Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Do people move to Grand Junction to be a part of “energy alley” or to be immersed in the on-going legacy of boom-and-bust uranium mining and milling?
We moved here because Mesa County was promoted as a fruit-growing region with great natural beauty and a friendly community offering recreational opportunity and diversified employment. During the ten years we have lived here, I have learned that most of this advertising is true.
It is also true that in a book titled “Warm Sands,” Grand Junction’s story of involvement in uranium milling unveiled a legacy of health problems and concerns that continue to plague our citizens. Note the advertisements in The Daily Sentinel to apply for recompense for uranium damage.
When Grand Junction’s water was tested in the 1970s, it was considered unfit to drink. When Colorado Avenue was renovated in 2009, the tailings from yellowcake milling found in the roadbed had to be removed and carried away for protection of the people because it was highly radio-active. Colorado taxpayers have paid over $1 billion in clean up costs for past uranium operations and there is still need for more.
Now, Energy Fuels wants to open a new uranium mill in the Paradox Valley that would likely transport yellowcake through Mesa County. Gateway recreation area could be affected by concerns with air and water pollution causing sustainable economic opportunities to be seriously hampered.
Hopefully, people from Grand Junction will attend the public hearing on health and economic issues regarding Energy Fuels’ intention to open Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill. It will be held Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6:00 p.m. in the Montrose Pavilion on the Montrose County Fairgrounds.
FRAN DIDIER
Grand Junction, CO
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2010/01/26/012610_email_letters.html
