Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE - Don’t expect a decision anytime soon on Energy Fuels’ application for a state radioactive materials license.

The company, which seeks to build a uranium- and vanadium-processing mill near Naturita, held a hearing Wednesday so the public could provide input to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment. At least 200 people — opponents, supporters, political candidates and even 89-year-old Howard Rhode of Delta — came to weigh in.

The refrain was familiar. On one side: jobs, the need for energy independence, and the area’s legacy of uranium mining. On the other side: health and safety concerns, plus uranium mining and milling’s dark history.

Daily Press File Photo Energy Fuels Resources miners Kenneth Chadd, Allen Young, and Steve Puderbaugh describe their experiences mining in 2007. All have decades of time underground. Advertisement

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