Uranium Tailing Accident in Canada
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Published: March 10, 2011
To the editor:
In response to recent letters in support of uranium mining, here are some of the scare tactics and junk pseudoscience from the (new) 50 years of mining industry changes, thanks to wise-uranium.org, The Nuclear Information and Resource Service:
» In Saskatchewan, Canada, environmental monitoring revealed a sharp increase of uranium loads in lake sediments near the Rabbitt Lake mine in the years 2007-08, similar to the increase in 2002-03. The 2009 data showed some decrease, but the uranium loads remained above the probable effects level.
» In Wyoming, Cameco Resources paid a $13,000 fine for failure to report an excursion at its Highland in situ leach mine. At the idle Christensen Ranch in situ leach mine in Wyoming, the NRC requested further groundwater cleanup efforts at inadequately restored mine sections.
» In Colorado, Cotter Corp.’s currently closed Schwartzwalder uranium mine was found to contaminate groundwater near a Denver water reservoir. Cotter Corp. defied state orders to clean up the contaminated mine water and even sued the state over the cleanup order.
The state imposed a $55,000 penalty, which was later increased by an additional $39,000.
Mining regulators also ordered Cotter Corp. to address heaps of toxic uranium ore at the mine site. Cotter Corp. moreover announced to willfully neglect the EPA requirement to conduct radon measurements at its Canon City uranium mill tailings impoundment in Colorado.
What I see is an intensive campaign from mining supporters trying to sell pure hogwash to people on how clean the dirty uranium industry is. Regrettably, those supporters have closely followed the wrong side of uranium mining and milling.
Most of the people of Pittsylvania County live in rural areas and they don’t have a public water supply. Virginia Beach knows what is at stake here over water that is why a statewide study on drinking water must go forward.
In Brazil, wells near the Caetite uranium mine were closed for excess radiation levels. In South Africa, a burst of the Cooke gold/uranium tailings dam on Dec. 18, 2010, sent toxic mud into the Wonderfonteinspruit River — and the list goes on.
On Dec. 17, a dam failure of a retention basin spilled 200 cubic meters of uranium-containing liquids at Areva’s Arlit open pit mine in Niger.
We buy uranium overseas because it is cheaper and we have a mega-ton to mega watts program with Russia to turn nuclear warheads into uranium that is usable in our nuclear power plants. On March 4, the Department of Energy announced it is again selling stockpiles of excess uranium.
PHILLIP LOVELACE
Gretna, VA
