In a report published September 8, tensions have risen between the White Mesa Mill and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe over potential radioactive contamination affecting air and water. The mill, the only remaining conventional uranium mill in the nation, is a central focus in the effort to increase domestic uranium production following a 2024 federal law that bans Russian uranium imports by 2028.
The White Mesa Mill, located near what is now Bears Ears National Monument, produces yellowcake for nuclear fuel. Energy Fuels, which has owned the facility since 2012, reported that the mill produced 1 million pounds of yellowcake last year and plans to more than double that amount this year. The company stated that workers are exposed to 15% to 20% of allowable radiation limits and that radiation outside the mill is effectively zero.
Tribal members and advocacy groups, including the White Mesa Concerned Community, have raised concerns regarding the mill's waste storage and its proximity to the community. Yolanda Badback, a leader of the advocacy group, has voiced opposition to plans to expand tailings cells closer to the reservation. While the mill has faced past violations, such as a 2021 EPA finding regarding Clean Air Act violations for failing to cover a tailings cell, state regulators noted the mill passed its latest air quality review in 2025.
Water quality remains a primary concern for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. While state regulators and the mill's owners contend that pollution is contained by a thick rock barrier known as an aquitard, tribal members report that local tap water smells of sulfur and has a milky color. In 2025, tests at Entrance Spring showed uranium levels at 22.5 micrograms per liter, which is within the federal drinking standard of 30 micrograms per liter but remains elevated.
Adam Wingate, a uranium recovery manager at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, stated that while a shallower aquifer beneath the mill contains a plume of chloroform and nitrates, there is no evidence that the mill is making the local population's health at risk. However, Wingate noted that the area is downslope from the mill regarding underground water flow.
The push for increased uranium production is driven by national interests, including a presidential goal to quadruple U.S. nuclear energy capacity by 2050. This increased demand is reflected in the steady flow of trucks carrying ore from regional mines through the Navajo Nation to the White Mesa Mill. The mill has also diversified into processing radioactive waste from Estonia and Japan and has received a conditional loan commitment from the Defense Department to expand rare earth element processing.
