Protesters Rally Against Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine, Block Hauling Truck

On the third day of an anti-uranium summit in northern Arizona, participants organized a rally to highlight the risks posed by uranium mining. On a two-lane highway near the mine, about 150 people gathered on May 17 to wave signs and inform people, most of whom were on their way to Grand Canyon National Park which is just a few miles up the road, about uranium mining in the area.

Part way through the rally, protesters identified a semi-truck operated by Hammon Trucking, a company contracted by Energy Fuels to haul uranium ore from the mine to the Energy Fuels mill outside Blanding, Utah.

Protesters launched a spontaneous blockade of the truck, surrounding it and demanding that it stop its travel toward what protesters assumed was the mine. Rallygoers chanted, while some vandalized the rig with anti-uranium messages. Others measured the radioactivity of the trailer used to carry uranium ore.

After a short standoff with police, the crowd moved to a nearby dirt road that leads to Red Butte. Protesters had another short confrontation with local, state, and national law enforcement officers. The crowd dispersed without arrests, and some left rocks in the road to block the path for vehicles who might follow.

More than confronting police and vandalizing a truck, the rally was a cry for people to pay attention to what is happening at Pinyon Plain Mine.

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