Dear
Friend,
A Canadian mining corporation, Energy Fuels, is proposing to
expand its uranium mining operations in southeastern Utah. By creating a bigger scar on the landscape the
company plans to significantly enlarge its overall operation to mine more
uranium ore at the Daneros mine.
Tell the BLM to protect
the area’s clean air, scarce water resources, dark night skies, and wilderness-caliber
lands rather than approving more speculative and pollution-generating uranium
mining.
The Daneros uranium mine, located in the heart of the
Colorado Plateau, is surrounded by large expanses of spectacular wild land: Natural Bridges National Monument, Cedar Mesa’s Grand Gulch, the Dark
Canyon Wilderness Area, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s Lake Powell. These are areas enjoyed by hundreds of
thousands of visitors from Utah and around the world, many of whom spend time
camping, hiking, and enjoying scenic tours on the public lands surrounding the
proposed mine site.
The proposed expansion (increasing the current 4.5 acre
operation to 46.3 acres) includes the construction of new mining facilities at
the nearby Bullseye and South Portal abandoned mine sites, and the construction
of new access roads. The expansion would
allow 500,000 tons of ore production over the next 20 years, which is five
times the amount permitted under the current mining plan approved by the BLM in
2011.
Uranium mining and milling is a dirty business. It has left decades-old scars on the
landscape of southern Utah. The proposed mine expansion should be denied.
Please tell the BLM to protect
the area’s clean air, scarce water resources, and wilderness-caliber lands rather
than approving more pollution-generating uranium mining.
Thank you,
Liz Thomas
Field Attorney
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance 
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