The federal government is pushing to restart domestic uranium production, and the communities most exposed to what that industry leaves behind are the ones that have been living with its last cycle for decades. In the White Mesa Ute Community in southeastern Utah, where about 200 Ute Mountain Ute tribal members live just five miles from the nation's only remaining conventional uranium mill, many residents already do not drink tap water and rely on bottled water instead.
The policy driver is specific. A federal law enacted in 2024 bans imports of Russian uranium by 2028, increasing pressure to develop domestic supplies. President Donald Trump set a goal of quadrupling U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050 and issued orders prioritizing mining on federal lands and fast-tracking approvals. The Velvet-Wood uranium mine in Utah cleared federal environmental review in 11 days, with local tribes given one week to comment.
