FAVORABLE RULING IN URANIUM MINING CASE

On April 29, 2008 the three judge panel from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Licensing Board submitted a 130 page ruling that is favorable to the opponents of the proposed expansion of a uranium mine in northwest Nebraska¬-a mine opponents say could be contaminating nearby aquifers that supply water for humans and agriculture. The judges ruled that opponents had raised valid concerns about the potential for groundwater contamination and threats to human health. The mine started operations in 1991 and can produce as much as 800,000 pounds of yellow cake uranium every year. (The term "yellow cake uranium" may ring a bell for students of recent US/Iraq history.) The method used by the uranium mine in question is known as In Situ Leach (ISL) which involves a leaching liquid (water plus an oxidizing agent) being injected through wells into the ore deposit, and the uranium-bearing liquid being pumped out from other wells. The widely acknowledged risks from this type of uranium mining include: "the risk of spreading of leaching liquid outside of the uranium deposit, involving subsequent groundwater contamination, the unpredictable impact of the leaching liquid on the rock of the deposit and the impossibility of restoring natural groundwater conditions after completion of the leaching operations."

See http://www.wise-uranium.org/uisl.html for more information, and for continuous updates about the case and links to further information visit www.savecrowbutte.org