09/29/2008: Cleanup of historic Uravan uranium mill completed
A chapter in the history of the uranium industry in western Colorado closed today when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified the completion of the 20-year cleanup of the Uravan Mill Superfund Site.
more fromyosemite.epa.gov
Montrose County ponders proposed uranium mill
Some people think a uranium mill in Montrose County is a good idea, and some are firmly against it, but the process for building one has begun.
An application for a special-use permit from Montrose County was submitted recently by Energy Fuels Resources of Nucla to build the Piñon Ridge Mill in Paradox Valley.
County leaders heard Wednesday night from experts from the Colorado Department of Public Health about the state approval process, which would be the first in decades for a uranium mill.
more fromwww.gjsentinel.com
Tri-State considers nuclear power plant - The Denver Post
More than half of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association's customers support the use of nuclear power, a company official told a state legislative panel Tuesday.
Colorado's second-largest utility is studying whether it would be feasible to build a nuclear power plant on a 16,000- acre site in southeastern Colorado.
The Westminster-based company would have to partner with another utility such as Xcel Energy or Public Service Co. of New Mexico because of the size and cost of a nuclear plant, Tri-State senior vice president Mac McLennan told the transportation legislation review committee. A nuclear plant typically costs billions of dollars and generates at least 1,000 megawatts of power.
more fromwww.denverpost.com
Do the research: Uranium doesn't solve problem | The Coloradoan,
Mike Fox had it all wrong in his Aug. 21 editorial. He repeated a lot of uranium industry propaganda, but apparently didn't do his research. So here's some information to help him further consider the issues.
First, nuclear power is many times more expensive than the alternatives. It's also riskier, and nuclear power plants take longer to build - at least 10 years, compared to 18 months for a wind farm.
This isn't just some wild environmentalist talk. The major financial agencies (Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, etc.) won't invest in nuclear power because, they say, it has unique risks. Quoting their July 2007 letter to the federal Department of Energy - "We believe these risks, combined with the higher capital costs and longer construction schedules of nuclear plants as compared to other generation facilities, will make lenders unwilling at present to extend long-term credit to such projects in a form that would be commercially viable."
more fromwww.coloradoan.com
Plutonium spill, laser accident prompt reviews - FederalTimes.com
In early June, a glass vial of plutonium powder broke at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology lab in Boulder, Colo. More than a dozen researchers were exposed to radiation — and the agency was exposed as a dysfunctional workplace.
The plutonium spill was only one of several serious accidents reported at NIST labs in the last couple years. In March, a university researcher was shot in the eye with an infrared laser while placing a slide on a microscope at the agency’s headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md. The researcher is under continuing medical care, and NIST said it tightened its laser safety policies as a result. And in June 2006, a contract construction worker sustained near-fatal injuries when a 500-pound steel beam fell on his head while working at the Boulder campus. The worker has a damages claim pending against the agency, although NIST refused to discuss it.
more fromfederaltimes.com
Final uranium mine environmental assessment expected this week GATEWAY — The final environmental assessment for the Whirlwind uranium mine near Gateway is expected to be signed early this week, said an official from the Bur | GJFreePress.com
The final environmental assessment for the Whirlwind uranium mine near Gateway is expected to be signed early this week, said an official from the Bureau of Land Management.
“We are just on the verge of releasing that final EA,” said Dave Lehman of the BLM.
more fromwww.gjfreepress.com
Feds: Stories about nuke workers flawed : Deadly Denial : The Rocky Mountain News
Officials at the U.S. Department of Labor say recent stories in the Rocky Mountain News "paint an inaccurate picture" of the program to compensate Cold War-era workers who became sick while building the nation's nuclear arsenal and "indict the entire program based on a small number of individual claimants' experiences."
The comments came in letters to three U.S. congressmen who had asked the Labor Department why it failed to respond to the findings of a Rocky investigation published last month in a special report called "Deadly Denial."
more fromwww.rockymountainnews.com
Feds: Stories about nuke workers flawed : Deadly Denial : The Rocky Mountain News
Officials at the U.S. Department of Labor say recent stories in the Rocky Mountain News "paint an inaccurate picture" of the program to compensate Cold War-era workers who became sick while building the nation's nuclear arsenal and "indict the entire program based on a small number of individual claimants' experiences."
The comments came in letters to three U.S. congressmen who had asked the Labor Department why it failed to respond to the findings of a Rocky investigation published last month in a special report called "Deadly Denial."
more fromwww.rockymountainnews.com
The Watch Newspapers - Peaceful Paradox Valley Torn Apart by uranium mill
For the 300 or so residents who reside in the sleepy farming/ranching community of the Paradox Valley, everyday concerns in the past have typically included irrigating crops, winter food storage and deciding where to go – Moab or Grand Junction – for major food shopping. Now, in the shadow of a proposal to build a uranium mill in the middle of the valley, there are new concerns for Paradox’s future, pitting neighbor against neighbor.
more fromwww.telluridewatch.com
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Red, Green, and Blue: Colorado to Ditch Two Coal Plants, Moving to Solar and Wind
State regulators in Colorado have given the green light to plans by Xcel Energy to shut down two coal-powered energy plants in the state, and build one of the world’s largest utility-scale solar-power facilities.
Following discussions lasting several days, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) backed the power company’s voluntary decision to close the two coal-fired plants at Denver and Grand Junction, making Xcel the first utility in the U.S. to make such a move solely in an effort to reduce emissions.
more fromredgreenandblue.org
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Renewable Power's Growth in Colorado Presages National Debate - washingtonpost.com
DENVER -- When Colorado voters were deciding whether to require that 10 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable fuels, the state's largest utility fought the proposal, warning that any shift from coal and natural gas would be costly, uncertain and unwise.
more fromwww.washingtonpost.com
The Associated Press: Tests show more at Colo. lab exposed to plutonium
A Boulder, Colo., laboratory says new tests show that more people were exposed to plutonium than originally thought after a June spill there.
No one who was exposed is expected to have significant health effects.
The National Institute of Standards and
more fromap.google.com
Mill cited by state for uranium contamination: Gazette.com
The Cotter Corp. uranium mill has been cited by the state for radioactive contamination at the adjacent Shadow Hills Golf Club.
Though the mill has long been connected to nearby groundwater contamination - the area has been a federal Superfund cleanup site since 1984 - this is the first time state officials have linked the mill to contamination at the golf course and the first time contamination has been traced to mill operations after 1979, when it was rebuilt.
more fromwww.gazette.com
Faith was Flats protester's arsenal - The Denver Post
Sister Pat Mahoney, who went to prison for battling Rocky Flats and spent her life fighting for the homeless and against war and nuclear arms, died July 30 at San Francisco General Hospital.
She had collapsed on the street about 10 blocks from her home on July 29, said her brother, Jerry Mahoney, of Petaluma, Calif. She died about 24 hours later, he said, adding that he believes Mahoney, who was 72, had a stroke.
more fromwww.denverpost.com
Complaint filed against uranium program - Telluride, CO - The Daily Planet
Last summer, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management issued a report that determined an increase in uranium mining in the region would have “no significant environmental impact.” The report allowed the DOE to bring back a program that initially fueled atomic weapons but would now go toward powering hair dryers and electric cars.
more fromwww.telluridenews.com
Santa Barbara News-Press: Environmentalists sue over Colo. uranium program
Environmental groups have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that a program clearing the way for uranium mines in western Colorado is illegal.\n\nThe lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District in Denver says the Department of Energy's environmental analysis of the leasing program on federal land last year was inadequate. The groups want the court to make DOE do a more comprehensive analysis of the impacts of past uranium mining and potential impacts of new mines.
more fromwww.newspress.com
Calls for change in nuke program : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News
The time has come for change in the federal compensation program for sick nuclear weapons workers, two men who have held key roles in the program said this week.
More than 165,000 sick workers or their survivors - including more than 10,000 from the former Rocky Flats site near Denver - have applied to the eight-year-old compensation program. The aid program, which has been subject to multiple congressional hearings, also was the subject of a three-part investigative series in the Rocky Mountain News last week called "Deadly denial."
more fromwww.rockymountainnews.com
About INFORM
Information Network for Responsible Mining (“INFORM”) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of educating the public about the dangers that exist when unsafe and irresponsible mining practices are permitted. Through the dissemination of information and education, INFORM helps organize residents in local communities most threatened by these practices to protect water quality, quality of life and the local economy.
more fromwww.informcolorado.org
42-Square-Mile Federal Uranium Program Challenged
DURANGO, Colo.— A coalition of conservation groups filed suit in federal court today, challenging the Department of Energy’s decision to vastly expand its uranium mining program on 42 square miles of public land near the spectacular Dolores River Canyon, a tributary to the Colorado River in southwest Colorado.
The latest chapter in a Western uranium saga with a deadly legacy, the Department’s decision opens the door for the agency to approve up to 38 uranium mines. The decision, and the analysis upon which it relies, fails to adequately evaluate soil, water, and habitat contamination threats as required by federal law.
more fromwww.biologicaldiversity.org
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Report slams NIST over Boulder plutonium spill - The Denver Post
An effort to enhance the United States' ability to detect "dirty bombs" went terribly awry at the Boulder campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology where dangerous plutonium sources were obtained without management approval and handled by inexperienced and untrained researchers, a scathing report released today said.
more fromwww.denverpost.com
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