Comment: A simple rule: No to uranium mining, not needed! Nuke Plants, Not Needed, we want green energy!
By Matthew Beaudin, Editor
Published: Tuesday, October 5, 2010 10:36 PM CDT
New rules governing the uranium mining industry just took hold, but there is a hope among a local environmental group that someday regulations will extend further.
In 2008, State lawmakers passed three bills that prompted the changes, and the new rules took effect Thursday.
The legislation is aimed at protecting groundwater during in-situ uranium mining, which involves injecting a chemical mixture into a site to draw uranium out. The laws also updated mining fees and pushed for disclosure of more information during prospecting activities.
Now, all uranium mines must have detailed environmental protection plans.
Applicants for in-situ leach uranium mines have to show the technology they want to use has been used before without harming groundwater quality, and they can’t be in violation at another operation.
From the top down, the rule changes demand a greater environmental attention; new regulations call for more ground water protections and a greater appeals process that affords public appeals of mining decisions for the first time. The new doctrine also outlines water quality testing and mandates the government’s ability to review waste storage.
In what may be the overhaul’s greatest win, companies will now have to disclose when, where and how mining operations will occur to ensure the public is fully informed about potential impacts, in addition to notifying the government. Proprietary information such as size of the ore body remains confidential.
Sheep Mountain Alliance, a local environmental non-profit, had pushed for the legislation, but Hilary White, the group’s director, hopes to one day go further. The rules apply to the back end of the process and while its in progress. She’d like to see greater attention paid to keeping pollution from happening at all.
“We are pleased with those results, although they don’t apply to the front end,” White said. “We’re trying to address it before the contamination happens,” she said.
Read more:
http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2010/10/05/news/doc4cabd0b5d61e0434647647.txt
