WHITE MESA, Utah — More than a hundred people marched along Highway 191 here on Saturday, protesting the nation's only uranium processing mill nearby.
"They need to think about other people’s lives," said Yolanda Badback, a White Mesa resident who helped organize the demonstration, now in its 10th year.
They marched for miles up to Energy Fuels' facility to call attention to concerns they have about plans to expand uranium mining in the area and the impact it has on tribal communities in southeastern Utah like White Mesa.
"We see it daily and we live along 191," said Allouresa Boy, describing trucks carrying uranium ore speeding through the area.
She called for more safety measures to protect communities..
"It’s just part of our safety and protecting our land and our future," Boy said.
The rally and walk happens at a time when Utah has become increasingly more aggressive in pursuing nuclear power in the state. Republican political leaders have pushed policies that allow for experimentation on small modular nuclear reactors, arguing it's needed to address growing energy demands. On Thursday, Governor Spencer Cox was in Wyoming to see construction under way on a nuclear power plant there that is designed to put electricity into Utah's grid.
But a coalition of environmental and tribal groups are protesting the harms they say will impact the state from expanded uranium mining and processing — a critical part of nuclear power generation.
"We need to make sure that communities have a choice, including an option to say no, and we need to make sure we have emergency preparedness, health access for communities living nearby," said Carmen ValDez with the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah. "We need to make sure if the state is moving forward they are thinking about their communities today and in the future."
In the distance were the familiar landmarks of Bears Ears National Monument. Environmental groups are also pushing back on plans to open up areas near it for uranium mining.
"It was bad enough under prior administrations, but now the Trump administration has opened the Bears Ears National Monument to uranium mining claims," said Bradley Angel with GreenAction for Health & Environmental Justice, referencing areas removed by President Trump's executive order shrinking the monument's boundaries.
Energy Fuels, the company running the uranium mill, did not immediately respond to an email from FOX 13 News on Friday seeking comment about the protest march. Utah's Office of Energy Development said in a statement that it "respects the cultural heritage and deep connection to the land held by Utah’s Tribal Nations."
"We recognize the vital importance of community engagement and government-to-government consultation as we plan and develop resources for Utah’s energy future," the agency said. "As we explore next generation technologies, OED is committed to safety, proactive outreach, transparent dialogue and providing accessible resources to local communities, public stakeholders and Tribal Nations."
Badback said she will keep holding the walk every year until it's done.
"I want good quality air, water for my people and for my future generations that are going to reside here in the community," she said.