Publish Date: 3/19/2010
Rachel Alexander
The Daily Record
The state House Transportation and Energy Committee, Thursday, unanimously passed the Uranium Processing Accountability Act.
“We had amazing bipartisan support,” said Matt Garrington, of Environment Colorado, one of the groups that developed the bill.
The bill also was developed by Colorado Citizens Against ToxicWaste. It is sponsored by Rep. Buffie McFadyen and Sen. Ken Kester.
Among those who testified for the bill were Fremont County Commissioner Mike Stiehl, CCAT co-founder Sharyn Cunningham and Gloria Stultz.
John Hamrick vice president of milling for Cotter Corp., testified against the bill.
“The folks who testified (for the bill) from Cañon City were absolute champs,” Garrington said. “This is really a huge victory for the people of Cañon City.”
The bill now will go to the full House for debate and a vote. If it passes there it will go to the Senate committee.
Hamrick told lawmakers he cannot defend the 99 violations the mill received for contaminating the environment over the past 10 years, but he insisted the company has changed.
“That’s not a good record at all and it has to be acknowledged before you can make it better,” he said.
He also said the bill would force Cotter out of business and impact other uranium mining operations planned for Weld County and Montrose because it requires cleanup of the mining site, as well as offsite contamination, which he said is impossible while production is under way.
Cunningham testified she moved to Cañon City in 1994, and she was not told her water was contaminated with radioactive wastes. She said her family suffered medical problems that she blames on the radioactive water.
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http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=13192
