Montrose County made a move into the future — or the past, depending on perspective — when its planning commission unanimously approved a uranium mill in Paradox Valley Wednesday night.

The Piñon Ridge Mill has to be approved by the county commissioners and state and federal regulatory agencies.

The area near the Utah border was a hub of uranium mining at the beginning of the atomic age. If a mill is built, it could revive an industry that gave its name to the town of Uravan. But the threat of radiation and pollution worries residents who live nearby.

A crowd of about 75 came to the Montrose County Fairgrounds and spoke overwhelmingly against the mine, parading to the podium to protest what they clearly saw as a threat to their health, water and way of life.

“If they contaminate our ground water, what happens then?” said Paradox’s Marie Moore. “This is my life. You don’t even live there. You don’t even know.”

Daryl Hannah, fresh off an arrest in West Virginia protesting coal mining, showed up. It’s not often the chair of the planning commission, David Laursen, tells a Hollywood actress, “Daryl, can you just sit for a second? We want to get through this.”

But, as Hannah stated, she lives in Placerville, and said this was a regional issue, not just a county issue.

In fact, most of the protesters said they lived in San Miguel County. The proposed mill would be located just a few miles away from the San Miguel County line.

Protesters held up signs that read “Uranium Mills Kill” and “Don’t Import Toxic Waste.” Telluride’s Chris Myers said there hadn’t been enough public scrutiny of certain provisions, and a sheriff’s deputy was called to escort him to his chair after he refused to sit down. Placerville’s Jerry Cope stormed out while pointing a finger at the commission, and spent the rest of the meeting outside.

“I guarantee they’re going to pass it,” he said.

George Glasier, the CEO of the company proposing to build the mill, Nucla’s Energy Fuels, said the facility would mill rock from uranium and vanadium mines in Colorado and possibly Utah and New Mexico. The company estimated 21 trucks of ore would come in every day.

The mill is estimated to employ 85 people. It would use sulfuric acid to separate the radioactive material from plain rock. The radioactive material, called yellowcake, would be loaded on trucks and possibly pass through San Miguel County. From there, it would be used in nuclear reactors to produce electricity.

After 10 p.m., the planning commission gave their approval. Currently there is only one uranium mine operating in southwest Colorado, but this mill could rejuvenate uranium mining operations in the four corners area. Transport to a local milling operating would eliminate the need for a mill on-site, and it would lower costs for ore that would need to travel great distances to be milled.

The uranium mine proposed at Coles Hill, Virginia would contain an on-site mill operation.

Ironically, a mere two years ago, the Montrose planning commission went head-to-head with citizens regarding zoning during a housing boom. Now, with a housing market slump, this same board decides to approve plans for an operation that historically lowers house and property values further. See more at http://www.montrosecitizens.org