Jodi Peterson

Associate Editor

New uranium mines are proposed for dozens of places in the West, including Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Mining companies claim that the safety issues of past uranium mines won’t be an issue — these mines will be in-situ rather than open pit, so the radioactive metal will be dissolved underground and won’t come into direct contact with miners or nearby residents (see our story “Navajos pay for industry’s mistakes” for more on the health problems caused by old uranium mines and mills).

There’s one little hitch, though — such mines have a history of contaminating groundwater (see our story “Underground movement“). In Wyoming, an operating in-situ mine was just cited for numerous violations, including spills and an inadequate cleanup bond. The Casper Star-Tribune has the story:

The six-page investigation report details several “long-standing” environmental concerns at the mine. Among them are delayed restoration of groundwater, “routine” spills, and a seriously inadequate bond to cover restoration.

“Given that PRI’s operation has for many years been the major uranium producer in Wyoming, there is an expectation that the operation might serve as a model for excellence in (in-situ leach) mining. Unfortunately, this is not the case,” DEQ land quality District 2 supervisor Mark Moxley wrote in a Nov. 21, 2007, report.

On March 10, DEQ issued a notice of violation to Power Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cameco Corp., detailing alleged violations pursuant to two permits.

There’s just no safe way to extract a toxic substance from the earth, let alone dispose of wastes that will be dangerous for thousands of years; despite McCain’s boosterism, nuclear power is not the answer.