s White Mesa Mill would pass through lands containing more than 120 cultural sites, obliterating at least eight of them.
The complaint, sent Tuesday to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, also alleges relocating the 11.9 million tons of tailings to White Mesa threatens the community's sole water supply.
"There is nothing reasonable about dumping radioactive tailings and toxic waste on top of ancient, profoundly sacred sites including burials and ceremonial sites," says the complaint filed by a group calling themselves the White Mesa Concerned Community. "It is environmental racism and a violation of federal trust responsibility."
Ute Mountain Tribal Council member Terry Knight said if possible relocation sites near Green River and East Carbon were removed from consideration because of their proximity to a residential community, then the 300 residents of White Mesa deserved the same consideration.
"It's just another example of what the [federal government's] mentality is for indigenous people," Knight said. Thursday's meeting was the second day of hearings in southeastern Utah over proposals for dealing with the tailings outlined in a November draft environmental impact statement.
The document proposes several possible scenarios for the tailings that are currently leaching ammonia and other toxic materials into the Colorado River.
The DOE estimates that capping the tailings in place would take seven to 10 years to complete at a cost of about $166 million. The report estimates that relocating the tailings would cost between $329 million $464 million. The slurry pipeline to White Mesa carries the most expensive price tag.
The public comment period for the draft EIS ends Feb. 18. This summer, the DOE will issue a final EIS that includes the agency's decision for cleaning up the site.
A Wednesday night hearing in Moab drew more than 100 people. About 30 residents, many of whom have fought for 12 years to move the pile, voiced frustration, and urged the DOE to remove the tailings from the banks of the Colorado. Many fear a catastrophic flood would scour away the toxic materials, potentially contaminating portions of Moab and polluting the river, a major source of drinking water for about 26 million people in downstream states.
"Our position is that the only acceptable thing to do here is move it," said Grand County Councilman Rex Tanner.
Moab resident Steve Russell called the Colorado the "beating heart of the Southwest" and said the current location of the tailings represents "a clear and present danger to the citizens of Grand County and the people of the Southwest."
lchurch@citlink.net
