CANON CITY, Colo.—Gov. Bill Ritter has signed into law a bill that requires uranium mills to clean up radioactive waste before accepting more radioactive material.
Ritter signed the bill Tuesday in Canon City, home of the Cotter Corp. uranium mill. Cotter wants to refurbish the mill—a Superfund site since 1984—and open a new mill in Montrose County.
Cotter has said the new law will hamstring their plans to accept new materials from Mount Taylor in New Mexico. Under the new law, the company will have to pay a higher bond. It can’t get permits to expand its operation without addressing existing contamination.
Area residents have been fighting for years to force Cotter to clean up contaminated groundwater.
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Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
