The Hidden Crisis (Documentary) - Crime, Corruption, and the Poisoning of Cañon City

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Today, an estimated 5.8 million tons of toxic, radioactive waste still sits all but abandoned at the former Cotter Uranium Mill, a little over three miles south of Cañon City, and directly bordering the neighborhood of Lincoln Park. And while some maintenance and minor remediation has been performed in an attempt to contain the waste, there is still no plan to clean it up, nearly 40 years after being declared an EPA Superfund Site. Instead, clean up efforts have been, and continue to be, constantly derailed at the intersection of broken government bureaucracy, institutionalized corporate psychopathy, and a highly suspicious rabbit hole of private financial dealings. Meanwhile, what’s left of the site’s aging, hastily-constructed infrastructure continues to leak and spill, further increasing the threat to nearby residents, many of which have been suffering the direct consequences of this mill since it opened in 1958.

This documentary, spanning nearly 80 years, details the history of a now-defunct uranium mill in Cañon City, Colorado, the criminally-convicted company that operated it, and how their actions sparked a decades-long, and still ongoing battle between shadowy private interests, government regulators, and a resilient community caught in the crossfire.

From the founding of the Cotter Corporation in 1956 in the shadow of the atomic bomb, to the problems faced by the community that lives in the site's nearly abandoned shadow, this work serves as both a comprehensive history of the creation and operation of the Cotter Uranium Mill, as well as an investigation into the highly questionable/unethical business practices and behaviors of the site's most recent owners and contractor, Colorado Legacy Land and Ensero Solutions.

▬▬CONTENTS▬▬
0:00 - Intro
3:14 - The Violent Birth of Nuclear Awareness
6:38 - The Mill and its Waste
15:09 - The Intervention
18:16 - The Poisoning
22:39 - The Crime
25:03 - The Community
26:34 - The Violations
28:35 - The Demolition
31:08 - The New Owners
34:58 - The Insolvency
37:55 - The Escalation
43:21 - The Future
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▬▬DISCLAIMER▬▬
The views expressed in this documentary are solely those of Keep Curious Co. and do not necessarily reflect the views of associated parties. Do not directly contact or harass any individuals appearing or referenced in this work. Any comments explicitly degrading the personal character of individuals appearing or referenced in this work, or anyone associated with those individuals, will not be tolerated.
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▬▬SPECIAL THANKS▬▬
Jeri Fry, Emily Tracy, Sondra Sage, Doni Angell, and all Community Advisory Group members for being so welcoming, so incredibly generous with your time and attention, and for sharing your experiences.
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▬▬FURTHER WATCHING/READING▬▬
Yellowcake Road: Cotter's Unfortunate Journey from Nuclear Production to Nuclear Waste Recycle -
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