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House endorses federal action to move Moab Atlas Mill tailings, citing river contamination concerns
Summary
The House passed HCR1 urging transfer of jurisdiction over the Atlas Mill tailings in Moab to the Department of Energy to enable relocation and long-term remediation; Representative Johnson said the pile covers about 170 acres and estimated contaminated runoff of roughly 28,000 gallons per day entering the Colorado River.
The Utah House on Feb. 2 passed House Concurrent Resolution 1 urging the federal government to transfer jurisdiction over the Atlas Mill tailings pile in Moab so the site can be moved to a permanent, lined repository and remediated. Representative Johnson described the site and its environmental risks and said the congressional delegation supports legislation to transfer the site from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to the Department of Energy.
"Atlas is one of the largest ones in The United States," Johnson said, describing the mill site and tailings pile. He told members that the pile covers about 170 acres and said contaminants including uranium, arsenic, lead and mercury have been of concern; he asserted that an estimated 28,000 gallons per day of contaminated liquids are moving into the Colorado River.
Johnson said Department of Energy oversight and Superfund resources would allow a permanent engineered relocation similar to prior federal projects (he cited Monticello as an example) and avoid repeated taxpayer expense for temporary capping. The House adopted HCR1 by a recorded vote of 73–2 and will forward the resolution to the Senate and the State’s congressional delegation as an expression of legislative support for federal action.
