Given the atrocious environmental record of uranium mills in Colorado and the West, a bipartisan effort in the General Assembly designed to keep mill operators from leaving behind costly piles of toxic waste makes good sense.
Legislation that easily passed in the state House last week would keep mills from gaining permits to expand their operations until operators cleaned up existing waste.
The bill attempts to keep these operations accountable to the public and make environmental violations few and far between. It also would tighten regulation of accepting out-of-state waste, or so-called “alternate feed” material, that can be processed at the mills.
Since domestic mining of uranium is expected to grow with a renewed interest in nuclear power, we urge the Senate to usher House Bill 1348 to the governor for final approval.
A Canadian company, Energy Fuels, is seeking to build the first new conventional uranium mill since the Cold War near the tiny Montrose County towns of Nucla and Naturita. Separately, Cotter Corporation has announced plans to reopen its Cañon City mill.
New and renewed milling of uranium creates good-paying jobs at the mills and in Colorado mines, and we support the expansion of nuclear power in general. It accounts for but 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, but it can provide dependable energy without emitting greenhouse gases.
But the legacy of uranium mills was that operators worked them until the money was gone, then closed up shop, claimed bankruptcy and left radioactive waste behind for taxpayers to clean up. The waste then threatens and harms groundwater, streams, wildlife and communities.
Uranium processing in Colorado alone has consumed nearly $1 billion in federal and state taxes, and cleanup remains ongoing.
Cotter’s Cañon City mill, an active Superfund site, has been cited with nearly 100 violations in the past 10 years. Contaminated water has breached groundwater supplies and airborne radioactive waste also has plagued the community.
Environment Colorado has been pushing the effort to pass HB 1348, and more than 100 supporters from ranchers to businesses to prominent Republicans and Democrats have joined the cause.
And though Cotter executives call the bill unworkable and claim it would prevent them from being able to run the mill, Energy Fuel’s investors say the bill won’t prevent them from operating.
If Energy Fuels can do it, it seems clear the technology exists now to run a mill responsibly.
The bill isn’t an effort to prevent uranium mining and milling in Colorado but it’s reasonable legislation meant to protect Coloradans and our cherished natural resources.
