Uranium « nuclear-news

Tanzania could lose precious water, and money, with uranium mining

Water is already scarce there and it would be imprudent to let one company consume huge amounts of water at the expense of area inhabitants…If global demand for uranium were to decrease, the estimated value of these deposits would also drop. Therefore, it is unclear how much revenue uranium mining would really bring to Tanzania……

….the average Tanzanian citizen has seen limited benefits from mining projects while the lion’s share of the profits go to foreign mining companies…..

Take care that uranium mining turns into blessing, not curse, for Tanzania, Daily Nation By SHAABAN FUNDI, October 20 2010 Continue reading →

October 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AFRICA, Uranium, water | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, uranium, water | Leave a comment

Under Russian control Rocky Mountains uranium to Iran?

Four Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner raising concerns that the deal could lead to U.S. uranium reaching Iran.

Russia seeks control of Canadian nuclear company working in U.S. TheSpec , 20 Oct 10, DENVER Russia’s government is trying to enter the U.S. nuclear industry, poised to spend $1.5 billion to acquire a controlling share of Uranium One, a Canadian company operating in the Rocky Mountain region…. Continue reading →

October 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Toxic uranium spill still affecting Navajo in New Mexico

People still remember, in part because of lingering illnesses they attribute to the spill,…People got compensated quickly at Three Mile Island – around here, I don’t think anyone got compensated for anything,

Uranium spill elicits traditional approach, Indian Country Today By Carol Berry, Oct 19, 2010 CHURCH ROCK, N.M. – About 10 miles north of this predominantly Navajo community, Highway 566 transects Red Water Pond Road, which is blocked at the entrance to an abandoned United Nuclear Corp. mine site from which nearly 1 million gallons of toxic wastewater spilled into the nearby Puerco River 31 years ago. Continue reading →

October 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | indigenous issues, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Radioactive waste – depleted uranium headed for Nevada?

Nuclear Waste Shipment Could Be Headed To NV – KTVN Channel 2 , 17 Oct 10, RENO, Nev. (AP) — A shipment of 9,400 drums of depleted uranium oxide could be headed to Nevada. State officials say the U.S. Department of Energy is considering a plan to send the radioactive waste from a cleanup site in South Carolina to the Nevada National Security Site, formerly known as the Nevada Test Site……Stutsman also declined to comment on a published report that DOE wants to permanently dispose of the material at the Nevada site about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Nuclear Waste Shipment Could Be Headed To NV – KTVN Channel 2 – Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video –

October 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uranium, USA, wastes | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Radioactive contamination, kidnappings, as uranium mining continues in Niger

shortcomings in the protection of workers against radiation, and increasing numbers of people living at Arlit or Akokan, a nearby town, cited this as the cause of their ill health…..uranium mining continues despite kidnappings

Safety concerns dog French uranium mines in Niger Still no sign of medical provisions Areva promised in 2009 Hervé Kempf * Guardian Weekly, 15 October 2010 For years uranium mining in Niger proceeded without giving rise to any major problems for companies, but things changed at the turn of the century. Since then the population of the mining town Arlit has become increasingly concerned that radioactivity may be exceeding regulatory limits. Continue reading →

October 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Niger, safety, Uranium | antinuclear, AREVA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | 1 Comment

Canadian uranium miner fined for burning hazardous wastes

Uranium company fined $85K for burning hazardous waste in northern Saskatchwan Canadian Business LA RONGE, Sask. – A Saskatoon-based uranium company has been fined $85,676 for burning hazardous waste materials.The Ministry of Environment received a call in April 2009 that led conservation officers to a remote area on Sutton Lake in northern Saskatchewan to investigate a suspicious fire.Hazardous waste materials had been ignited and left to burn at a vacant exploration camp site, resulting in environmental charges being laid against Titan Uranium Inc. (TSXV:TUE) Uranium company fined $85K for burning hazardous waste in northern Saskatchwan | Markets | Headline News | Canadian Business Online

October 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, safety, Uranium | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear decommissioning, uranium | 1 Comment

BHP Billiton calls for carbon price – in order to promote its uranium mining

BHP has an interesting little asset called Olympic Dam in South Australia where it is considering a major series of upgrades. Expanded Olympic Dam output would exceed one quarter of global mined uranium. …..Olympic Dam is the world’s largest known uranium deposit,

BHP: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? The Star, by Mark Taylor | 15 Oct 10 Why would BHP BHP CEO Marius Kloppers express support for a carbon tax? The mining industry has its fair share of climate skeptics. Geologists and model-based climatologists have very different views of the world. Does BHP stand to gain or lose from a carbon tax? Continue reading →

October 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, spinbuster, Uranium | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, uranium | Leave a comment

Did Stuxnet computer worm damage Iran’s uranium enrichment facility?

A sophisticated malworm such as Stuxnet could potentially include code that would cause uranium enriching centrifuges to explode under high pressure, or at a certain date. Did it actually do it? There were reports that Iran’s uranium enrichment plant at the Natanz facility was attacked by Stuxnet and sustained damage. An earlier report suggested that in 2009 that site suffered a serious nuclear accident that reduced the number of uranium enriching centrifuges by at least 25%. Was Stuxnet the reason?

A Cyber War Against Iran: Whodunit?, THE HUFFINGTON POST, by Haggai Carmon:, 13 Oct 10, The Iranians are frantically looking for those responsible for infecting their nuclear and industrial facilities with Stuxnet, an extremely sophisticated and dangerous viral computer malworm………… Continue reading →

October 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, Uranium, weapons and war | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Secret transport of highly enriched uranium across Poland

Top secret uranium shipment passes through Poland, TheNews.pl :: News from Poland, 12.10.2010 It has been reported that three shipping containers with thick metal flasks containing highly enriched uranium, or HEU, were loaded onto a specially converted Russian ship in the Baltic port of Gdansk on 26 September….
The Polish uranium shipment was big enough to construct eight nuclear bombs, writes “The Sunday Telegraph”, a British weekly whose reporters observed the shipment organised by American specialists…..

The shipment travelled across half of Poland in total secrecy.

Polish police and maritime border guards refused to confirm or comment on the secret shipment….Top secret uranium shipment passes through Poland – TheNews.pl :: News from Poland

October 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Foreign countries taking over USA uranium industry

the disintegration of boundaries in the uranium-mining industry, a trend that has picked up in uranium-rich Utah……..
foreign companies with claims to U.S. minerals pay no royalties under the 1872 Mining Act…….

Russian company may get Utah town and uranium | The Salt Lake Tribune, By JUDY FAHYS Oct 10, 2010 “…..the town itself, the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill a few miles up the highway, more than 10,000 acres of uranium claims in Utah and holdings in South Dakota, Wyoming and Texas — all of it will be in the portfolio of ARMZ’s parent company, Rosatom, the Russian nuclear agency, which last month provided fuel for Iran’s nuclear power plant….. Continue reading →

October 11, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

In situ mining subject to stricter rules and higher fees

New rules take effect for Colorado uranium mines | San Francisco Examiner, Associated Press. 09/30/10 PDTDENVER — New rules for uranium mining in Colorado are now in effect.State lawmakers passed three bills in 2008 that prompted the changes, and the new rules took effect Thursday.The legislation was aimed at protecting groundwater during in-situ uranium mining, which involves injecting a chemical mixture into a site to draw uranium out. The laws also updated mining fees and pushed for disclosure of more information during prospecting activities.Now, all uranium mines must have detailed environmental protection plans. Applicants for in-situ leach uranium mines have to show the technology they want to use has been used before without harming groundwater quality, and they can’t be in violation at another operation. New rules take effect for Colorado uranium mines | San Francisco Examiner

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, uranium | Leave a comment

Slow progress in cleaning up uranium groundwater contamination

State records and Denver Water testing data indicate the pumping has failed to reduce uranium levels that far exceed drinking-water standards in Ralston Creek, which flows into Denver Water’s Ralston Reservoir.

Cotter Corp. puts a price on clean By Bruce FinleyThe Denver Post, 30 Sept 10, The federal government reimbursed Cotter Corp. nearly $3 million for cleanup of its toxic uranium mill near Cañon City — and could pay $3.3 million more for work in the future. But the work mopping up tailings and contaminated groundwater that began in 1984 is not scheduled to be complete until 2027. Continue reading →

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uranium, USA, water | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, uranium | Leave a comment

New laser uranium enrichment technology fraught with problems

Regulatory agencies are worried that laser enrichment of uranium could lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons….GE and Hitachi “are betting that there will be an upsurge of nuclear power plant construction—that’s a huge and extremely risky bet.”….laser enrichment has been held back by substantial technical hurdles.

Laser Uranium Enrichment Makes a Comeback The controversial technology poses proliferation risks, but nuclear firms press on, IEEE Spectrum: By Sandra Upson 1 October 2010 Two technology giants, GE and Hitachi, are betting big on a nuclear renaissance. Continue reading →

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Iran’s uranium enrichment plant the likely target of Stuxnet worm

the worm that has infected Iranian nuclear computers was meant to sabotage the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz –

‘Computer virus in Iran actually targeted larger nuclear facility’ Haaretz Daily Newspaper By Yossi Melman, 28 Sept 10, New analysis, based on the characteristic behavior of the Stuxnet worm, contradicts earlier assessments that the target was the nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Continue reading →

September 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, uranium | Leave a comment

AREVA’s chief heads to Niger as uranium mines security deteriorates

The warning said the security situation in the Arlit region — where Areva runs uranium mines and where the five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda linked militants — was deteriorating.

Hostage crisis: French nuclear boss heads to Niger, Google hosted news, (AFP) – 28 Sept 10, PARIS — The chairwoman of French state-owned nuclear giant Areva is to visit the firm’s operation in Niger, the company said Monday, after Al-Qaeda militants kidnapped several of her employees there.”Anne Lauvergeon plans to visit Niger soon,” a spokesman said, declining to confirm a report that she would travel on Thursday. The purpose of her visit is to visit Areva employees in the region, the spokesman said. Continue reading →