The White Mesa Mill in southeastern Utah, the only conventional uranium milling facility operating in the United States, is experiencing increased activity as federal policy shifts toward expanding domestic uranium production. A 2024 federal law bans Russian uranium imports by 2028, while recent executive orders have prioritized uranium mining on federal lands and accelerated approval of mining projects. The mill, which produces yellowcake for nuclear power fuel, processed 1 million pounds last year and plans to more than double that output this year, according to company officials. The facility also processes radioactive waste from international sources and has received a $725 million conditional loan commitment from the Defense Department.
Tributes living near the mill, particularly members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe whose community sits approximately 5 miles south of the facility, have expressed deep concerns about potential radioactive contamination. The mill’s waste is stored in five lined ponds occupying 284 acres, with expansion plans that would relocate storage cells closer to the tribal community. Tribal members report tap water that smells of sulfur and appears milky in color, leading many residents to rely on bottled water instead. In 2021, the tribe passed a resolution stating the mill has caused severe health impacts and should cease operations entirely.
State regulators and company officials maintain that any pollution is contained and poses no health risk. A 2023 federal health assessment found that radiation levels measured at the tribe’s air monitor between 2013 and 2019 were unlikely to harm human health, though researchers could not evaluate potential effects on bordering properties and recommended additional air sampling closer to the mill. Water testing from 2025 showed uranium levels at Entrance Spring at 22.5 micrograms per liter, within the federal drinking water standard of 30 micrograms per liter but still elevated compared to historical baselines.
The uranium boom has intensified tribal opposition that now extends across multiple nations. The Havasupai and Navajo tribes have joined efforts with the Ute Mountain Ute due to uranium trucking routes passing through their lands and concerns about potential groundwater contamination affecting future generations. In December 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency found the mill violated the Clean Air Act by failing to cover a tailings cell to limit radon emissions, calling the violation egregious in nature and duration. The mill corrected the violation and passed its latest air quality review in 2025, though some residents remain concerned about odors and potential health effects including cancer and asthma rates being studied by a University of Utah health survey.
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