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Environmental groups join Havasupai Tribe in appealing against uranium mine decision

justiceArizona Uranium Mine Decision Appealed by Plaintiffs  Phoenix New Times, By Miriam Wasser May 1 2015 A coalition of environmental groups is joining the  in appealing a U.S. District Court decision last month that Energy Fuels Inc. can resume uranium mining atCanyon Mine in Northern Arizona.The groups had filed a preliminary injunction in March 2013 to stop the company from completing construction of the mine and extracting uranium, and argued in favor of a new environmental impact statement.

Katie Davis, with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups appealing the decision, expects the coalition will have more detailed briefings that lay out specifics of their legal argument sometime in the next few months.

Meantime, she says, the basis of the appeal is that in the 30 years since the Forest Service conducted its original environmental assessment of the proposed mine, “There is a lot of new information about the cultural importance of the area and the impacts uranium mining [has on] human health and the environment.”
Canyon Mine is six miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and four miles from Red Butte, a designated Traditional Cultural Property. The ore body sits underneath land deemed sacred by multiple tribes in the region, and the mine is expected to yield 200 tons of uranium every day for the three to five years it’s operational…….
According to Davis from the Center for Biological Diversity, “allowing uranium mines to operate without a full understanding of the scientific, environmental, and cultural risks hurts our public lands and endangers our drinking water.”……
The next stage in the battle over Canyon Mine will be heard in front of a three-judge panel in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as early as this summer. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2015/05/uranium_mine_decision_appealed_by_plaintiffs.php

May 2, 2015 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

USA Justice Dept to evaluate uranium mine cleanups on Navajo land

NavajoU.S. to evaluate uranium mine cleanups on Navajo land -Justice Dept http://news.yahoo.com/u-evaluate-uranium-mine-cleanups-navajo-land-justice-221208324.html By Sandra Maler WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government will put $13.2 million into an environmental trust to pay for evaluations of 16 abandoned uranium mines on land belonging to the Navajo Nation in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, the Justice Department said on Friday.

The Justice Department said the agreement was part of its increased focus on environmental and health concerns in Indian country, “as well as the commitment of the Obama Administration to fairly resolve the historic grievances of American Indian tribes and build a healthier future for their people.”

The investigation of the sites is a necessary step before final cleanup decisions can be made, it said in a statement, adding the work would be subject to the approval of both the Navajo Nation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The site evaluations focus on the mines that pose the most significant hazards and will form a foundation for their final cleanup,” Assistant Attorney General John Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the statement.

The Navajo Nation encompasses more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square km) within Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

The region’s unique geology makes it rich in uranium, a radioactive ore which has been in high demand since the development of atomic power and weapons at the close of World War Two.

Some four million tons of uranium ore were extracted during mining operations within the Navajo Nation from 1944 to 1986, the department of justice said.

The last uranium mine on the Navajo Nation was shut down in 1986.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said in a statement he welcomed the agreement. “We have always said the U.S. is responsible for the cleanup of uranium legacy sites,” he said.

May 2, 2015 Posted by | indigenous issues, USA | Leave a comment

Corruption in Russia’s nuclear industry

Russia’s Corruption In Nuclear Industry A US Concern And ‘Threat’ To National Security; FBI Still Investigates, IBT, By  on May 02 2015 The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate bribery allegations in Russian uranium sales to the United States. The seven-year-old probe has been described as another indication of tense relations between the U.S. and Russia.

The probe reflects the concern of the U.S. on crime and corruption in the post-Soviet Russia era. It is also an indication that the West continues to worry about nuclear stockpiles and national security since the Cold War, reports WSJ………

corruptionU.S. officials have long been worried about the corruption in Russia’s nuclear industry. If briberies continue, there is a possibility that weapons grade materials will be taken by criminal minds. “Corrupt insiders are a huge threat to nuclear security,” said William Tobey, former deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. He believes it is considered a “national security threat” due to corruption in Russia’s nuclear industry. http://au.ibtimes.com/russias-corruption-nuclear-industry-us-concern-threat-national-security-fbi-still-investigates

May 2, 2015 Posted by | Russia, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Increased options now for customers’ renewable energy

The Evolution of Customer Renewable Energy Choice, From RECs to Offsite PPAs Greentech Media, Corporate customers now have a lot of options to choose from when procuring renewables. Bryce Smith  May 1, 2015

Customer access to clean energy has increased dramatically in the past 15 years, as technology cost reductions, electricity market deregulation, and financial creativity have combined to produce more accessible renewable products for end users.

Energy managers now have a wealth of tools at their disposal. The most recent product class is the offsite solar PPA. This product represents the fourth major way that large electricity buyers can access the benefits of renewables. It’s the most flexible and satisfying yet, and appeals to a broad range of end users, including universities, corporations, manufacturers, municipalities and other government agencies.

We will briefly recap the history of customers’ renewable energy options, as well as the pros and cons of each…….http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-evolution-of-customer-renewable-energy-choice-from-recs-to-offsite-ppas

May 2, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Concerns about water safety,and indigenous culture as Federal Board revises uranium mining license

Feds revise license to SD uranium mine over water, culture concerns http://www.capjournal.com/news/feds-revise-license-to-sd-uranium-mine-over-water-culture/article_92122a46-f046-11e4-bbad-d720fa0a51d2.html

RAPID CITY — A federal board has revised a license granted to a company that wants to mine for uranium in western South Dakota.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a year ago issued a license to Powertech Uranium Corp. for the proposed Dewey-Burdock mine near Edgemont. Powertech is now Azarga Uranium.

The license was put on hold when mine opponents including the Oglala Sioux raised questions about possible damage to aquifers and cultural sites.

The Rapid City Journal reports that the board has ruled in Azarga’s favor on five challenges relating to water quality and quantity. But it also instructed the company to make more efforts to locate existing drill holes at the site to prevent contamination, and it said the mine could threaten cultural sites.

May 2, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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