Brakes put on Colorado uranium mining

in the rush to develop this infamous resource (again), there was a rare moment of rationality two weeks ago when a federal judge ordered DOE officials to halt permits for exploring and mining in Colorado. U.S. District Judge William Martinez said the agency “acted arbitrarily and capriciously in failing to analyze site-specific impacts” on the people and places in the path of the mining boom. He said the DOE violated environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, by failing to consult U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists about the potential impacts of the extractions.

In the rush for uranium, cooler heads prevail — for now High Country News, By Heather Hansen, Red Lodge Clearing House, 4 Nov 11 Greens got what seemed like a rare bit of good news when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) last week released their Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal. The report looks at the potential impacts of removing federal lands near the Grand Canyon from mining consideration for the next two decades.

The BLM proposes four alternatives ranging from no protection of the acreage in question to a moratorium on new mining claims on various portions of it. Ultimately, it favors the one that removes about one million acres from going under the drill bit. The moratorium is an extension of a two-year time-out put in place in 2009, which had reversed a Bush II-era policy encouraging a uranium boom and drawing foreign interests to the West.

If Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar accepts the BLM’s recommendation, which he will likely do, valid existing rights are not subject to the ban, and the Final EIS estimates that 11 uranium mines could be up and running in the area in the near future. Four have already been approved.

The valid claims are located within three sections of land; two north of Grand Canyon National Park on BLM Arizona Strip lands and the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, and one south of the Grand Canyon on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest.

Commenting on the reality of active uranium mining near the Grand Canyon, BLM Director Bob Abbey said, “The preferred alternative would allow for cautious, continued development with strong oversight that could help us fill critical gaps in our knowledge about water quality and environmental impacts of uranium mining in the area.”

The implication of Abbey’s comment is that we don’t yet have a grasp on what the effects of uranium mining in this area will be – that we’ll have to wait to see what happens. This is an unsettling prospect when reflecting on the impact uranium has had on Western people and landscapes – and on the renewed push in several Western states for new mining and milling operations……..

But, in the rush to develop this infamous resource (again), there was a rare moment of rationality two weeks ago when a federal judge ordered DOE officials to halt permits for exploring and mining in Colorado. U.S. District Judge William Martinez said the agency “acted arbitrarily and capriciously in failing to analyze site-specific impacts” on the people and places in the path of the mining boom. He said the DOE violated environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, by failing to consult U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists about the potential impacts of the extractions.

Forcing the DOE to look before it leaps in Colorado inspires cautious optimism, in the same way the suggested moratorium at the Grand Canyon does. But circumspection is still essential. (Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) already have introduced legislation aimed at blocking the moratorium, and Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona has attached a similar rider to the spending bill for Interior and U.S. EPA.)

When asked about his own legislation aimed at making the Grand Canyon withdrawal permanent, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) charged his fellow lawmakers with playing a dangerous game with a national treasure. (After all, Arizona made $18.5 billion in tourism revenue in 2008—who would even risk screwing that up?) “I don’t care how much the company tells you about modern technology,” he said. “The fact of the matter is there are consequences we don’t know about.”

http://www.hcn.org/hcn/blogs/range/in-the-rush-for-uranium-cooler-heads-prevail-for-now