URANIUM WATCH

A Uranium Mining
and Milling
Information
and Action Project

Moab, Utah

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New Mexico

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March 12, 2010

Parties File Testimony Challenging
Use of Green River Water for Nuclear Reactor

On March 1, 2010, parties to the protest of the withdrawal of water from the Green River for the proposed Blue Castle Project nuclear power station filed additional testimony.  The Kane and San Juan County Water Conservancy Districts proposed changes that would allow the withdrawal of 53,600 acre-feet of water per year for the proposed reactor. The Districts leased the water to Blue Castle Holdings Inc. (BCH) in 2007. 

The testimony supplemented the hearings held by the Utah Division of Water Rights in Green River on January 12.  There are major concerns—everything from the economic viability of the project to the impacts of the withdrawal on threatened and endangered fish species.  Requests were made to the State Engineer to withhold any determination until the Bureau of Reclamation completes a two-year Colorado River Basin Study.  The study proposes to model the imbalance of supply in the Colorado River Basin to 2060 under conditions of prolonged drought and climate change.  According to John Weisheit of Living Rivers, "The study will also analyze demands for water use that includes the environment, endangered fish recovery, recreation, and Native American water rights settlements."  The State Engineer would need this data to evaluate the availability of water for the project over the long term. A January 7 letter from the Director of the Utah Division of Water Resources to the State Engineer made a similar request.

Uranium Watch (UW) questioned the truthfulness of statements by BCH (formerly Transition Power Development LLC) regarding their ownership of the site and the existence of a purchase agreement.  UW provided studies that show an increased incidence of infant mortality and childhood leukemia in the vicinity of some nuclear power plants in the U.S. and Germany.

• Hearing Audio, Transcript, and Testimony
• Blue Castle Project Information
• Division of Water Rights Records

March 10, 2010

Federal Court Upholds Licensing of New Mexico
Church Rock Crownpoint ISL - Dissenting Judge
Says Decision Puts Health of Navajos at Risk

A three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appelas, by a 2-1 vote, upheld the decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to grant Hydro Resources Inc. a license to conduct in situ leach (ISL) uranium recovery near Church Rock and Crownpoint, New Mexico. In a strongly worded disssenting opinion, Judge Carlos F. Lucero, disagreed the the majority opinion, stating, “The NRC’s erroneous decision and the majority’s endorsement of that decision will expose families to levels of radiation beyond those deemed safe by the NRC’s own regulations, jeopardizing their health and safety.”

Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM), Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC), and two Navajo women from Pinedale Chapter intervened in the case in 1995. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center represented ENDAUM and SRIC.

There are still outstanding issues to be addressed before any mining could occur, including whether the ISL sites are part of "Indian Country" and, thereby, under Environmental Protection Agency jursidiction for an Underground Injection Control permit.

• NMELC News Release - March 9, 2010
• NMELC News Release - April 19, 2008

• Associated Press Story
• Navajo Times Story

March 8, 2010

BLM Releases Public Scoping Report for EIS on Withdrawal of Grand Canyon Lands from Mineral Development

Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Strip District Office in St. George, Utah, released the Scoping Report for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The scoping is part of the Department of Interior's evaluation of the withdrawal of nearly 1 million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from NEW mining development. The proposed segregation areas are on the north and south rims, outside of tribal and state lands and National Forest, Park, and Monument areas. There are already historic and recently permitted uranium mines and thousands of uranium mine claims in this area.

The BLM received 83,525 submittals, containing 8,600 distinct comments. According to the BLM's News Release, "Information gathered by the BLM through the scoping process will be used in developing the EIS. Comments will be used to help identify a range of alternatives, as well as to identify issues and concerns to be considered in the EIS."

The Scoping Report summarizes public scoping comments provides a preliminary list of public concerns. A BLM Newsletter provides an additional summary and information.

The scoping report, newsletter and other information about the EIS can also be accessed at:
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/mining/timeout.html

The BLM expects the Draft EIS to be available for public comment in August 2010, and will provide for only a 45-day comment period. Public meetings and hearings will also be held to accept comments during the comment period. The BLM expects to finalize the EIS in February 2011.

March 5, 2010

Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining
Set up Web Access to Mining Records

The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) has established a web page for the public to be able to read and download current and past mine permit records. Not all of the thousand of records have been posted, but some current notices of intent (NOI) and other documents are available.

To access the DOGM records:

1. Go to the Mineral Files by Permit, which lists mines by County. For some reason, there are two sets of County alphabetical listings on this master list. If you do not find a mine on the first part of the list, scroll further down, and the alphabetical list starts over and other mines are listed. Mines in each County are listed by number, not alphabetically.

2. Click on the mine name. Either a list of mine records pops up or just a page that indicates specific fields, but no list of records. If there are no records, none has been posted yet.

3. Click on a document number of other document field to bring up a document. A user name and password form appears. Enter ogmguest for both user name and password. If you indicate to save the password, providing the user name and password each time will not be needed.

4. To enter permit files from DOGM Home Page, link to Mining Program, then link to Minerals Regulatory Program, and to Access to Electronic Version of Minerals Files.

February 15 , 2010

Public Hearing on the Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill
Application - February 17

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will hold a second public hearing to receive oral and written comments on the Application for the Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill. Energy Fuels Resources Corporation proposes to build and operate the mill in the Paradox Valley, about 12 miles west of Naturita, Colorado. The applicant will make an initial 20-minute presentation. Other persons will have 3-minutes to present their comments.

Date: February 17, 2010
Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Place: Montrose Pavilion
1800 Pavilion Drive
Montrose, Colorado

Written comments can also be submitted to the CDPHE:

E-mail: cdphe.hmenergyfuels@state.co.us
Fax: 303-759-5355
Mail: Steve Tarlton or Warren Smith
CDPHE Radiation Program
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, Colorado 80246-1530

Additional Information:
Warren Smith: 1-888-569-1831, ext. 3373
Marilyn Null: 1-888-569-1831, ext. 3304

• Public Notice
• Application and Related Documents

 

HOW TO LOCATE LICENSING DOCUMENTS IN THE NRC ELECTRONIC READING ROOM (ADAMS):

1. Go to  http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html   
2. Click on Web-based access / Begin ADAMS search / Advanced Search 
3. Enter Docket Number in the Docket Number box.
4. Sort by Document Date in Descending order.  Some document packages are undated and are found at of beginning of end of list of documents in Descending order and at beginning of list of documents in Ascending order.

Read more about how to access NRC documents . . . .

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Updated March 9, 2010