Native Americans in uproar as huge uranium mine on top of sacred ancient burial ... trends now
Native Americans in Utah are in an uproar after a uranium mine near a sacred site discovered a massive reserve of the radioactive material.
Workers in the La Sal Complex, situated 32 miles outside of Moab, have returned to the mines after the facility opened and closed and opened again over the years.
With the price of uranium increasing recently, production of the precious material has returned to the Beehive State.
Other sites in the state include the White Mesa Mill in nearby White Mesa, both the facilities are owned by a company called Energy Fuels.
Ian Lange, professor of economics and business at the Colorado School of Mines told Fox 13: 'It's certainly very hot, right. Prices are high.'
Despite this, the mining of uranium in the area has sparked anger from Native American tribes, especially since they believe the mine to be atop an ancient burial.
With the price of uranium increasing recently, production of the precious material has returned to the Beehive State. Part of the La Sal Complex is seen here
Malcolm Lehi, the tribal government representative for White Mesa, said they also have concerns about possible pollution.
He told Fox: 'If it was up to me, I would shut it down. This uranium mine long after we’re gone, it’s going to be there. No matter what. For thousands of years, it’s going to be there.
'What they're doing to Mother Earth, drilling and taking off different minerals or whatever, thinking that it's going to [make] things better, but it's not.
'That's part of climate change that you're taking away from the heart of Mother Nature.'
Curtis Moore at Energy Fuels told Fox that there are better standards in place to protect the health and environment than there was in the early days of uranium mining.
Moore said: 'Today we have a great understanding of what the hazards of uranium mining are and uranium milling.'
In a report last year by the US Department of Health and Human Services, they
