Radioactive spill from old uranium mill

Pipeline blamed for spill at former uranium plant in Colorado http://trib.com/business/energy/pipeline-blamed-for-spill-at-former-uranium-plant-in-colorado/article_de1c924f-92ae-5df5-b0d8-e5be8d2282da.html   By the Associated Press, 25 Nov 13,  CANON CITY, Colo.  — A pipeline rupture led to a spill of an estimated 4,000 to 9,000 gallons of contaminated water spilled at a former uranium mill near Canon City, but an on-site collection system contained the spill, officials told residents.

A joint on the underground pipeline broke Nov. 5, unleashing the spill at the defunct Cotter Corp. mill, Jennifer Opila, a radioactive materials monitor for the state health department, told the Thursday meeting. The pipe was repaired and operable by Nov. 6, Opila said.

Cotter safety officer Jim Cain said between 4,000 and 9,000 gallons of water spilled. A sample showed traces of uranium and molybdenum were found, Cain said.

John Hamrick, vice president of Cotter Mill operations, said there have been three leaks “in three different years, all for different reasons.”

Cotter once processed uranium for weapons and fuel at the mill. Federal authorities placed the mill on a national list for Superfund cleanups in the 1980s after radioactive materials traced to the mill were found to have contaminated the soil and groundwater. Part of the neighboring Lincoln Park community also is a Superfund site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eventually turned oversight of cleanup work to state officials.

Uranium hasn’t been processed at the mill since 2006. The state requires mill sites that are being decommissioned to be thoroughly cleaned up and restored at the operator’s expense. It’s expected to be a multimillion-dollar effort.

Safety concerns of uranium workers

A Fridge Full of Uranium for Honeywell Employees, In These Times,  BY MIKE ELK  7 Nov 13 On Monday, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) team arrived at Honeywell’s Metropolis, Ill., uranium conversion plant to do a routine weeklong inspection. Recently, workers at the plant have alleged that the employee refrigerator in the control room of the main processing building has repeatedly tested positive for dangerous levels of uranium.

But because Honeywell will not allow a qualified union worker to accompany NRC representatives on their inspections if the workers are on layoff, the union claims that the company is putting them and the local community at risk.

During the last few years, the plant has faced problems with federal authorities over a series of safety issues. In March 2011, after an investigation by the Environmental Proection Agency (EPA), Honeywell pleaded guilty to one felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous radioactive waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)” and paid an $11.9 million fine to the federal government. Two months later, OSHA officially cited the company for 17 serious violations for the accidental release of toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas directly into the atmosphere outside of the plant in December 2010.

Members of United Steel Workers Local 7-699, which represents workers at the Metropolis plant, claim that having a specifically designated worker present during inspections was the key to at least some of the company’s citations in 2011. The plant, workers say, is large and complex. Though inspectors are highly trained, they may miss small but crucial details during their visits. Union representatives, they say, can point out problems known to workers that regulatory officials may otherwise overlook.

Colorado uranium mill stalled because of low uranium price

Plan to build uranium mill in SW Colorado on hold The Associated Press  September 8, 2013 DURANGO — A Toronto-based energy company is holding off on its plan to build a uranium mill in southwest Colorado.

The Durango Herald reports (http://bit.ly/15H4qMC ) Stephen Antony, president and CEO of Energy Fuels Resources Inc., told investors during a conference call Friday the company won’t build the Pinon Ridge mill in Montrose County unless there is an unexpected turnaround in uranium prices…..http://gazette.com/plan-to-build-uranium-mill-in-sw-colorado-on-hold/article/1506008he gaztte,

Nuclear weapons danger in Australia’s SILEX laser uranium enrichment technology

a SILEX facility could make it much easier for a rogue state to clandestinely enrich weapons grade uranium to create nuclear bombs

SILEX could become America’s proliferation Fukushima,

Controversial nuclear technology alarms watchdogs  http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/controversial-nuclear-technology-alarms-watchdogs/18138  By David Worthington | July 30, 2012 A controversial nuclear technology is raising alarms bells among critics who claim it may be better suited for making nuclear weapons than lowering the cost of nuclear power and could lead to a nonproliferation “Fukushima” for the United States.

SILEX (separation of isotopes by laser excitation) is a method for enriching uranium with lasers. It was developed by Australian scientists during the mid 1990’s as a way to reduce the cost of nuclear fuel, because uranium must be processed before it can be used to generate power.

The long-drawn out and costly effort to clean up MOAB’s uranium tailings

Lack of funding to slow cleanup of uranium tailings (includes video) KSL.com Utah By Geoff Liesik , 13 April 12,  MOAB — Environmental crews have removed more than 5 million tons of radioactive tailings from the banks of the Colorado River in less than three years.

They still have about 11 million tons to go, but the pace of the cleanup is about to slow down.

Portage Inc., the company set to take over the job April 29, has announced that it will suspend work on the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project for three months each year during the term of its contract……

Graham is worried that the reduced funding for the project — the primary factor in Portage’s switch to a nine-month work schedule — will have an impact not only on the area’s economy but on the environment.

The initial plan called for the cleanup to be completed by 2019, Graham said.

“The rate they’re talking about at this moment means the pile would take another 17 years to move,” she said. ”That is unacceptable to us and we’re hoping it’s unacceptable to the people downriver from us.”

Metzler acknowledged that “the funding these days is probably not as much as some people in the community would like to see.”… The Grand County Council has signed a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu that asks for at least another $5 million for the UMTRA project.

“There are 22 signees on to the letter,” Graham said. “So it’s not just little old Grand County down here kicking and screaming and throwing a temper tantrum. It’s lots of people, lots of organizations that are concerned with this slowdown.”  http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=19974549

Uranium milling company gives up on its Colorado project

Cotter Corp. won’t try to rebuild uranium milling program in Cañon City, must move toward final clean up 12/16/2011  By Bruce Finley The Denver Post Cotter Corp. has decided it is “no longer economic” to process uranium at its contaminated Colorado uranium mill and will move toward clean-up of the site next to Cañon City along the Arkansas River.

A letter from Cotter president Amory Quinn says Cotter “will not seek to renew” the radioactive materials license Cotter has from the state health department. Cotter plans to decommission and decontaminate the mill site and to request license termination, Quinn said in the Dec. 12 letter. http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_19562999#ixzz1gp8Ndp4u

Uranium milling and mining a threat to water supply

The most powerful influences in any decision on uranium mining and processing are likely to be financial and political,”
“Thus, it is imperative that the public evaluate the long-term ‘big picture’ because the actual impacts will be paid for by numerous future generations.”..

Uranium mining, milling threatens water, report claims, By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune, November 22, 2011 A report funded by the Roanoke River Basin Association warns that a proposed uranium mining and milling project in Pittsylvania County could be a serious threat to water quality and may increase competition for water in the future.

The 39-page report, “Site-Specific Assessment of the Proposed Uranium Mining and Milling Project at Coles Hill, Pittsylvania County, Va.,” was released Thursday.

Pittsylvania County gets a detailed, site specific, report on uranium milling, mining

Uranium mining, milling threatens water, report claims, By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune , November 22, 2011 “………Moran’s study is one of the few reports on the potential impact of uranium mining not funded by the mining industry,…

Moran’s site-specific findings include:

Virginia Uranium has failed to present any sort of detailed project proposal in writing.

The verbally described plans have changed constantly, depending on the audience.

Hence, the public has no way of reliably knowing the details of the proposed mining and mineral processing methods or the related impacts.

The project as proposed may generate at least 28 million tons of solid uranium mill tailings and roughly the same amount of liquid waste.

The solid wastes would remain on site forever, requiring maintenance forever.

Uranium mill tailings would contain radionuclides, heavy metals, and other toxic elements.

Undiluted tailings liquids may contain 1,160 to 1,460 times the existing Safe Drinking Water Act standard for uranium.

The confirmed presence of sulfides in the Coles Hill rock raises the possibility that long-term, active water treatment may be required, in perpetuity.

Numerous factors combine to provide long-term pathways for the migration of contaminants into local waters.

As proposed, the Coles Hill project would require over 5 billion gallons of water. During the start-up period, the project would use at least 525.6 million gallons per year.

It has been estimated that at least 136 million gallons of groundwater would flow into the open pit per year.

This water would become contaminated with numerous radioactive and non-radioactive contaminants.

To allow mining, this contaminated water must be pumped out of the open pit and discharged to some undefined location.

The Coles Hill project may use over 2,030 tons of explosives per year, releasing potentially toxic concentrations of nitrate, ammonia, and other organic compounds into the environment.

Such a project would cause long-term, chronic degradation of water quality and increase wate competition in the region.

Statistically adequate baseline data (water quality, quantity, etc.) have never been collected, compiled, and interpreted, or released to the public.

Thus, the public has no reliable “yardstick” against which to demonstrate that changes have occurred or not.

There is no credible evidence to indicate that either the federal or state regulatory agencies have sufficient staff, budgets, or political clout to adequately oversee and enforce the appropriate regulations….  http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/11/23/chatham/news/news43.txt

Cotter Corporation wants to reduce monitoring radioactive waste from uranium milling

Cotter asks to stop testing impoundment pond due to dangerous conditions –The Denver Post, by Bruce Finley, 4 Aug 11 Cotter Corp. managers of a uranium mill have asked state regulators to let them stop testing the acidity of a leaking toxic- and radioactive- waste impoundment pond — saying conditions have become too dangerous for workers…..

The Cotter efforts to reduce monitoring affect Colorado’s oversight of the cleanup because state regulators rely on company data instead of conducting independent tests.

Cotter is in the process of dismantling its shuttered uranium mill, located south of the Arkansas River near Cañon City.

With state permission, the company has been moving 90,000 gallons of radioactive sludge and solvents into the impoundment, although regulators know the impoundment is leaking. Liquid waste is mixed with a material resembling cat litter that renders it more solid….

Workers at the mill, built in 1958 with federal support, processed uranium for weapons and power plants. Cotter dumped waste in 11 unlined ponds, leading to contamination of groundwater, which spread to Cañon City.

Federal Environmental Protection Agency officials in 1984 declared the mill and surrounding area a Superfund environmental disaster — then entrusted state authorities with supervising the cleanup...Cotter asks to stop testing impoundment pond due to dangerous conditions – The Denver Post

Court win for Sheep Mountain Alliance in anti uranium mill battle

Denver District Judge Brian Whitney sided with the Telluride-based Sheep Mountain Alliance, which contends the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) may have violated various state and federal laws in issuing a permit for the mill. The lawsuit can now move forward…...

Denver district judge allows uranium mill lawsuit to move ahead,The Colorado Independent,  By David O. Williams | 05.27.11  A Denver district judge this week rejected motions by the state of Colorado and a Canadian uranium mining company to throw out a lawsuit challenging the proposed Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill in Montrose County.