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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.
Deseret News | Tailings spill shuts down EnergySolutions project until Tuesday
A truck carrying uranium mill tailings from a Moab cleanup project headed by EnergySolutions tipped over and spilled some of the radioactive dirt last Wednesday.
The multimillion-dollar cleanup project directed at properly disposing of the 16 million tons of uranium tailings was suspended until Tuesday for a safety evaluation, EnergySolutions spokesman Mark Walker said.
"Safety is always our first priority," Walker said. "It's a self-imposed shutdown."
EnergySolutions, which was awarded the project nearly 18 months ago to haul the tailings 30 miles north of Moab, had been carting dirt up a haul road at the site Wednesday evening when the driver came too close to the shoulder and the truck tipped over, Walker said.
Work to remove uranium waste in Utah picking up - Salt Lake Tribune
The job of moving 16 million tons of radioactive waste from the shores of the Colorado River in southern Utah is picking up steam.
The U.S. Department of Energy says more than 330,000 tons of uranium tailings have been hauled away from a huge pile near Moab and deposited in disposal pits 30 miles to the north.
Crews began running two trainloads a day in August, doubling the amount of waste shipped to Crescent Junction each day.
Project manager Donald Metzler says the pace will pick up even more next month with longer trains and more container cars.
The work is part of a $1 billion project to clear away a 130-acre heap of waste left behind after the closure of a uranium mill in 1984. The project could be completed by 2022 or earlier if additional funds are secured.
Update: EnergySolutions Moab Project Receives American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding of Nearly $23 Million
EnergySolutions, Inc. (NYSE: ES) announced today that $22.9 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding has been allocated to the Moab UMTRA project. The total amount of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for the Moab project is $108 million. The funding is being used to accelerate removal of uranium mill tailings away from the banks of the Colorado River. Thus far 160 jobs have been created this year as a result of Recovery Act funding.
"We are thrilled that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated sufficient funding to the Moab project to accelerate the cleanup of the site. This is great news for the community and for all who use the Colorado River and Lake Powell," said Steve Creamer, CEO and Chairman of EnergySolutions.
The Recovery Act funding is being used to excavate, transport and dispose of additional mill tailings from the Moab site to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved disposal cell at Crescent Junction. This additional work began in June and will continue through September 2011. Additionally, this additional funding supports increasing the size of the disposal cell as well as crushing, transporting, and placing final rock cover on the disposal cell. This portion of the work began in August and continues through September 2011.
Sixteen million tons of uranium mill tailings will eventually be relocated 30 miles north of Moab to a location designated by the DOE.
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.
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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News : Uranium mill would process more than rocks (Montrose, CO)
MONTROSE COUNTY — Energy Fuels Inc. has told the Montrose County Planning Commission it wants to process waste and process streams beyond uranium ore at their proposed Paradox Valley Pinon Ridge uranium mill.
The announcement came after public testimony was concluded at a second hearing June 10 in Montrose for a special use permit. The proposed location of the new facility would be about 12 miles east of Paradox in the West End off of state Highway 90.
In public testimony at the first hearing May 19, Energy Fuels representatives said that they had “no plans to process any material other than uranium ore.” This appears to have been the sole public comment on the subject.
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Montrose County Planning Director Steve White issued a memo to the planning commission prior to the June 10 hearing that proposed the specific condition that “only raw uranium ore processed on-site may be stored in the tailings cells.”
Independent: Churchrock Mine cleanup plan available
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its proposed cleanup plan for the Northeast Churchrock Mine, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.
Two public meetings to discuss the cleanup alternatives will be held at Pinedale Chapter House on June 23 and July 7. Both are scheduled 6-8 p.m.
EPA’s preference for addressing potential exposure risks from radium- and uranium-contaminated soils is to move all the contaminated waste material from the mine to an existing disposal cell at the United Nuclear Corp. mill site or to a newly constructed cell at the UNC mill facility. Any cell would be lined and capped and would receive long-term monitoring.
Durango Herald News, Uranium mining hits resistance
Residents of Nucla, Naturita split on wisdom of proposed mill
MONTROSE - A proposed mill that could help restart Colorado's uranium industry drew heated debate at a public hearing Wednesday night.
Katie Ogier - The Wells Group
custom residential construction
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Photo by JOE HANEL/Herald
Cindy Carothers, left, Patty Geer and their father, Lee Sutherland, show their support for a proposed uranium mill near Naturita before a meeting of the Montrose County Planning Commission on Wednesday in Montrose.
The Montrose County Planning Commission delayed its decision on a special-use permit for Energy Fuels Inc., which wants to build the Piñon Ridge uranium mill 12 miles west of Naturita in the Paradox Valley. Commissioners favored the mill, but they needed more time to craft language for the permit. The commission will make its decision July 1.
The mill would have effects far beyond the remote valley. It would be the first new American uranium mill in decades, and it would offer a convenient place to process ore from Colorado's shuttered uranium mines.
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Residents of Nucla, Naturita split on wisdom of proposed mill
Herald Denver Bureau
Article Last Updated; <!-- date -->Friday, June 12, 2009<!-- end date -->
MONTROSE - A proposed mill that could help restart Colorado's uranium industry drew heated debate at a public hearing Wednesday night.
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Photo by JOE HANEL/Herald
Cindy Carothers, left, Patty Geer and their father, Lee Sutherland, show their support for a proposed uranium mill near Naturita before a meeting of the Montrose County Planning Commission on Wednesday in Montrose.
The Montrose County Planning Commission delayed its decision on a special-use permit for Energy Fuels Inc., which wants to build the Piñon Ridge uranium mill 12 miles west of Naturita in the Paradox Valley. Commissioners favored the mill, but they needed more time to craft language for the permit. The commission will make its decision July 1.
The mill would have effects far beyond the remote valley. It would be the first new American uranium mill in decades, and it would offer a convenient place to process ore from Colorado's shuttered uranium mines.
Telluride Daily Planet > Uranium mill project makes headway
Advisory commission, county planning director recommend approval
The approximately 250 people who filled the Nucla High School gym last week were there to witness a different kind of rivalry than the basketball games that usually inhabit the venue. Instead, they came to debate the proposed uranium mill in Paradox Valley, a project that has electrified the fence between area residents who want jobs and those who are wary of the environmental impacts of such a facility.
The Montrose County Planning Commission held the public hearing to gather input about the proposed mill before making a recommendation to the county commissioners about a permit. The 880-acre project site is on private land zoned for agricultural use, not for industrial operations like processing ore, so it will require a special use permit for the proposed mill. The planning commission deferred its decision on the permit to a June 10 meeting, but both County Planning Director Steve White and the West End Planning Advisory Committee (made up of residents who live closer to the proposed project) recommended approval of the permit.
Cañon City Daily Record - Residents’ opinions differ on Cotter
As Cotter Corp. begins the process of refurbishing its uranium mill, Lincoln Park residents have varied opinions about the prospect of renewed mill operations.
“Why not,” Brandie Smith asked. “They ain’t hurting nothing.”
Smith, who has lived in the area for most of her life, said the soil around her home is the “best for gardens” and that she has had no problems with water.
Cañon City Daily Record - Reaction mixed to Cotter’s intentions
Reactions to Cotter Corp.’s announcement of plans to begin refurbishing the uranium mill south of Cañon City were mixed Friday.
“My first reaction was this is not going to happen,” said Carol Dunn, co-chair of Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste. “I was a little surprised by their decision.”
Cotter will send a letter Tuesday to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announcing their intent to apply for a license amendment that would allow them to begin refurbishment of the facility. The company hopes to begin processing uranium again in August 2014.
“There is a formal process,” said Steve Tarlton, radiation management leader for CDPHE.
Cañon City Daily Record - Cotter preparing commitment letter
Plant will close its 40-acre secondary impoundment pond
Cotter has committed to close its 40-acre secondary impoundment pond with its recent license amendment with the state, plant manager John Hamrick told the Lincoln Park/Cotter Superfund Community Advisory Group on Thursday.
About 20 people gathered at Garden Park High School for the monthly CAG meeting.
Hamrick said the agreement also calls for Cotter to establish a timeline for certain actions, including a March 31 deadline for a commitment letter. That document will detail Cotter’s plans to either close its uranium plant south of Cañon City, the site of a Superfund cleanup, or retool it for continued production.
B.C. takes control of nuclear material at beleaguered mill
The B.C. government moved one step closer Monday to becoming the de facto operator of the Mackenzie pulp mill by extending an emergency environmental order indefinitely.
The new order replaces a Jan. 25 order under the Environmental Management Act that permitted the government to run the mill temporarily to prevent an environmental disaster. The new order goes into effect at midnight Monday.
ksl.com - Moab readies to rid itself of uranium-infused dirt
Preparations are getting under way in earnest for one of the biggest and most expensive dirt-hauling projects ever.
It's radioactive dirt, and Moab residents have been arguing about what to do with it for a quarter of a century.
For more than two decades, the government has been trying to clean the radioactive dirt-piles left behind when the uranium industry went into a deep slump.
Lots of radioactive dirt has been moved to safer places, but the biggest pile of all is right here in Utah.
It's a pile of red dirt so big, if they shipped it to the EnergySolutions Arena, it would fill it to the ceiling 23 times. But the EnergySolutions company has other plans.
Health study launched near closed uranium mill in southern Colorado : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera
Federal researchers have begun a public health review in Cañon City amid renewed concerns about pollution from a closed uranium mill.
The study, by the Health and Human Services Department, is examining potential exposure to pollution from the Cotter Corp. mill and the possible health risks.
“We’re not saying these (potential health impacts) were caused by the contamination,” said environmental scientist Teresa Foster. “We’re not at the point where we can make that determination. We’re taking the community’s concerns very seriously.”
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