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Radioactive mill tailings still an issue | GJFreePress.com
Whose responsibility is it to notify prospective homebuyers when there is radioactive uranium mill tailings on a property?
Erin Toll, director of Colorado's Division of Real Estate, said it's the responsibility of real estate agents.
The Division of Real Estate is the licensing, regulation and enforcement agency for the real estate industry in Colorado.
Mill tailings are “absolutely an adverse material fact that brokers would be required to disclose if they knew about it,” Toll said.
And if they don't know they should, Toll said.
“Most brokers are aware of environmental impacts of the region they serve, even without the training,” that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is currently conducting, Toll said.
Telluride environmental group sues Montrose County over uranium mill « Colorado Independent
Montrose County commissioners met in secret and had already made up their minds before approving a special use permit for a uranium mill in the Paradox Valley, a lawsuit filed in Montrose County District Court alleges.
The suit, filed by the Telluride-based environment organization Sheep Mountain Alliance, also accuses the commissioners of inadequately weighing the air and water quality impacts of an industrial milling operation in a valley zoned for agriculture.
Paradox Valley
Paradox Valley
The county attorney had not yet seen the suit and therefore couldn’t comment on its merits, according to the Telluride Daily Planet, but a representative of the company proposing the Piñon Ridge Mill, Energy Fuels of Ontario, Canada, said he expected such a delaying tactic.
The Associated Press: Planned uranium mill near Naturita gets local OK
A company that wants to build one of the first new U.S. uranium mills since the Cold War has won local approval and now needs state approval.
The Montrose County commissioners last month issued a permit to Toronto-based Energy Fuels Inc. for its proposed Pinon Ridge mill 12 miles west of Naturita (nat-yur'-EE'-tah) and about 340 miles southwest of Denver.
The company is preparing to submit a 12-volume application to state health regulators, triggering a technical review.
Many area residents welcome the possible return of high-paying mining jobs. Several uranium mills operated in western Colorado until the uranium market crashed in 1981 after the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island.
Colorado delegation pens letter to dissuade mercury storage plan
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could remove Grand Junction from the list of potential mercury-storage sites and he should do just that, Colorado’s senators and a congressman said.
“We believe there is abundant evidence to characterize this proposal as unreasonable and respectfully urge that you eliminate from further review the alternative for storing mercury in Mesa County,” the Colorado officials said.
Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep. John Salazar, all Democrats, sent the letter on Thursday.
DOWNLOAD THE LETTER.
Colorado Independent » Colorado officials: Yellowcake uranium trucks ‘can go wherever they want’
State says material 'doesn’t really present that much of a hazard'; plans to truck sulfuric acid into Montrose County site
MONTROSE — Opponents of a proposed uranium mill in southwestern Colorado near the Utah state line may be relieved to hear that state officials in charge of overseeing the transport of incoming ore and outgoing yellowcake don’t actually consider such things “nuclear materials.”
Uranium yellowcake and sulfuric acid would be carted along I-70 in Colorado
By state statute, uranium ore and processed yellowcake, used to make fuel rods for nuclear reactors, are considered mere hazardous materials and therefore not limited to transportation along the state’s designated nuclear materials routes.
“When you’re dealing with yellowcake shipments, they get carried in pretty much a dump truck,” said Capt. Allan Turner of the Colorado State Patrol’s Hazardous Materials Transport Safety and Response (HMTSR) team.
Colorado Independent » Proposed uranium mill deeply divides southwestern Colorado communities
Montrose County commissioners delayed a decision on a controversial uranium mill proposal Wednesday after nearly six hours of public testimony that underscored deep divisions between longtime mining families and residents of neighboring Telluride and San Miguel County.
The Pinon Ridge Mill would be located on the far western edge of Montrose County, in the Paradox Valley near the Utah border, but the uranium and vanadium processing mill — capable of producing enough fuel rods to power a city one and half times the size of Denver — has been meeting with stiff opposition from residents of Telluride and Ridgway.
They argue the mill will re-stigmatize the area once known as the capital of the global uranium industry, irreparably damaging the region’s new reputation as an outdoor recreation mecca and international tourism destination.
Proponents counter the western end of Montrose County has been severely depressed for decades, struggling for jobs and a sustainable economy since the last big uranium boom tapered off in the 1970s and ’80s in the wake of nuclear power-plant disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. They also say technology has changed dramatically since the days when Uravan produced uranium for the first atomic weapons but is now a toxic ghost town.
A dubious decision
There’s no legal problem here, officials with the U.S. Department of Energy say. Storing mercury at a federal site south of Whitewater won’t violate the terms of an agreement the DOE signed with Mesa County more than a decade ago, a top official with the agency said.
Well, that’s a relief, at least to federal officials eager to find a permanent disposal site for thousands of tons of mercury. But it’s not very reassuring to Mesa County residents who believed they had a commitment from the DOE years ago to keep the site near Whitewater free of additional hazardous wastes.
That desert disposal site, originally known as Cheney Reservoir, was created to store millions of tons of low-level radioactive waste in the form of mill tailings from uranium milling that occurred in Grand Junction in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
40 years later, dust still hasn't settled from Project Rulison nuclear blast
The ground rippled when a nuclear blast shattered the earth beneath Doghead Mountain south of Rulison 40 years ago, witnesses remember.
“It was an ocean wave that came across the valley, and you could see it coming at you clear as a bell,” said Cristy Koeneke, who was a college freshman watching the detonation of Project Rulison from an observation tent set up several miles away, across the Colorado River.
The Project Rulison experiment was conducted Sept. 10, 1969. The federal government and private companies were trying to free natural gas from underground sandstone formations. The experiment continues to cause reverberations today because of the nuclear contamination it left behind.
The gas Project Rulison produced was less than anticipated and too radioactive to use. But hydraulic fracturing subsequently has unlocked the enormous gas reserves in the Rulison area and elsewhere in the Piceance Basin
N. Colo. town passes measure opposing uranium mine - KRDO.com Colorado Springs and Pueblo News, Weather and Sports
The Nunn town board has passed a resolution opposing a planned uranium mine near the northern Colorado town.
The board voted 4-2 Thursday for the measure. One trustee abstained.
The resolution can't prevent Powertech Uranium Corp. from building its mine. But the mine's opponents hope it will affect state decisions on the project.
The Canadian company has proposed a $20 million uranium mine about 70 miles north of Denver. It has bought mineral rights and applied for permits.
Powertech plans to use a process called in-situ mining, which involves pumping treated water into uranium-laced deposits to dissolve the mineral so the uranium can be pumped to the surface.
Board opposes uranium mine | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan,
NUNN - Hailed by a standing ovation Thursday night from a gymnasium full of Weld County residents distrustful of uranium mining company Powertech, a divided board of trustees approved a resolution opposing the company's proposed Centennial Project uranium mine.
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Nunn joins the cities and towns of Fort Collins, Greeley, Ault, Wellington and Timnath in opposing the mine slated to be built on nearly 10,000 acres between Nunn and Interstate 25 about 15 miles northeast of Fort Collins.
The resolution urges the state, Weld County and the federal government to deny Powertech its mining permits. The fate of the mine depends on both the state and county issuing it permits and on the final form of in-situ uranium mining rules state officials are now writing.
Mayor Jeff Pigue warned town trustees that the resolution could expose the town to potential lawsuits from nearby landowners who may reap royalties from the mine. He invited the board to approve a resolution that takes no position on the mine as a way to avoid legal action.
McCain, Udall agree, but they’re still wrong | Colorado Statesman
he hearing Sen. Mark Udall and Sen. John McCain conducted in Estes Park concerning climate change, Rocky Mountain National Park, and our other national parks was reported by some as a “proof” for global warming.
Having attended the hearing myself, I found that to not be the case.
Throughout the hearing, it was obvious that both senators assumed anthropogenic carbon dioxide is the primary reason for any changes that occur to our local climate. That assumption, however, was never substantiated or allowed to be challenged. Sen. Udall stated at the beginning of the meeting that they were not going to discuss or debate any of the merits of the global warming argument.
Colorado Independent » Obama, McCain, Salazar put spotlight on Grand Canyon uranium-mining claims
What better way to take your mind off the huge hole the American economy is stuck in these days than to visit the biggest hole in the nation?
President Obama and his family will take a trip the Grand Canyon Sunday, just days ahead of a congressional junket to the site led by Obama’s GOP opponent for the White House last year, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
McCain will be joined by current Colorado Sen. Mark Udall and former Colorado senator and now Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, both Democrats, in the tour next week.
Salazar recently called a timeout on new uranium mining claims on public lands near Grand Canyon National Park while the administration weighs withdrawing up to 1 million acres of national forest from potential uranium mining and Congress considers revamping the 1872 mining law to provide hard-rock mining royalties and create a fund for mine pollution cleanups.
Durango Herald News, Coloradans grapple with promise, threat of uranium
The Durango Herald looks at plans to open a uranium mill between Durango and Grand Junction, outside Naturita. If approved, it would be one of only two uranium mills in the state. Given Durango's history of uranium processing (uranium in the first atomic bomb was processed at the former Smelter plant, which later became a Superfund cleanup site), we look at the decisions to be made that will determine whether the promise of uranium is fulfilled.
NATURITA - The resurgence of uranium mining in Western Colorado rests on a few promises.
This time, it will be different.
This time, the boom won't go bust.
This time, the government can be trusted to do its job.
Plan to Pay Sick Nuclear Workers Unfairly Rejects Many, Doctor Says - ProPublica
Carla McCabe spent a decade building nuclear bombs at the sprawling Rocky Flats complex near Denver. When she developed a brain tumor and asked for help, federal officials told her that none of the toxic substances used at the top-secret bomb factory could have caused her cancer.
Now, on the eighth anniversary of the federal program created to help sick nuclear weapons workers, the man who until recently was the program's top doctor says that McCabe, now 55, and many others like her are being improperly rejected.
Denver Federal Center workers demand answers about radioactive waste - KDVR
Would you want to dig up dirt at a former nuclear waste site? That's what construction crews at the Denver Federal Center site in Lakewood have been doing for the past year.
But what's worse, some workers tell FOX 31 that they never knew about the radioactive history until they saw our story on the news.
"We were told there was asbestos and lead at the site," says one worker who wants to remain anonymous.
He says when he and his co-workers learned that lead and asbestos were not the only danger, they became concerned for their health.
Associated Press: Land added to proposed Colorado uranium operation
A Canadian company hoping to open a uranium mine in northern Colorado has obtained options for up to 3,585 more acres, plus access to minerals it owns under the land.
Powertech Uranium Corp. said Wednesday that the option agreements are for land on the northern edge of its Centennial Project in Weld County, plus associated water, mineral and lease interests.
Chief Financial Officer Thomas Doyle declined to release financial details of the agreements.
Landowners M.J. Diehl & Sons Inc., Howard Diehl and Donna Diehl, and Thomas Varra and Dianna Varra declined to comment.
Powertech says its gross mineral rights at the project are now 9,615 acres, up from 7,320 acres. It says its surface use area rose to 7,262 acres from 3,677 acres.
Montrose County to review proposal for uranium mill
The Montrose County Commission will soon begin its review of a proposed uranium mill in the county’s West End.
The proposed Piñon Ridge mill won a unanimous recommendation Wednesday from the county planning commission, culminating a series of meetings that extended late into the night on two occasions before the commission vote.
The county commission is expected to conduct a public hearing in the West End within 30 days of the planning commission vote.
Opponents of the plan were joined Wednesday by actress Darryl Hannah, who maintains a home in nearby San Miguel County, and told a reporter for the Montrose Daily Press that she was “pretty concerned about short-term thinking leading to a disaster.”
Opponents have cited fears that the mill could pose a threat to public health, while supporters have cited the potential for economic growth and higher-wage hiring from the mill and nearby mining.
The Piñon Ridge Mill would sit on 880 acres about 12 miles from Paradox and 7 miles east of Bedrock on land that now is zoned for agriculture.
Energy Fuels is pursuing an aggressive schedule that officials hope will see construction begin in 2011 and the possibility of production in 2012.
Telluride Daily Planet >Uranium mill near Paradox gets planning permit
Planning committee sends decision to commissioners
Montrose County made a move into the future — or the past, depending on perspective — when its planning commission unanimously approved a uranium mill in Paradox Valley Wednesday night.
The Piñon Ridge Mill has to be approved by the county commissioners and state and federal regulatory agencies.
The area near the Utah border was a hub of uranium mining at the beginning of the atomic age. If a mill is built, it could revive an industry that gave its name to the town of Uravan. But the threat of radiation and pollution worries residents who live nearby.
A crowd of about 75 came to the Montrose County Fairgrounds and spoke overwhelmingly against the mine, parading to the podium to protest what they clearly saw as a threat to their health, water and way of life.
“If they contaminate our ground water, what happens then?” said Paradox’s Marie Moore. “This is my life. You don’t even live there. You don’t even know.”
News : Energy fuels: take it slow (Montrose, CO)
Last November, the Daily Press published a special enterprise reporting project on the Energy Fuels Pinon Ridge mill, uranium mining and human health. It led us to the conclusion that there is much to be mulled over when considering the permitting of a uranium mill. We suggested two appropriate moves by Montrose County. One, declare a moratorium of a year; and two, at least wait until the State of Colorado defines through a state permit what type of beast the mill would be before issuing a special use permit.
The Press’ report, “Uranium & Health, the Pinon Ridge Mill,” adopted the methodology of an environmental impact statement, at least in regard to human health. We treated the mill as a part of mining processing, or development as the county defines it. We then examined what the impacts of the mill would be on the health of miners, transporters, mill workers and neighbors. The mining occupational health analysis indicated definite risks beyond normal occupations. The milling occupational health was a bit of a mystery. One revelation from the special section: according to Phil Egidi of the Colorado Department of Health and Environment’s (CDPHE), the state leaves room for creativity in permits based on community and regional requests. (The entire report is on our Web site: montrosepress.com under the link ‘special sections.’)
Energy Fuels wants less restrictions in processing waste at the proposed Pinon Ridge uranium mill
Energy Fuels is trying to alter its special use permit application. They want to open up the restriction, imposed by the Montrose Planning Commission, that states, “only raw uranium ore processed on-site may be stored in the tailings cells.”
The Montrose Daily Press reports that Energy Fuels CEO, George Glasier, brought up the proposed change for discussion late at the June 10 meeting, the second public hearing before the Planning Commission, after public comments were closed. By this time, many members of the public had already left.
In testimony at the May 19 meeting in Nucla, before a large crowd in the high school gymnasium, Energy Fuels had publicly stated they had “no plans to process any material other than uranium ore,” according to the Montrose Daily Press.
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