Sheep Mountain Alliance alleges that the state of Colorado did not hold adequate public hearings and that the licensing violates a state law prohibiting uranium mills near areas that already have high levels of heavy metals in their water.

The Piñon Ridge plant, located in southwestern Colorado, was recently approved by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment project and will be the first new uranium processing mill in the U.S. in more than 25 years. Filmmaker Richard Linnett is following the issue for in order to document the community impact.

The Paradox Valley in western Colorado may soon have a new plant to process ore from hundreds of new and reopened uranium mines. The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment that Energy Fuels Inc. had completed its application to build a uranium mill near t he town of Nucla, about 220 miles southwest of Denver. If approved, the Piñon Ridge plant would be the first uranium mill built in the United States in 25 years. The state of Colorado says reviewing the application for the plant — which would process up to 1,000 tons of uranium ore a day –- will take 12 to 14 months.