Uranium Mining Boosted by Trump Administration

By Dominique Otiepka

I was researching various topics regarding the environment, and found one in particular that interested me because it was a continuation of previous discussions in some of my classes last semester at Ramapo College. I enjoyed being able to follow this topic and learn what is happening regarding this issue. On The New York Times website, I was looking through the Climate section and found an article titled, “Uranium Miners Have Pushed Hard for a Comeback - They got Their Wish” by Hiroko Tabuchi. This informative article is about future plans to expand uranium mining in the Monument Valley area in Utah, and throughout the Bears Ears Monument region. It provided insights and background information about uranium, its importance, and its potentially catastrophic implications. 

Uranium has helped cement America’s status as a nuclear superpower and fueled its nuclear energy program for years.  President Trump no longer wants to rely on other nation’s uranium supply, and is pressing for mining in areas adjacent to the Grand Canyon watershed and alongside Bears Ears Monument.  Bears Ears will be significantly reduced in size by 85%, which opens more than 1 million acres for mining, drilling and other industrial activities. The Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, states that there are no mines within Bears Ears, although Utah’s Bureau of Land Management states that “there were over 300 mines inside the monument area.” Upon the shrinkage of Bears Ears, mines will technically be in the surrounding areas outside of the reduced monument. 

It has been reported that the United States uranium industry has declined by 90% since 1980, and supporters of this new plan claim that it will make the U.S. a larger player in the global uranium market. This plan, they argue, would expand our energy independence from Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia and others, which supply most of the United States nuclear fuel. 

Energy obtained from uranium is known as nuclear energy, which is a clean energy type, meaning that it emits zero pollutants associated with contaminated air. Domestic uranium would move this industry toward clean energy, according to John Indall, who is a lawyer for the company, Uranium Producers of America. This extraction may result in harmful consequences, however, potentially poisoning water supplies in surrounding communities. As workers began drilling in a mining area described by the New York Times, they interfered with shallow groundwater, which resulted in the flooding of the mine’s shaft. This forced workers to pump the radioactive runoff into open ponds, which contributes severely to the contamination of surrounding water.

Energy Fuels, the company that initiated this drilling, knew that contamination was to be expected, though it rejects concerns of this contamination spreading, The Times reported.  With the ground water flow, the region is too complex to rule out the risk of contamination, an environmental engineer with the United States Geological Survey said, adding that there are too many unknowns regarding cultural, biological, and water resources that are not being currently investigated.  Protests and appeals against this drilling have been ignored by the Trump Administration, as they continue to reverse environmental regulations.

Water contamination was found in a community near this drilling activity, the Navajo town of Sanders, Arizona.  Hundreds of people were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation in their water supply for years and were not told when this was taking place, the New York Times reported.  Families and schools vented that they feared their drinking water and cannot fathom an industrial activity that risks the health of hundreds of people.

The Trump Administration dismisses environmental hazards and favors large corporations and their financial growth.  Those who are exposed to such contaminants are being forgotten, as well as the history of mining.  It is important for people to be aware of this issue, be proactive in investigating information and adamantly take action against such hazardous activities.