New North Dakota Uranium Mining Rules Nearly Done

The Associated Press - Saturday, March 08, 2008

The North Dakota Geological Survey is finishing up new rules for uranium mining in the state.

The agency has scheduled a public meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the American Legion Hall in Belfield to give area residents an update.

"The rules are pretty technical and we wanted to be able to hopefully explain to people so they can understand," State Geologist Ed Murphy said. "This is unusual. We usually don't come out (with an informational meeting) in the rule-making process."

The new rules address a process called "in-situ," which involves using chemicals and water to leach out uranium and pump it to the surface. A first draft has already been reviewed by the North Dakota Public Service Commission, the state Health Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Murphy said the new regulations will emphasize underground water monitoring both in the mine area and beyond.

"The technology has changed and we need to get (a rule) on the books so it's there," he said.

Geologists and others are writing the second draft of the rules, which will go to the state attorney general's office for review and then to the state Industrial Commission.

"Then we'll go through the formal rule-making process and set a date for the rule hearing," Murphy said.

Uranium was first discovered in North Dakota in the 1940s, in lignite beds in the western part of the state. Mining predated any federal or state regulations, and some residents of southwestern North Dakota believe the radioactive element is responsible for health problems that persist today. Health officials say they have found no evidence to back up those claims.

Uranium has not been mined in North Dakota for decades. But a worldwide demand for nuclear power has sparked big price increases in uranium, recharging interest in uranium exploration in the West.

The state Department of Mineral Resources said it does not track whether mineral owners in southwestern North Dakota have signed any lease agreements with uranium explorers. But "We see it coming on the horizon," Murphy said.