Reopening the Velvet Wood uranium mine may benefit the Air Force, but it will endanger all of us. Uranium is a dangerous radioactive substance, and mining projects warrant careful environmental and public health review. Yet the Interior Secretary is forcing the Bureau of Land Management to expedite a review that usually takes a year to just two weeks. This means public input, tribal consultation and any meaningful analysis of the mine’s potential impact or dangers will be ignored.
Already the mine has released over 500,000 gallons of water tainted with radium, uranium and zinc into an unnamed wash which will eventually spill into Hatch and Kane creeks, then to the Colorado River downstream from Moab. There is a potential for transportation issues as the uranium is trucked over 200 miles, either through Moab and Hanksville, or Monticello, Blanding and Bears Ears National Monument. The Interior promises a swell in jobs, but in 2023 a total of 340 people were employed in the United States uranium mining industry.
There is no energy emergency requiring this expedited review. We need a comprehensive environmental review to ensure all safety hazards are analyzed and mitigated before a reopening.
Patricia Becnel
Ogden