Nuclear Decolonization in Utah: Centering Communities, Accountability, and Environmental Justice

Nuclear decolonization is about confronting the legacy of radioactive harm that has been imposed, often without consent, on Indigenous communities, rural towns, and workers, while shifting power back to the people most affected. As scholar and activist Dr. Danielle Endres reminds us that nuclear decolonization “...Is not only a set of actions but also an Indigenous theory of social change, a counter-story to nuclear colonization, which describes how nuclearism and settler colonialism converge to disproportionately harm Indigenous peoples, their lands, and their lifeways.”

In Utah, this legacy is deeply rooted in uranium mining, nuclear weapons testing, radioactive waste disposal, and toxic exposure. The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah) has been working to change that story for over 26 years by centering community voices, advancing environmental justice, and challenging policies that continue to place disproportionate risk on the same communities. In my role as Senior Policy Associate, I advocate for best practices and protective policies while helping provide information and resources so local communities can stand up for their own neighborhoods against bad actors.

For decades, nuclear and toxic industries have treated Utah as a sacrifice zone. Utah is home to uranium mines throughout the southern part of the state, especially on Navajo lands, Downwinders exposed to fallout from nuclear weapons testing, and hazardous and radioactive waste facilities with haul routes throughout the state. Nuclear decolonization means recognizing that these harms were not accidental; they were the result of decisions made without meaningful input from those who bore the consequences.

HEAL Utah’s work sits at the intersection of radioactive exposure, public health, and community advocacy. As an organization grounded in environmental justice, HEAL supports impacted communities by increasing access to information, advocating for stronger protections, and holding decisionmakers accountable. This includes educating Utahns about radon exposure, uranium worker compensation, nuclear waste policy, and the long-term health impacts of radioactive contamination, issues that are often overlooked or minimized.

Historically, HEAL Utah has played a critical role in advocating for communities downwind of chemical weapons incineration, for Downwinders and uranium workers through efforts to expand and extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), and for communities harmed by uranium extraction. HEAL has also worked in coalition with rural and Tribal communities, health experts, and community leaders to challenge policies that prioritize industry profits over public health. This long-term commitment reflects a core belief: those most affected by environmental harm must be at the center of solutions.

That belief is especially clear in HEAL’s current campaign opposing EnergySolutions’ proposal to import large volumes of radioactive waste from Canada for disposal at its Clive facility in Utah’s West Desert. While the company frames this as routine business, the proposal raises serious concerns about meaningful public engagement and environmental justice, precedent-setting international waste disposal, and long-term contamination risks. Utah already shoulders a disproportionate share of the nation’s radioactive waste, and importing international waste would further entrench the state as a dumping ground, without the consent of affected communities along transportation routes.

This proposal also highlights how Utah’s nuclear waste decisions extend far beyond state lines. The Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste (NWIC), which has authority over waste import decisions affecting Utah, is based in Washington state. As a result, key meetings and decision-making processes often occur outside Utah, creating real barriers for Utah residents, especially rural and Tribal communities, to meaningfully participate. This structure distances impacted communities from the very institutions that govern their health and safety, reinforcing a colonial model of governance where those most affected have the least access to power.

HEAL Utah is working to stop this proposal, and many risky nuclear energy projects by educating the public, engaging policymakers, and challenging the idea that Utah should absorb ever-greater radioactive risk for private corporate gain. These campaigns are about more than one facility or one shipment or one untested small nuclear reactor, it is about rejecting a system that treats certain places and people as expendable.

Nuclear decolonization in Utah means acknowledging past harm, stopping future injustice, and building a healthier, more equitable future. Through its ongoing work on radioactive and toxic exposures, HEAL Utah is helping ensure that communities are no longer left out of decisions that affect their land, health, and lives.