Milling Relapse

Currently, Utah is host to the only operational uranium mill in the country—the White Mesa mill operated by Denison Mines in Blanding, UT.

While the cost to taxpayers of cleaning up Utah’s defunct uranium mills rises into the billion dollar range, and cancer clusters discovered in mill towns like Monticello reveal a legacy that is yet to be fully realized, new mills are on their way.

Two companies are planning to re-start the Shootaring Canyon mill near Ticaboo, on the shores of Lake Powell.

The Shootaring Canyon mill was completed in 1982 at a cost of $52 million, only to be shuttered a mere four months later after producing only 30 tons of Uranium Oxide product.

Since then, the mill’s license has been maintained on a “standby” status.

US Energy purchased the mill in 1992 and moved to resume operations in May of 2006, asking state regulators to transition the license from standby to operational status. At the same time, it solicited other companies to invest in the project, disclosing that it would cost an additional $31 million to bring the mill back online.

This past April, Uranium One, a Canadian company, took the bait. In a deal worth $90 million, Uranium One purchased the dormant mill along with mining claims across Utah, Wyoming, Arizona and Colorado. As part of the purchase, Uranium One will pay US Energy $20 million when the mill opens its doors, plus a 5% royalty on future sales--up to $12.5 million.

Utahns will need to remain vigilant to ensure Shootaring Canyon does not follow in the footprints of Utah’s milling history and add to the legacy of health and environmental impacts and clean-up costs shouldered by taxpayers.