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TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2002

The Northern Ute Tribe of Colorado is helping contribute funds to clean up a 130-acre pile of radioactive mine waste in Utah but how exactly to do that is still under debate.

A panel of scientists from the National Academy of Sciences went to Moab last week to hear public comments regarding the uranium tailings, remnants of mining subsidized for the Cold War. Located between two national parks and upstream from water users, residents want it moved, but it could also be buried some more.

In exchange for being returned 84,000 acres of mineral-rich land that was taken in the early 1900s, the tribe agreed to help pay for the cleanup. The Department of Energy estimates it will cost $137 million to "contain" and leave the pile where it is or $387 million to move it.

The land returned to the tribe is not near the contaminated site.

Get the Story:
Scientists Won't Take Sides on Uranium Waste (The Salt Lake Tribune 1/22)

View a Map of the Returned Land:
Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 2 (Dept of Energy)

View a Photo of the Moab Mine Area:
Atlas Mines Tailing Pile (Utah Dept of Environmental Quality)

Relevant Links:
The Northern Ute Tribe - http://www.northernute.com
Decommissioning of Moab, Utah, Uranium Mill Tailings - http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/udmoa.html

Related Stories:
Ute Tribe ready to drill new tribal land (5/21)
DOE Budget: Uranium cleanup funds cut (4/24)
Report: DOE wasting cleanup money (11/2)
Land returned to Ute Tribe (11/1)
DOE revises tribal policies (11/1)