By STEVE MCMANAMEN, News-Record Writer smcmanamen@gillettenewsrecord.net
Published: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 12:25 PM MDT
Gov. Dave Freudenthal is trying to stop the transfer of $150 to $200 million worth of excess government uranium to the United States Enrichment Corp. that he says will hurt Wyoming’s resurgent uranium mining industry.
Freudenthal wrote a letter to the U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday. “There is no question that the non-competitive introduction of such a large quantity of uranium will adversely impact the uranium producing industry in my state,” he wrote There also would be an extra $450 million of excess government uranium transferred in the next three years, according to the letter.
“The loss of mining and mining-related jobs in Wyoming and elsewhere will be a direct outcome of the Department’s present course,” Freudenthal wrote.
Several uranium mines in Campbell and Sweetwater counties plan to re-open under new ownership in the next year. Uranium One Inc., one of the largest uranium mining operations in the world, plans to make Wyoming the center of its U.S. operations.
The company bought the Irigaray in-situ recovery central processing plant in Johnson County, the Christensen Ranch processing facility in southwest Campbell County and several uranium resources in the Powder River Basin for $35 million. Both processing facilities already are permitted and licensed, and the company hopes to start production next year.
The governor said the company’s plans will be a boost to Wyoming, and these transfers will take away jobs.
“Planned expansions and future operations that will provide long-term, high-paying jobs to Wyoming miners will be postponed or lost if the department continues to drive down the price of uranium through the releases that have been announced,” Freudenthal wrote, adding that the spot market price of uranium has fallen by about 20 percent since the department’s first announcement.
The argument is that federal law requires any Department of Energy sale or transfer to not impact the domestic fuel cycle.
“Given the already softening commercial market, I find it hard to envision that a determination of ‘no adverse material impact’ can be achieved relative to these transfers,” Freudenthal wrote.
The $200 million worth of uranium is more than Uranium One plans to produce annually and could cause a re-play of what happened in Campbell County in the 1990s.
A flood of uranium into the domestic market in the 1990s from decommissioned Soviet nuclear weapons drove down uranium prices to about $8 a pound. The mining operations in Campbell County shut down in 1999 because of the low price.
http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2009/10/06/news/today/news01.txt
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
MEETING NOTICE
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
OFFICE OF THE CLERK
RICHMOND
October 05, 2009
MEETING NOTICE
TO: State Water Commission
FROM: Lori L. Roper, House Committee Operations, (804) 698-1547
RE: Meeting Date/Time/Location
Please be advised that the State Water Commission will hold a meeting on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:00 PM in House Room D of the General Assembly Building.
Should you have any questions regarding the meeting agenda, please contact Marty Farber in the Division of Legislative Services at (804) 786-3591. If you are unable to attend this meeting or have questions regarding scheduling, please contact our office at (804) 698-1540.
Members:
The Honorable Harvey B. Morgan The Honorable John C. Miller
The Honorable John M. O'Bannon, III The Honorable Richard H. Stuart
The Honorable Mathew J. Lohr The Honorable Frank M. Ruff, Jr.
The Honorable David L. Bulova The Honorable Patricia S. Ticer
The Honorable Paul F. Nichols The Honorable R. Creigh Deeds
The Honorable Watkins Abbitt, Jr. R. James Incenhour
The Honorable Christopher B. Saxman Michael T. McEvoy
The Honorable Thomas C. Wright, Jr.
cc: The Honorable Bruce Jamerson
The Honorable Susan C. Schaar
Martin G. Farber, Div. of Legis. Svcs.
Ellen Porter, Div. of Legis. Svcs.
Coal Ash: 130M Tons of Waste59
Watch CBS News Videos Online
October 4, 2009 5:00 PM
If coal ash is safe to spread under a golf course or be used in carpets, why are the residents a Tenn. town being told to stay out of a river where the material was spilled? Lesley Stahl reports.
Comments: Thanks Shireen,
CBS touches on the fact that coal ash "disposal" is already regulated and that those regulations have failed to protect the environment and human communities, so why should anyone believe the energy industry lobbyist who tells CBS that the "goal" of state regulations is to ensure that coal ash disposal is safe, but CBS doesn't come right out and say so.
The Injustice of corporations not being forced to clean up after themselves, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab, and never mentions the fact that "cleanup" is not possible.
Comment: Thanks John,
I agree wholeheartedly, but I would add the following adjectives to your description og thye media involved:
"Still, this is about as good as we get from our government-controlled, corporate-owned mainstream media"
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5362297n&tag=contentBody;housing
Monday, October 5, 2009
Uranium Mining Poisons Native Americans
by Jeff Gerritsen
25 February 2009
Nuclear power is often billed as clean base-load electrical energy. However, few if any nuclear power proponents mention the unintended consequences or the externalized costs associated with this technology to support the unsustainable U.S. lifestyle. A crucial part of this story is told by Native Americans.
I have included three shocking, detailed articles outlining these unintended consequences impacting the Native Americans in South Dakota and neighboring states -- in particular the Cheyenne River radiation poisoning from nearby uranium mining impacting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Regarding the nuclear power industry, unfortunately, I have a "horse" in this race -- my daughter and son-in-law, both engineers working on nuclear power plants. As a parent and activist who looks down the road to future generations, I suspect future historians will regard with contempt our ill-conceived and childish foray into nuclear power. I doubt history will judge us favorably. About some of the conversations my family has, as we are polar opposites -- let's just say the discussions are rather lively!
In the first article, Shelly Bluejay Pierce writes about uranium mining poisoning the Cheyenne River on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This 2007 article's issues have not been addressed (see the present-day update at bottom of this report). The uranium mining wastes have not been cleaned up from the river or surrounding countryside. The second article, written by Charmaine White Face, provides a brief outline of uranium mining -- calling it FACT SHEET: America's Secret Chernobyl.
The last article is an impassioned history, full of painful fact, by the Lakota as detailed in their Bring Back The Way campaign.
While uranium mining tailings and wastes are not high graded into pure uranium, they nonetheless pose a significant health risk that will be with us for many hundreds of thousand years. Is this a legacy you want to leave to our future generations? I would think not! Contact your local, state, and federal representatives and demand action. There must be real clean-up and a stop to the mining, production, and use of these radioactive materials altogether. We must question our power "needs." - JG
Radioactive sign by Cheyenne River - Red Shirt villageRadiation Warning Signs Placed on Cheyenne River
by Shelley Bluejay Pierce, Native American Times Correspondent, July 29, 2007
Radiation warning signs were posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in the small town of Red Shirt, South Dakota which lies on the northwest corner of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Several of these signs were placed warning people of the high nuclear radiation levels found in the Cheyenne River.
Several weeks ago Everitt Poor Thunder, a spiritual and community leader in Red Shirt, asked Defenders of the Black Hills, an environmental organization, whether the Cheyenne River water could be used to irrigate a community garden. A local well could not be used as it was found to be radioactive and warning signs surround that structure. The water well taps into the Inyan Kara aquifer that also contains the Lakota and Fall River formations, making up an extremely large aquifer of water supplies for many regions.
Residents of Red Shirt occupy a village site that is thousands of years old to the Oglala Tetuwan (Sioux) people. Many have lived here all of their lives, growing gardens with water taken from the Cheyenne River and fishing for catfish, bass, and turtles. In the summer months, the river is used for swimming and other recreational pursuits.
A water sample taken from the Cheyenne River was sent to a laboratory and the results revealed levels of alpha radiation above the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Maximum Contaminant Level. Alpha radiation causes harm when ingested hence the warning signs were placed to warn people of the dangers in the Cheyenne River.
The portion of the Cheyenne River Basin that lies in southwestern South Dakota drains about 16,500 square miles within the boundaries of the state. The area in this basin includes part of the Black Hills and Badlands, rangeland, irrigated cropland, and mining areas. After traversing the western half of the state from southwest to northeast, the Cheyenne River flows into Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River.
Previous efforts remove the radiation in the water at Red Shirt have been unsuccessful. Drinking water is piped in, or residents must drive 25 miles to the little town of Hermosa to buy water. The Cheyenne River has dried up approximately one mile from Red Shirt and tests of the river bottom soil by Defenders of the Black Hills are pending. Initial tests using a Geiger counter revealed more than double the amount of normal background elevations for radiation.
South Dakota news reports recently referred to a DENR report and stated that uranium is naturally occurring in that area which is said to account for the radiation levels in the water.
“If that was the case, there would not have been villages there for thousands of years. There would have been no fish or any aquatic life previously in this river. We sampled the river with nets for aquatic life and found only 2 crayfish and about 10 minnows in more than 100 yards of the river. In essence, it's a dead river. There are two endangered species that use this River: the Sturgeon chubb, a small fish, and the Bald Eagle,” explained Charmaine White Face, founder and Coordinator of Defenders of the Black Hills.
According to published information in the The 2006 South Dakota Integrated Report For Surface Water Quality Assessment the Cheyenne River water quality continues to be generally poor. The lower Cheyenne drainage, in general, contains a high percentage of erodible cropland and rangeland in west central South Dakota. Historical mining records for the state show more than 4,000 exploratory uranium mining holes, some large enough for a man to fall into, in the southwestern Black Hills with an additional 3,000 holes just 10 miles west of the town of Belle Fourche, SD. These mining holes go to depths of 600 feet.
At a meeting for the Defenders of the Black Hills on Feb 26th 2005, discussions centered on the radiation levels in some areas reported at a staggering 1,400 times higher than the ordinary background radiation on the Grand River in the Cave Hills and the adverse affects to the villages on the Standing Rock Indian Reservations. Also discussed was the high proportion of cancer related illnesses and birth defects especially in the small community of Rock Creek.
“There are also hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in Wyoming whose runoff comes down the Cheyenne River, and also 29 abandoned mines in the southwestern Black Hills, all upstream of Red Shirt Village. One of the largest open-pit abandoned uranium mines in the southern Black Hills is a square mile and its runoff goes into the Cheyenne River,” explained Charmaine White Face.
Most recently, a Canadian mining company, Powertech, began drilling uranium exploratory wells in the Dewey Burdock area northwest of Edgemont. Defenders of the Black Hills battled in court against the drilling permit allowing Powertech to drill 155 more exploratory wells at depths of 500-600 feet in the southwestern Black Hills but the Courts allowed the drilling after denying the appeal. Powertech currently has 4,000 uncapped, and unmarked uranium exploratory wells drilled previously. The mining company plans on doing In Situ Recovery (ISR) of uranium from the Lakota and Fall River aquifers. In Situ Recovery was formerly known as In Situ Leach (ISL) mining.
During the ISR process, a solution to dissolve the uranium is poured down the wells and the dissolved uranium brought back up to the surface. The uranium is separated from the remaining radioactive waste solution that is then reinjected into the aquifer after being held in waste ponds on the surface.
According to Powertech's mining application, each exploratory drill hole "will have a small excavated mud pit that will be approximately 12 feet by 5 feet" and 10 feet deep.
Among the concerns of the environmental groups are the possibility of overflow from the mud pits with the sudden rain showers that occur in the Black Hills. One of the aquifers empties directly into the Cheyenne River and is used by many ranchers to water their livestock. Among the deeper aquifers of concern is the Madison that provides water for many western South Dakota communities.
“A list of uranium mining facts provided online by our organization, Defenders of the Black Hills, reveals a long history of abuses regarding uranium and coal mining in the Upper Midwest region. In an area of the USA that has been called “the Bread Basket of the World,” more than forty years of mining have released radioactive polluted dust and water runoff from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps. Our grain supplies and our livestock production in this area have used the water and have been exposed to the remainders of this mining. We may be seeing global affects, not just localized affects, to the years of uranium mining” concluded Charmaine White Face.
In another article by Charmaine White Face, she provides a brief outline to uranium mining -- calling it America's Secret Chernobyl [below]. The term Chernobyl has an interesting origin. In Russian, Chernobyl translates to Wormwood. Wormwood relates to several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. absinthium, native to Europe, yielding a bitter extract used in making absinthe and in flavoring certain wines -- that is adds a bitter taste. In classical literature, wormwood was metaphorical for bitter sorrow. When history writes its review of our foray into nuclear power, will we be regarded with "bitter sorrow"?
Abandoned uranium mine in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensationsation and Liability Act (CERCLA) was used to clean up this site.
Uranium Mining and Nuclear Pollution in the Upper Midwest:
F A C T S H E E T
America's Secret Chernobyl
By Charmaine White Face, Coordinator
Defenders of the Black Hills
1. Uranium mining in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota began in the middle of the 1960s. World War II, which ended with the nuclear bomb, introduced the use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity and caused the price of uranium to rise. As the economy of the Midwestern states depends primarily on agriculture, when uranium was discovered in the region, many get-rich-quick schemes were adopted. Not only were large mining companies pushing off the tops of bluffs and buttes, but small individual ranchers were also digging in their pastures for the radioactive metal. Mining occurred on both public and private land, although the Great Sioux Nation still maintains a claim to the area through the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868.
2. In northwestern South Dakota, for example, the Cave Hills area is managed by the US Forest Service. The area currently contains 89 abandoned open-pit uranium mines. Studies by the USFS show that one mine alone has 1400 mR/hr of exposed radiation, a level of radiation that is 120,000 times higher than normal background of 100 mR/yr. There are no warning signs posted for the general public anywhere near this site! It is estimated that more than 1,000 open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in the four state region from a map developed by the US Forest Service.
3. The water runoff from the Cave Hills abandoned uranium mines empties into the Grand River which flows through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Three villages are located on the Grand River and their residents have used the water for drinking and other domestic purposes for generations. One village still uses the water for drinking and domestic purposes. The water runoff from the Slim Buttes abandoned uranium mines empty into the Morreau River which flows through the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Four villages are located on the Morreau River; however no data is currently available about their use of the Morreau River water. Both of these rivers empty into the Missouri River which empties into the Mississippi River.
4. The following agencies are aware of these abandoned uranium mines and prospects: US Forest Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Bureau of Land Management, SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the US Indian Health Service. Only after public concern about these mines was raised two years ago did the USFS and the EPA pay for a study of one mine this year, 2006.
5. In Southwestern South Dakota, the southern Black Hills also contain many abandoned uranium mines. Nuclear radiation near Edgemont, SD, has already polluted the underground water of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation according to a study completed in 1980 by Women of All Red Nations. The US Air Force also used small nuclear power plants in their remote radar stations and missile silos which number in the hundreds in this four State region. No data is available on the current status or disposal of these small nuclear power sources.
6. More than 7,000 exploration holes for uranium have been drilled in the southwestern and northwestern Black Hills. More are being planned in Wyoming. These holes go to depths of 800 feet. The exploratory process itself allows radioactive pollutants to contaminate underground water sources. South Dakota currently has no regulations for In Situ Leach mining of uranium.
7. In Wyoming, hundreds of abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in or near the coal in the Powder River Basin. Yet plans are being made to ship more of that coal to power plants in the Eastern part of the United States. Radioactive dust and particles will be released into the air at the power plants as well as locally in the strip mining process. Federal tax dollars totaling more than $2.3 billion dollars as a loan are planned to be given to a private business, the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, to increase the amount of coal hauled to the power plants. Two other railroads currently haul coal out of this area.
8. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a secret Executive Order declaring this four State region to be a 'National Sacrifice Area’ for the mining and production of uranium and nuclear energy. This is the same area of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty territory, the final home of the Great Sioux Nation.
Summary
This Fact Sheet regarding the past uranium mining and small underground nuclear power plants in the Upper Midwest region should give cause for alarm to all thinking people in the United States. This is the area that has been called “the Bread Basket of the World.” It is for this reason that we are bringing this issue to your attention. For more than forty years, the people of South Dakota and beyond have been subjected to radioactive polluted dust and water runoff from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps. Pollution does not stop at State boundaries so these places generating radioactive pollution to the air and water are also impacting the rest of the United States. Coal tainted with uranium and radiation that has gone and is going to Eastern power plants adds to the total amount of radioactive pollution. There needs to be a concerted effort to determine the extent of the radioactive pollution in the environment, and the health damage that has been and is currently being inflicted upon the people of the United States.
It is imperative that a federal bill be passed in Congress appropriating enough funds for the cleanup of ALL the abandoned uranium mines in this four State region. This harmful situation must not be placed on the end of the Superfund list of hazardous sites to be addressed in twenty years. The health of the nation is threatened. The cleanup of all of these mines and underground sites must occur now! Those responsible for this disaster must face the consequences, but the cleanup and health concerns of the nation need to be addressed first. We hope you will consider our request for concerted actions to be taken at the national level regarding these grave concerns. This problem of radiation pollution spreading throughout the United States has been allowed to quietly continue for much too long.
What you can do:
1. Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators by phone (202) 224-3121, through the mail, and email. Ask that they consider sponsoring a bill for the cleanup of all the abandoned uranium mines and prospects, and underground nuclear sites in the Upper Midwest Region of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.
2. Also ask your Congressional Representatives and Senators to support the Expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include also those harmed by abandoned uranium mines and prospects in the Upper Midwest Region.
3. Include the fact that federal tax dollars should not be used to help a private railroad haul potentially radioactive coal to Central and Eastern power plants. Encourage your Senators and Representatives to tell the Federal Railroad Administration not to give a loan to the DM&E Railroad.
Thank you
Charmaine White Face, Coordinator
Defenders of the Black Hills
PO Box 2003
Rapid City, SD 57709
The following report is from Bring Back the Way: Revitalize & Preserve Lakota Way of Life
Crying Earth Rise Up!
“Some day the Earth will weep, She will beg for Her life, She will cry with tears of blood. You will make a choice, if you will help her or let her die, and when She dies, you too, will die.” - John Hollow Horn, Oglala Lakota, 1932
Authors Note: This report is based on the Lakota worldview that Water Is Sacred. Without Water There Is No Life.
For many generations, our Lakota people lived on the plains and followed the stars for ceremony. Our ancient Creation story teaches us that Tunkasila made all of Creation, woman and man and taught us to be a good relative to all of Creation. Mni, Water is a Sacred Gift of Creation. Mni is the Adornment of Mother Earth, Mni is the companion of Woope, the daughter of Tunkasila. Woope is the Law. Mni is our first home, when we arrive here on Mother Earth, the water of our mothers’ womb is our first dwelling. Water is our first medicine. Without water, there is no life. The Spirit of Mni is also in the Star Nation. In the form of steam, the Spirit of Mni enters the Human Body to nourish the Spirit. Mni is part of every daily and ceremonial aspect of Lakol Wicohan, our Lakota lifeway.
After the coming of the white man, and many years of war making, our anacestors- known historically as the Great Sioux Nation-entered into the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty with the United States.
In the Treaty, our ancestors retained a land base for the Lakota Nation that includes parts of what is currently known as North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and Canada.
Our Treaty Territory contains our Sacred Land and Ceremonial Sites, and billions of dollars worth of Minerals, Plants, and Water.
Our ancestors and the United States government officials smoked our Sacred Pipe together and the U.S. Congress ratified the Treaty, so our people believe that the Treaty is true and binding, as long as the water flows and sweet grass grows.
Through America’s aggressive Treaty violations and the decimation of the Buffalo Nation, the Oglala Lakota were forced onto the reservation. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located in southwestern South Dakota.
The Pine Ridge Reservation was originally known as Prisoner Of War Camp #344.
“Pine Ridge Indian Agency” (The official Bureau of Indian Affairs terminology)
The U. S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs Census reports that there are now 48,000 Oglala Lakota people, with 25,000 tribal members currently residing on the Pine Ridge. 65% of our population is age 25 and under.
Drinking Water Quality Tests on Pine Ridge
On the Pine Ridge, Drinking Water Quality tests conducted from 1995 to the present by the United States Geological Survey, the Indian Health Service, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Rural Water Program and the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDDR) reveal contaminants in the groundwater. There are two serious threats to our drinking water, Arsenic, and Alpha Emitters (radiation emitting).
Uranium Mining and Water Contamination -- The Tests Reveal the Contaminants:
- Arsenic
- Combined Radium 226 & 228
- Barium
- Thorium 230 (not naturally occurring)
- other Radioactive Alpha Emitters
Maximum Contaminant Level, the MCL, measures contaminants and tell us the “safe” levels of contaminants.
Since the US Clean Water Act of 1972 drinking water quality is measured for contaminants.
The MCL of Arsenic is 10 as of January 2006. An MCL above 10 is not in the “safe” level under US law.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s MCL “goal” for Arsenic level is a measurement of zero, because the EPA cannot determine a true safe threshold level for Arsenic. Once Arsenic is released into the environment, it cannot be contained. It only changes form.
According to the Indian Health Service Arsenic Tech Team the water quality test results in 2005 on Pine Ridge reveal that 98 wells have Arsenic levels 2 to 12 times higher than the MCL determined by law.
The wells of these families have been capped and their drinking water source has been changed to that of the water piped in from the Missouri River. (Call the Indian Health Service Arsenic Tech Team at 685-6561 to ask for copies of the Arsenic Reports)
In past decades, Open Pit Uranium Mining occurred Northwest of the Pine Ridge in the area of Edgemont, SD on the outskirts of our sacred Black Hills.
The milling of the Uranium took place by the Cheyenne River, which flows to the Pine Ridge. The radioactive waste from that Uranium Mine has since been buried underground for storage.
The area around Edgemont and the Northwest area of the Pine Ridge is over the Inyan Kara Aquifer and the White River Group. The Arikaree Aquifer flows under the center of the Pine Ridge.
The USGS and OST Rural Water tests document that wells and springs from these Aquifers reveal that contaminants of Arsenic, Radium 226 & 228, and Gross Alpha Emitters are higher than the safe and legal Maximum Contaminant level.
Some Alpha Emitters and Arsenic are naturally occurring due to Uranium in the ground, others as a result of mining.
(Call the OST Rural Water Office in Pine Ridge at 867-1999 & ask for copies of their Annual Reports. The complete test results are in their reports)
These wells that exceed the MCL for Arsenic and Alpha Emitters have been closed and the drinking water is now piped in or trucked in to the community.
A summary of the OST Rural Water Reports and Indian Health Service shows that the Alpha Emitters from the following areas exceed the legal MCLs (highend range of composite tests) is on "Test Results" page.
Nuclear Waste Contamination?
Have the nuclear waste tailings from the Uranium mines around the Edgemont area that washed into the Cheyenne River also get into the groundwater, thus traveling for many years underground to get here, under the Pine Ridge, into the Aquifer we drink from? Did the above ground tailings blow in the wind to our lands here on Pine Ridge? There has never been a definitive study across the reservation to determine possible sources of contamination.
Mni Wiconi Pipeline
The Mni Wiconi water line has only been here for a few years, prior to Mni Wiconi disconnecting our wells and connecting our homes to the pipeline, we drank groundwater for years, some homes that are land-based still drink from the groundwater, as they are not connected to the pipeline. According to the Annual Reports of Rural water, the drinking water they provide is groundwater pumped from 34 wells.
Practically the first sentence of the Congressional Bill which created with Mni Wiconi Program states that “the drinking water quality available to the Pine Ridge does not meet the minimum health and safety standards, thereby posing a threat to public health and safety”.
(Mni Wiconi Act PL 100-516 (H.R. 2772) October 24, 1988 and amended PL 103-434 (S1146) October 31, 1994.
According to the 2003 Health Consultation Report of the Sharps Corner/Porcupine area conducted by the US Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry the private well samples studied in 1999 and 2000 for Radionuclides, the highest MCL detected was 75.9ugL, which is two and half times higher than the legal MCL of 30ugL. The sampling led the ATSDR to conclude that “ Radionuclides were the drinking water contaminant of concern for the Sharps Corner/Porcupine area”.
Of the eight water wells sampled, 50%, or half, of homes MCL for Radionuclides exceeded the EPA’s legal Maximum Contaminant Level for Gross Alpha Particle activity. In the Radon part of the study, the air was measured in these homes. One-third or 30% of the homes were found to have results of Radon above the legal MCL.
The results summarized that the folks in these homes were ingesting radioactivity through the drinking water, as well as being contaminated by Radon through inhalation, breathing it in as it is in their homes. In every one of these homes, at least one family member died from Cancer. The ingestion and inhalation of Radionuclides also has a quicker effect on the kidney--many individuals will suffer kidney damage and die from the effects BEFORE they get cancer.
The USGS recommends further testing of our ground water to determine a better defined source of radioactive contaminants. The tests would separate the source of the contaminants of the naturally occurring Uranium in our groundwater from Gross Alpha Emitters that may have been pulled out of the ground through mining activities, entering the Aquifers. (Call the USGS Office in Rapid City and ask where to purchase copies of the reports)
In a letter addressed to OST President Steele in 2003, Lorelie DeCora responded to his question posed regarding the definition of a contaminant known as “Th-230” that he stated had been detected in groundwater quality tests conducted on the Pine Ridge. The Women of All Red Nations (WARN) Report issued a report in 1980 documenting water quality test results. Thorium 230 is a contaminant that results from Uranium tailings from mining. Thorium can be naturally occurring, but Thorium 230 is not naturally occurring. Thorium 230 will stay radioactive for 154,000 years. After 77,000 years, it becomes half of the value of its’ prior radioactivity. (Thorium 230=Th-230)
In Situ Leach Mining: “ISL”
Substances such as Inorganic Arsenic, Radium 226 & 228, Thorium 230 and other contaminants can enter groundwater as a result of mining. One type of mining that uses water is known as “In Situ Leach Mining”. ISL mining pulls Uranium up from the ground using Aquifer water, extracts the Uranium, stores the water in “monitoring” wells, and eventually injects it back into the Aquifer.
The ISL process also blends the contaminated water with clean Aquifer water to store it in the “monitoring” wells where the Radioactivity is measured after the Uranium is leached out to produce “Yellow Cake”. The water used to pull the Uranium out of the ground is also stored in “evaporation ponds”.
Radioactive Uranium and Barium Sludge Ponds and “monitoring wells” result from the In Situ Leach mining process. It takes almost 5,000 years for this sludge to lose half of its radioactivity, some estimates tell us, other estimate it at a much longer time period.
The ISL process presents the potential for leaks in the pipes that are used to “extract” the Uranium out of the ground. Such leaks would allow the radioactive water to seep out of the pipe and back into the groundwater, this has happened at ISL mines all over the world.
ISL Uranium Mine at Crawford, Nebraska
“In Situ Leach Mining” is presently happening in Crawford, Nebraska at the Crow Butte Resources, Inc. Uranium Mine, which is owned by Cameco, Inc., the multinational energy corporation headquartered in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Cameco, Inc. is the worlds’ largest Uranium producer. This Crow Butte Uranium Mine has spilled or leaked thousands of gallons of contaminated water into our land, air, and ground water.
The High Plains Aquifer that is under the Crow Butte Resources (CBR) Uranium Mine also flows under the Eastern portion of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The High Plains Aquifer contains portions of the Arikaree Aquifer.
The Crow Butte Uranium Mine is auhtorized to use 5,000 to 9,000 gallons of Aquifer water per minute the “In Situ Leach” method.
The CBR has at least three “evaporation ponds” where they store the contaminated water. The ponds are as big as a football field, lined with plastic and vinyl. And filled with radioactive sludge.
The “monitoring wells” where CBR stores contaminated water after the Uranium has been leached out are actually underground cement containers which hold the water for a period of time before it is placed in the “evaporation pond”.
The CBR Uranium Mine produces one million pounds of “Yellow Cake” per year at its processing plant onsite. This “Yellow Cake” is stored in 55-gallon steel drums until transported. “Yellow Cake” is used to power Nuclear Power Plants and to make Nuclear Bombs through production of the world’s most powerful and most dangerous element: Plutonium.
Crow Butte Resources well soon seek renewal of their existing license and is proposing to expand their Uranium Mine north of Crawford, Nebraska, to an area near Whitney Lake and Dam, and the White River. The names of these two satellite ISL mines are the North Trend Area and the Three Crow area. The existing mine currently has 4,000-8,000 wells at Crow Butte.
There is more information regarding the proposed North Trend Satellite Mine, which Owe Aku and others have filed, in November 2007, an intervention asking for a hearing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ISL Uranium Mining is also planned to occur in the Black Hills area near Edgemont, SD by the Powertech Uranium Company which is now drilling exploratory wells for their proposed In Situ Leach Uranium Mine, and at the Wild Horse Sanctuary near Hot Springs, SD by the Newtron Energy Corporation.
Impacts of Mining on Humans and the Environment
The scientific community has conclusively determined that Inorganic Arsenic and Alpha Emitters are cancer causing to humans. Arsenic and Alpha Emitters are pulled out of the ground during the mining process, entering the groundwater, people drink the groundwater and become contaminated.
There can be a 5, 10, or 20-year latency period of exposure to Arsenic and Alpha Emitters before cancer develops.
CBR proposes 20 more years of Uranium Mining near Crawford, Nebraska. The Cameco, Inc. website states they have “a proven reserve of 60 million pounds of Uranium to extract”.
How much water is that at 9,000 gallons per minute? 24 hours per day, 365 days per year for 20 more years… What will the number of gallons increase to once the two new Uranium Mines are developed and running?
There are about 321 people diagnosed with Diabetes each year on Pine Ridge. Currently, of our 25,000 residents, 10% of our Tribal Members have Diabetes.
What will that number be after 20 more years of mining which has the potential of contamination of our groundwater?
Our people who are Diabetic patients seem to move to the Dialysis stage of the disease quickly, can this be a result of kidney damage sustained over many, many years of contamination of ingesting even low doses of Arsenic and Alpha Emitters?
The homes across the Pine Ridge whose test results revealed an illegal MCL of Arsenic now have filters provided by the Indian Health Service to filter Arsenic out of the water as it comes out of our kitchen faucet to purify the water we drink and cook with, but the water we bath our children in, wash our clothes with, water our lawns with, and shower with is not filtered. The Arsenic is still pouring into our homes.
According to the Indian Health Service official at the Aug 15, 2007 Environmental Health Tech Team meeting, “this shouldn’t be a concern because you have to drink it to be effected by it”. I wonder what scientists from other parts of the world say about that? Western Science is not the only science who studies such matters, a German scientist states he has proof that a low dose over time can have a more dramatic result than previously understood.
With the Crow Butte Resources’ existing mine and two new proposed mines 38 miles to the southeast of Pine Ridge, and the proposed Powertech Uranium Mine 60 miles to the Northwest of Pine Ridge, In Situ Leach Mining for Uranium has the potential to contaminate all of the groundwater our people depend on for drinking water.
The Crow Butte Resources Uranium Mine has had leaks and spills every year since they have been in operation: License Violations at Crow Butte ISL uranium mine (Nebraska) (www.wise-uranium.org)
* Sept 26, 2006: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 5, 2006: leak detected at Pond 4
* Jan 19, 2006: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Oct 27, 2005: Injection well leak detected
* Aug 4, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* June 28, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* June 17, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 2, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 14, 2004: leak detected at Pond 1
* Dec 23, 2003: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Dec 26, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Sept 10, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* April 4, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Dec 4, 2001: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* March 2, 2001: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Sept 10, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 26, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* April 27, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* March 6, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* July 2, 1999: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Aug 7, 1998: Spill of 10,260 gallons of injection fluid
* March 21, 1998: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Aug 12, 1997: Discovery of Pinhole Leaks in Upper Liner of Process Water Evaporation Pond
When an ISL well is placed in “excursion status” it is because some part of the pipes or containers or other parts of the apparatus is LEAKING/SPILLING the water/solution/Uranium mix back into the groundwater (Aquifer).
“The most critical part of the ISL process is to control the movement of the chemical solutions within the aquifer. Any escape of these solutions outside the ore zone is considered an excursion, and can lead to contamination of surrounding ground-water systems. Some of the most common causes of excursions, identified by international operations in the United States and across Europe, can be through old exploration holes that were not plugged adequately, plugging or blocking of the aquifer causing excess water pressure buildup and breaks in bores, and failures of injection/extraction pumps.” ("An Environmental Critique of In Situ Leach Mining :
The Case Against Uranium Solution Mining" at www.sea-us.org.au)
Uranium Corporations say that ISL mining is environmentally friendly and safe, but according to researchers in the scientific community, “The ISL technique can lead to permanent contamination of groundwater and can contaminate land which was otherwise good productive land.”
According to news reports in Nebraska, Crow Butte Resources, Inc. experienced such a massive spill of more than 300,000 gallons of contaminated water that the area has been designated as “unfit for future use”—it is now considered a sacrifice area. (Instate News) as they were unable to clean it all up.
How will 20 more years of injecting contaminated water into all of the Aquifers that our people drink from effect our coming generations?
Inorganic Arsenic crosses the placenta and can cause fetal death, it can be detected in Mothers’ breast milk.
Children’s bodies are more susceptible to the damaging effects of Inorganic Arsenic.
Are these contaminants connected to our high numbers of infant deaths? Of infant/children brain seizures? Of Down Syndrome babies born to young mothers? Of babies born with extraordinarily short umbilical cords?
In April 2005 the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council declared a situation of Eminent Threat due to test results of individual and community water wells exceeding the EPA Standard MCL of Gross Alpha Particle Radionuclide and Arsenic.
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council Resolution #2005-46 states that
Indian Health Service negligence in testing for safe drinking water has resulted in tribal members becoming ill.
The Resolution states that: the wells our people were drinking from were declared “Unfit for Consumption” due to illegal MCL’s.
Health on the Pine Ridge
Do we need a comprehensive health study on the Pine Ridge?
According to the South Dakota Cancer Report of 2003, counties on the Pine Ridge have a “significantly higher rate of cancer, diabetes, and infant mortality than the SD state average for the time period of 2001-2005”.
SD health records also state that in the “2003 Study, the American Indian cancer death rate was 30% higher than that of whites in South Dakota.”
The state records include the data that from the years “1999-2003 while the cancer death rate decreased for whites in SD, it increased for American Indians”.
For the years “2003 through 2005, the American Indian infant mortality rate increased at almost twice the rate for the white people in South Dakota.”
The report: Cancer in South Dakota, 2003 states “that American Indians had the highest age-adjusted rates for Years of Potential Life Lost” and that “American Indians are dying at a much younger age compared to whites”.
Why is this so?
"An In Situ Leach Mine is a Liquid Radioactive Nuclear Waste Dump.”
The Oglala Lakota People and the people of Nebraska and the surrounding area deserve to be informed about what impacts the Crow Butte Resources, Inc. Uranium Mine and the newly proposed North Trend and Three Crow In Situ Leach Uranium Mines will do to our water, land, people, animals, plants and future generations. The Oglala Sioux Tribe can and should do the right thing: investigate and produce a comprehensive report on this energy company’s violations and investigate how to hold them accountable to the EPA laws and other principles of respect for Mother Earth and our Sacred Water; and to hold the EPA and Federal Government responsible in upholding our Treaty and Human Rights to clean water, land, air, and health conditions based on a clean environment. By passing OST Ordinance 07-40 on August 7, 2007, this is the responsibility Tribal Council made a commitment to. Communities, towns, local governments can create Law that ban any corporate development that will produce toxic waste, can create Law that holds the producer of toxic waste liable, can create Law that acknowledges Mother Earth has a right to be contaminant-free. Interested folks and organizations in and around Nebraska -- or any community who wishes to protect itself from deadly poisons -- can engage in such work.
Indeed, this environmental issue truly goes beyond the boundaries of race, county lines, townships, state borders -- it effects all of life in this area, and can reach far into the future generations of all living things: the two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, the standing silent nation (plants), those that crawl and swim, and our Sacred Water, Sacred Land, and Sacred Air.
For the Lakota Oyate (Lakota People) a clean environment is a matter of life and death. To expose our people to the deadly toxins of uranium mining is a threat to our survival as a people, we have no island from which we can draw more membership, this is environmental racism.
Without Water There Is No Life.
In Speaking of Radioactive Waste: “They have created something that cannot be destroyed” –Winona LaDuke
On August 7, 2007 the OST passed Ordinance #07-40 which recognizes the responsibility of the OST to protect the land, air, water, and people of the tribe and which criminalizes nuclear contamination on the Pine Ridge and within 1851 & 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty boundaries.
“No Uranium Mining on Lakota Land”
lakota1@gwtc.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Research Conducted by:
* Rayette Camp
* Victorio Camp
* Aaron Price
* Matt Rankin
* Chris Soverow
* The late Marlin “Moon Weston”
* Debra White Plume
Source Materials:
* Oglala Sioux Tribe Mni Wiconi Program Annual Reports 1999-2006 (Rural Water)
* OST Water & Sewer Program Reports
* OST Ordinances and Resolutions OST Archives Office
* Environmental Protection Agency
* Instate News (Nebraska)
* US Geological Study 1992-1997
* Wise Uranium
* Indigenous Mining
* SD Dept of Health & Human Services
* Indian Health Service, Pine Ridge Agency, Aberdeen Area Office
· The Case Against Uranium Solution Mining "An Environmental Critique of In Situ Leach Mining” at www.sea-us.org.au
· Cancer in South Dakota, 2003
For info contact:
Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way), PO Box 325, Manderson, SD 57756
Debra White Plume, Director 605-455-2155
cryingearth_riseup@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (email address)
DONATIONS: WE ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS TO HELP US IN OUR WORK TO PROVIDE AWARENESS AND EDUCATION REGARDING IN SITU LEACH/RECOVERY URANIUM MINING AND ITS EFFECTS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE, AND FUTURE. YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN BE MAILED TO: OWE AKU, P.O. BOX 325, MANDERSON, SD 57756
Owe Aku: Bring Back the Way
"We Do Not Inherit Mother Earth From Our Ancestors, We Borrow Her From Our Children." --Crazy Horse
_ _ _
According to website of the Defenders of the Black Hills, the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources is making determinations on lands of critical interest to the native peoples. Additionally, the Defenders have recently had to
"...submit comments to federal agencies, tabling at Pow Wows, giving speeches, and attending a hearing in Pierre, SD... (regarding the) Nuclear Regulatory Commission GEIS Comments, Defenders submitted comments before Nov. 7th to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on their Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement for areas in Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and New Mexico. Our comments were specific to the area as delineated in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.
Craven Canyon Exclusion from mining - The US Forest Service filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw 3,968.7 acres in Fall River County to protect the existing Native American petroglyphs in the Craven Canyon area from damage by mining. The site will be protected for the next 20 years. Defenders submitted comments thanking the Forest Service for their foresight and also supported the withdrawal of the land to protect and preserve this area sacred to many Native American nations.
Presentation given to DIA - Democracy in Action is a women’s group located in western South Dakota interested in legislative action. Charmaine (Whiteface) gave a presentation on Nov. 18th and spoke about the need for state and federal legislation. In this region of SD, WY, NE, she recommended a moratorium in SD on further uranium exploration and mining until the 230 open pit abandoned uranium mines and prospects in SD are cleaned up, and the more than 4,000 uranium exploratory wells are filled, capped, and marked.
Three federal bills are needed to protect the public and the environment from further radioactive pollution.
1) A federal bill to monitor and regulate radioactive particles in the smoke from coal-fired power plants needs to be passed by Congress.
2) A federal bill is needed to regulate and monitor radioactive particles in oil.
3) A federal bill needs to be passed to clean up ALL of the abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects in the United States, and to seal all exploratory bore holes or wells.
Sources for above articles:
Bring Back The Way: Revitalize and preserve the Lakota way of life
Defenders of the Black Hills
Jeff Garritsen is active in Oregon with such projects as Portland Peak Oil, the cable access show TV Set, and Sail Transport Network.
http://www.culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=65
25 February 2009
Nuclear power is often billed as clean base-load electrical energy. However, few if any nuclear power proponents mention the unintended consequences or the externalized costs associated with this technology to support the unsustainable U.S. lifestyle. A crucial part of this story is told by Native Americans.
I have included three shocking, detailed articles outlining these unintended consequences impacting the Native Americans in South Dakota and neighboring states -- in particular the Cheyenne River radiation poisoning from nearby uranium mining impacting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Regarding the nuclear power industry, unfortunately, I have a "horse" in this race -- my daughter and son-in-law, both engineers working on nuclear power plants. As a parent and activist who looks down the road to future generations, I suspect future historians will regard with contempt our ill-conceived and childish foray into nuclear power. I doubt history will judge us favorably. About some of the conversations my family has, as we are polar opposites -- let's just say the discussions are rather lively!
In the first article, Shelly Bluejay Pierce writes about uranium mining poisoning the Cheyenne River on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This 2007 article's issues have not been addressed (see the present-day update at bottom of this report). The uranium mining wastes have not been cleaned up from the river or surrounding countryside. The second article, written by Charmaine White Face, provides a brief outline of uranium mining -- calling it FACT SHEET: America's Secret Chernobyl.
The last article is an impassioned history, full of painful fact, by the Lakota as detailed in their Bring Back The Way campaign.
While uranium mining tailings and wastes are not high graded into pure uranium, they nonetheless pose a significant health risk that will be with us for many hundreds of thousand years. Is this a legacy you want to leave to our future generations? I would think not! Contact your local, state, and federal representatives and demand action. There must be real clean-up and a stop to the mining, production, and use of these radioactive materials altogether. We must question our power "needs." - JG
Radioactive sign by Cheyenne River - Red Shirt villageRadiation Warning Signs Placed on Cheyenne River
by Shelley Bluejay Pierce, Native American Times Correspondent, July 29, 2007
Radiation warning signs were posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in the small town of Red Shirt, South Dakota which lies on the northwest corner of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Several of these signs were placed warning people of the high nuclear radiation levels found in the Cheyenne River.
Several weeks ago Everitt Poor Thunder, a spiritual and community leader in Red Shirt, asked Defenders of the Black Hills, an environmental organization, whether the Cheyenne River water could be used to irrigate a community garden. A local well could not be used as it was found to be radioactive and warning signs surround that structure. The water well taps into the Inyan Kara aquifer that also contains the Lakota and Fall River formations, making up an extremely large aquifer of water supplies for many regions.
Residents of Red Shirt occupy a village site that is thousands of years old to the Oglala Tetuwan (Sioux) people. Many have lived here all of their lives, growing gardens with water taken from the Cheyenne River and fishing for catfish, bass, and turtles. In the summer months, the river is used for swimming and other recreational pursuits.
A water sample taken from the Cheyenne River was sent to a laboratory and the results revealed levels of alpha radiation above the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Maximum Contaminant Level. Alpha radiation causes harm when ingested hence the warning signs were placed to warn people of the dangers in the Cheyenne River.
The portion of the Cheyenne River Basin that lies in southwestern South Dakota drains about 16,500 square miles within the boundaries of the state. The area in this basin includes part of the Black Hills and Badlands, rangeland, irrigated cropland, and mining areas. After traversing the western half of the state from southwest to northeast, the Cheyenne River flows into Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River.
Previous efforts remove the radiation in the water at Red Shirt have been unsuccessful. Drinking water is piped in, or residents must drive 25 miles to the little town of Hermosa to buy water. The Cheyenne River has dried up approximately one mile from Red Shirt and tests of the river bottom soil by Defenders of the Black Hills are pending. Initial tests using a Geiger counter revealed more than double the amount of normal background elevations for radiation.
South Dakota news reports recently referred to a DENR report and stated that uranium is naturally occurring in that area which is said to account for the radiation levels in the water.
“If that was the case, there would not have been villages there for thousands of years. There would have been no fish or any aquatic life previously in this river. We sampled the river with nets for aquatic life and found only 2 crayfish and about 10 minnows in more than 100 yards of the river. In essence, it's a dead river. There are two endangered species that use this River: the Sturgeon chubb, a small fish, and the Bald Eagle,” explained Charmaine White Face, founder and Coordinator of Defenders of the Black Hills.
According to published information in the The 2006 South Dakota Integrated Report For Surface Water Quality Assessment the Cheyenne River water quality continues to be generally poor. The lower Cheyenne drainage, in general, contains a high percentage of erodible cropland and rangeland in west central South Dakota. Historical mining records for the state show more than 4,000 exploratory uranium mining holes, some large enough for a man to fall into, in the southwestern Black Hills with an additional 3,000 holes just 10 miles west of the town of Belle Fourche, SD. These mining holes go to depths of 600 feet.
At a meeting for the Defenders of the Black Hills on Feb 26th 2005, discussions centered on the radiation levels in some areas reported at a staggering 1,400 times higher than the ordinary background radiation on the Grand River in the Cave Hills and the adverse affects to the villages on the Standing Rock Indian Reservations. Also discussed was the high proportion of cancer related illnesses and birth defects especially in the small community of Rock Creek.
“There are also hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in Wyoming whose runoff comes down the Cheyenne River, and also 29 abandoned mines in the southwestern Black Hills, all upstream of Red Shirt Village. One of the largest open-pit abandoned uranium mines in the southern Black Hills is a square mile and its runoff goes into the Cheyenne River,” explained Charmaine White Face.
Most recently, a Canadian mining company, Powertech, began drilling uranium exploratory wells in the Dewey Burdock area northwest of Edgemont. Defenders of the Black Hills battled in court against the drilling permit allowing Powertech to drill 155 more exploratory wells at depths of 500-600 feet in the southwestern Black Hills but the Courts allowed the drilling after denying the appeal. Powertech currently has 4,000 uncapped, and unmarked uranium exploratory wells drilled previously. The mining company plans on doing In Situ Recovery (ISR) of uranium from the Lakota and Fall River aquifers. In Situ Recovery was formerly known as In Situ Leach (ISL) mining.
During the ISR process, a solution to dissolve the uranium is poured down the wells and the dissolved uranium brought back up to the surface. The uranium is separated from the remaining radioactive waste solution that is then reinjected into the aquifer after being held in waste ponds on the surface.
According to Powertech's mining application, each exploratory drill hole "will have a small excavated mud pit that will be approximately 12 feet by 5 feet" and 10 feet deep.
Among the concerns of the environmental groups are the possibility of overflow from the mud pits with the sudden rain showers that occur in the Black Hills. One of the aquifers empties directly into the Cheyenne River and is used by many ranchers to water their livestock. Among the deeper aquifers of concern is the Madison that provides water for many western South Dakota communities.
“A list of uranium mining facts provided online by our organization, Defenders of the Black Hills, reveals a long history of abuses regarding uranium and coal mining in the Upper Midwest region. In an area of the USA that has been called “the Bread Basket of the World,” more than forty years of mining have released radioactive polluted dust and water runoff from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps. Our grain supplies and our livestock production in this area have used the water and have been exposed to the remainders of this mining. We may be seeing global affects, not just localized affects, to the years of uranium mining” concluded Charmaine White Face.
In another article by Charmaine White Face, she provides a brief outline to uranium mining -- calling it America's Secret Chernobyl [below]. The term Chernobyl has an interesting origin. In Russian, Chernobyl translates to Wormwood. Wormwood relates to several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. absinthium, native to Europe, yielding a bitter extract used in making absinthe and in flavoring certain wines -- that is adds a bitter taste. In classical literature, wormwood was metaphorical for bitter sorrow. When history writes its review of our foray into nuclear power, will we be regarded with "bitter sorrow"?
Abandoned uranium mine in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensationsation and Liability Act (CERCLA) was used to clean up this site.
Uranium Mining and Nuclear Pollution in the Upper Midwest:
F A C T S H E E T
America's Secret Chernobyl
By Charmaine White Face, Coordinator
Defenders of the Black Hills
1. Uranium mining in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota began in the middle of the 1960s. World War II, which ended with the nuclear bomb, introduced the use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity and caused the price of uranium to rise. As the economy of the Midwestern states depends primarily on agriculture, when uranium was discovered in the region, many get-rich-quick schemes were adopted. Not only were large mining companies pushing off the tops of bluffs and buttes, but small individual ranchers were also digging in their pastures for the radioactive metal. Mining occurred on both public and private land, although the Great Sioux Nation still maintains a claim to the area through the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868.
2. In northwestern South Dakota, for example, the Cave Hills area is managed by the US Forest Service. The area currently contains 89 abandoned open-pit uranium mines. Studies by the USFS show that one mine alone has 1400 mR/hr of exposed radiation, a level of radiation that is 120,000 times higher than normal background of 100 mR/yr. There are no warning signs posted for the general public anywhere near this site! It is estimated that more than 1,000 open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in the four state region from a map developed by the US Forest Service.
3. The water runoff from the Cave Hills abandoned uranium mines empties into the Grand River which flows through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Three villages are located on the Grand River and their residents have used the water for drinking and other domestic purposes for generations. One village still uses the water for drinking and domestic purposes. The water runoff from the Slim Buttes abandoned uranium mines empty into the Morreau River which flows through the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Four villages are located on the Morreau River; however no data is currently available about their use of the Morreau River water. Both of these rivers empty into the Missouri River which empties into the Mississippi River.
4. The following agencies are aware of these abandoned uranium mines and prospects: US Forest Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Bureau of Land Management, SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the US Indian Health Service. Only after public concern about these mines was raised two years ago did the USFS and the EPA pay for a study of one mine this year, 2006.
5. In Southwestern South Dakota, the southern Black Hills also contain many abandoned uranium mines. Nuclear radiation near Edgemont, SD, has already polluted the underground water of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation according to a study completed in 1980 by Women of All Red Nations. The US Air Force also used small nuclear power plants in their remote radar stations and missile silos which number in the hundreds in this four State region. No data is available on the current status or disposal of these small nuclear power sources.
6. More than 7,000 exploration holes for uranium have been drilled in the southwestern and northwestern Black Hills. More are being planned in Wyoming. These holes go to depths of 800 feet. The exploratory process itself allows radioactive pollutants to contaminate underground water sources. South Dakota currently has no regulations for In Situ Leach mining of uranium.
7. In Wyoming, hundreds of abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in or near the coal in the Powder River Basin. Yet plans are being made to ship more of that coal to power plants in the Eastern part of the United States. Radioactive dust and particles will be released into the air at the power plants as well as locally in the strip mining process. Federal tax dollars totaling more than $2.3 billion dollars as a loan are planned to be given to a private business, the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, to increase the amount of coal hauled to the power plants. Two other railroads currently haul coal out of this area.
8. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a secret Executive Order declaring this four State region to be a 'National Sacrifice Area’ for the mining and production of uranium and nuclear energy. This is the same area of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty territory, the final home of the Great Sioux Nation.
Summary
This Fact Sheet regarding the past uranium mining and small underground nuclear power plants in the Upper Midwest region should give cause for alarm to all thinking people in the United States. This is the area that has been called “the Bread Basket of the World.” It is for this reason that we are bringing this issue to your attention. For more than forty years, the people of South Dakota and beyond have been subjected to radioactive polluted dust and water runoff from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps. Pollution does not stop at State boundaries so these places generating radioactive pollution to the air and water are also impacting the rest of the United States. Coal tainted with uranium and radiation that has gone and is going to Eastern power plants adds to the total amount of radioactive pollution. There needs to be a concerted effort to determine the extent of the radioactive pollution in the environment, and the health damage that has been and is currently being inflicted upon the people of the United States.
It is imperative that a federal bill be passed in Congress appropriating enough funds for the cleanup of ALL the abandoned uranium mines in this four State region. This harmful situation must not be placed on the end of the Superfund list of hazardous sites to be addressed in twenty years. The health of the nation is threatened. The cleanup of all of these mines and underground sites must occur now! Those responsible for this disaster must face the consequences, but the cleanup and health concerns of the nation need to be addressed first. We hope you will consider our request for concerted actions to be taken at the national level regarding these grave concerns. This problem of radiation pollution spreading throughout the United States has been allowed to quietly continue for much too long.
What you can do:
1. Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators by phone (202) 224-3121, through the mail, and email. Ask that they consider sponsoring a bill for the cleanup of all the abandoned uranium mines and prospects, and underground nuclear sites in the Upper Midwest Region of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.
2. Also ask your Congressional Representatives and Senators to support the Expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include also those harmed by abandoned uranium mines and prospects in the Upper Midwest Region.
3. Include the fact that federal tax dollars should not be used to help a private railroad haul potentially radioactive coal to Central and Eastern power plants. Encourage your Senators and Representatives to tell the Federal Railroad Administration not to give a loan to the DM&E Railroad.
Thank you
Charmaine White Face, Coordinator
Defenders of the Black Hills
PO Box 2003
Rapid City, SD 57709
The following report is from Bring Back the Way: Revitalize & Preserve Lakota Way of Life
Crying Earth Rise Up!
“Some day the Earth will weep, She will beg for Her life, She will cry with tears of blood. You will make a choice, if you will help her or let her die, and when She dies, you too, will die.” - John Hollow Horn, Oglala Lakota, 1932
Authors Note: This report is based on the Lakota worldview that Water Is Sacred. Without Water There Is No Life.
For many generations, our Lakota people lived on the plains and followed the stars for ceremony. Our ancient Creation story teaches us that Tunkasila made all of Creation, woman and man and taught us to be a good relative to all of Creation. Mni, Water is a Sacred Gift of Creation. Mni is the Adornment of Mother Earth, Mni is the companion of Woope, the daughter of Tunkasila. Woope is the Law. Mni is our first home, when we arrive here on Mother Earth, the water of our mothers’ womb is our first dwelling. Water is our first medicine. Without water, there is no life. The Spirit of Mni is also in the Star Nation. In the form of steam, the Spirit of Mni enters the Human Body to nourish the Spirit. Mni is part of every daily and ceremonial aspect of Lakol Wicohan, our Lakota lifeway.
After the coming of the white man, and many years of war making, our anacestors- known historically as the Great Sioux Nation-entered into the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty with the United States.
In the Treaty, our ancestors retained a land base for the Lakota Nation that includes parts of what is currently known as North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and Canada.
Our Treaty Territory contains our Sacred Land and Ceremonial Sites, and billions of dollars worth of Minerals, Plants, and Water.
Our ancestors and the United States government officials smoked our Sacred Pipe together and the U.S. Congress ratified the Treaty, so our people believe that the Treaty is true and binding, as long as the water flows and sweet grass grows.
Through America’s aggressive Treaty violations and the decimation of the Buffalo Nation, the Oglala Lakota were forced onto the reservation. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located in southwestern South Dakota.
The Pine Ridge Reservation was originally known as Prisoner Of War Camp #344.
“Pine Ridge Indian Agency” (The official Bureau of Indian Affairs terminology)
The U. S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs Census reports that there are now 48,000 Oglala Lakota people, with 25,000 tribal members currently residing on the Pine Ridge. 65% of our population is age 25 and under.
Drinking Water Quality Tests on Pine Ridge
On the Pine Ridge, Drinking Water Quality tests conducted from 1995 to the present by the United States Geological Survey, the Indian Health Service, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Rural Water Program and the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDDR) reveal contaminants in the groundwater. There are two serious threats to our drinking water, Arsenic, and Alpha Emitters (radiation emitting).
Uranium Mining and Water Contamination -- The Tests Reveal the Contaminants:
- Arsenic
- Combined Radium 226 & 228
- Barium
- Thorium 230 (not naturally occurring)
- other Radioactive Alpha Emitters
Maximum Contaminant Level, the MCL, measures contaminants and tell us the “safe” levels of contaminants.
Since the US Clean Water Act of 1972 drinking water quality is measured for contaminants.
The MCL of Arsenic is 10 as of January 2006. An MCL above 10 is not in the “safe” level under US law.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s MCL “goal” for Arsenic level is a measurement of zero, because the EPA cannot determine a true safe threshold level for Arsenic. Once Arsenic is released into the environment, it cannot be contained. It only changes form.
According to the Indian Health Service Arsenic Tech Team the water quality test results in 2005 on Pine Ridge reveal that 98 wells have Arsenic levels 2 to 12 times higher than the MCL determined by law.
The wells of these families have been capped and their drinking water source has been changed to that of the water piped in from the Missouri River. (Call the Indian Health Service Arsenic Tech Team at 685-6561 to ask for copies of the Arsenic Reports)
In past decades, Open Pit Uranium Mining occurred Northwest of the Pine Ridge in the area of Edgemont, SD on the outskirts of our sacred Black Hills.
The milling of the Uranium took place by the Cheyenne River, which flows to the Pine Ridge. The radioactive waste from that Uranium Mine has since been buried underground for storage.
The area around Edgemont and the Northwest area of the Pine Ridge is over the Inyan Kara Aquifer and the White River Group. The Arikaree Aquifer flows under the center of the Pine Ridge.
The USGS and OST Rural Water tests document that wells and springs from these Aquifers reveal that contaminants of Arsenic, Radium 226 & 228, and Gross Alpha Emitters are higher than the safe and legal Maximum Contaminant level.
Some Alpha Emitters and Arsenic are naturally occurring due to Uranium in the ground, others as a result of mining.
(Call the OST Rural Water Office in Pine Ridge at 867-1999 & ask for copies of their Annual Reports. The complete test results are in their reports)
These wells that exceed the MCL for Arsenic and Alpha Emitters have been closed and the drinking water is now piped in or trucked in to the community.
A summary of the OST Rural Water Reports and Indian Health Service shows that the Alpha Emitters from the following areas exceed the legal MCLs (highend range of composite tests) is on "Test Results" page.
Nuclear Waste Contamination?
Have the nuclear waste tailings from the Uranium mines around the Edgemont area that washed into the Cheyenne River also get into the groundwater, thus traveling for many years underground to get here, under the Pine Ridge, into the Aquifer we drink from? Did the above ground tailings blow in the wind to our lands here on Pine Ridge? There has never been a definitive study across the reservation to determine possible sources of contamination.
Mni Wiconi Pipeline
The Mni Wiconi water line has only been here for a few years, prior to Mni Wiconi disconnecting our wells and connecting our homes to the pipeline, we drank groundwater for years, some homes that are land-based still drink from the groundwater, as they are not connected to the pipeline. According to the Annual Reports of Rural water, the drinking water they provide is groundwater pumped from 34 wells.
Practically the first sentence of the Congressional Bill which created with Mni Wiconi Program states that “the drinking water quality available to the Pine Ridge does not meet the minimum health and safety standards, thereby posing a threat to public health and safety”.
(Mni Wiconi Act PL 100-516 (H.R. 2772) October 24, 1988 and amended PL 103-434 (S1146) October 31, 1994.
According to the 2003 Health Consultation Report of the Sharps Corner/Porcupine area conducted by the US Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry the private well samples studied in 1999 and 2000 for Radionuclides, the highest MCL detected was 75.9ugL, which is two and half times higher than the legal MCL of 30ugL. The sampling led the ATSDR to conclude that “ Radionuclides were the drinking water contaminant of concern for the Sharps Corner/Porcupine area”.
Of the eight water wells sampled, 50%, or half, of homes MCL for Radionuclides exceeded the EPA’s legal Maximum Contaminant Level for Gross Alpha Particle activity. In the Radon part of the study, the air was measured in these homes. One-third or 30% of the homes were found to have results of Radon above the legal MCL.
The results summarized that the folks in these homes were ingesting radioactivity through the drinking water, as well as being contaminated by Radon through inhalation, breathing it in as it is in their homes. In every one of these homes, at least one family member died from Cancer. The ingestion and inhalation of Radionuclides also has a quicker effect on the kidney--many individuals will suffer kidney damage and die from the effects BEFORE they get cancer.
The USGS recommends further testing of our ground water to determine a better defined source of radioactive contaminants. The tests would separate the source of the contaminants of the naturally occurring Uranium in our groundwater from Gross Alpha Emitters that may have been pulled out of the ground through mining activities, entering the Aquifers. (Call the USGS Office in Rapid City and ask where to purchase copies of the reports)
In a letter addressed to OST President Steele in 2003, Lorelie DeCora responded to his question posed regarding the definition of a contaminant known as “Th-230” that he stated had been detected in groundwater quality tests conducted on the Pine Ridge. The Women of All Red Nations (WARN) Report issued a report in 1980 documenting water quality test results. Thorium 230 is a contaminant that results from Uranium tailings from mining. Thorium can be naturally occurring, but Thorium 230 is not naturally occurring. Thorium 230 will stay radioactive for 154,000 years. After 77,000 years, it becomes half of the value of its’ prior radioactivity. (Thorium 230=Th-230)
In Situ Leach Mining: “ISL”
Substances such as Inorganic Arsenic, Radium 226 & 228, Thorium 230 and other contaminants can enter groundwater as a result of mining. One type of mining that uses water is known as “In Situ Leach Mining”. ISL mining pulls Uranium up from the ground using Aquifer water, extracts the Uranium, stores the water in “monitoring” wells, and eventually injects it back into the Aquifer.
The ISL process also blends the contaminated water with clean Aquifer water to store it in the “monitoring” wells where the Radioactivity is measured after the Uranium is leached out to produce “Yellow Cake”. The water used to pull the Uranium out of the ground is also stored in “evaporation ponds”.
Radioactive Uranium and Barium Sludge Ponds and “monitoring wells” result from the In Situ Leach mining process. It takes almost 5,000 years for this sludge to lose half of its radioactivity, some estimates tell us, other estimate it at a much longer time period.
The ISL process presents the potential for leaks in the pipes that are used to “extract” the Uranium out of the ground. Such leaks would allow the radioactive water to seep out of the pipe and back into the groundwater, this has happened at ISL mines all over the world.
ISL Uranium Mine at Crawford, Nebraska
“In Situ Leach Mining” is presently happening in Crawford, Nebraska at the Crow Butte Resources, Inc. Uranium Mine, which is owned by Cameco, Inc., the multinational energy corporation headquartered in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Cameco, Inc. is the worlds’ largest Uranium producer. This Crow Butte Uranium Mine has spilled or leaked thousands of gallons of contaminated water into our land, air, and ground water.
The High Plains Aquifer that is under the Crow Butte Resources (CBR) Uranium Mine also flows under the Eastern portion of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The High Plains Aquifer contains portions of the Arikaree Aquifer.
The Crow Butte Uranium Mine is auhtorized to use 5,000 to 9,000 gallons of Aquifer water per minute the “In Situ Leach” method.
The CBR has at least three “evaporation ponds” where they store the contaminated water. The ponds are as big as a football field, lined with plastic and vinyl. And filled with radioactive sludge.
The “monitoring wells” where CBR stores contaminated water after the Uranium has been leached out are actually underground cement containers which hold the water for a period of time before it is placed in the “evaporation pond”.
The CBR Uranium Mine produces one million pounds of “Yellow Cake” per year at its processing plant onsite. This “Yellow Cake” is stored in 55-gallon steel drums until transported. “Yellow Cake” is used to power Nuclear Power Plants and to make Nuclear Bombs through production of the world’s most powerful and most dangerous element: Plutonium.
Crow Butte Resources well soon seek renewal of their existing license and is proposing to expand their Uranium Mine north of Crawford, Nebraska, to an area near Whitney Lake and Dam, and the White River. The names of these two satellite ISL mines are the North Trend Area and the Three Crow area. The existing mine currently has 4,000-8,000 wells at Crow Butte.
There is more information regarding the proposed North Trend Satellite Mine, which Owe Aku and others have filed, in November 2007, an intervention asking for a hearing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ISL Uranium Mining is also planned to occur in the Black Hills area near Edgemont, SD by the Powertech Uranium Company which is now drilling exploratory wells for their proposed In Situ Leach Uranium Mine, and at the Wild Horse Sanctuary near Hot Springs, SD by the Newtron Energy Corporation.
Impacts of Mining on Humans and the Environment
The scientific community has conclusively determined that Inorganic Arsenic and Alpha Emitters are cancer causing to humans. Arsenic and Alpha Emitters are pulled out of the ground during the mining process, entering the groundwater, people drink the groundwater and become contaminated.
There can be a 5, 10, or 20-year latency period of exposure to Arsenic and Alpha Emitters before cancer develops.
CBR proposes 20 more years of Uranium Mining near Crawford, Nebraska. The Cameco, Inc. website states they have “a proven reserve of 60 million pounds of Uranium to extract”.
How much water is that at 9,000 gallons per minute? 24 hours per day, 365 days per year for 20 more years… What will the number of gallons increase to once the two new Uranium Mines are developed and running?
There are about 321 people diagnosed with Diabetes each year on Pine Ridge. Currently, of our 25,000 residents, 10% of our Tribal Members have Diabetes.
What will that number be after 20 more years of mining which has the potential of contamination of our groundwater?
Our people who are Diabetic patients seem to move to the Dialysis stage of the disease quickly, can this be a result of kidney damage sustained over many, many years of contamination of ingesting even low doses of Arsenic and Alpha Emitters?
The homes across the Pine Ridge whose test results revealed an illegal MCL of Arsenic now have filters provided by the Indian Health Service to filter Arsenic out of the water as it comes out of our kitchen faucet to purify the water we drink and cook with, but the water we bath our children in, wash our clothes with, water our lawns with, and shower with is not filtered. The Arsenic is still pouring into our homes.
According to the Indian Health Service official at the Aug 15, 2007 Environmental Health Tech Team meeting, “this shouldn’t be a concern because you have to drink it to be effected by it”. I wonder what scientists from other parts of the world say about that? Western Science is not the only science who studies such matters, a German scientist states he has proof that a low dose over time can have a more dramatic result than previously understood.
With the Crow Butte Resources’ existing mine and two new proposed mines 38 miles to the southeast of Pine Ridge, and the proposed Powertech Uranium Mine 60 miles to the Northwest of Pine Ridge, In Situ Leach Mining for Uranium has the potential to contaminate all of the groundwater our people depend on for drinking water.
The Crow Butte Resources Uranium Mine has had leaks and spills every year since they have been in operation: License Violations at Crow Butte ISL uranium mine (Nebraska) (www.wise-uranium.org)
* Sept 26, 2006: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 5, 2006: leak detected at Pond 4
* Jan 19, 2006: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Oct 27, 2005: Injection well leak detected
* Aug 4, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* June 28, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* June 17, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 2, 2005: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 14, 2004: leak detected at Pond 1
* Dec 23, 2003: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Dec 26, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Sept 10, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* April 4, 2002: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Dec 4, 2001: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* March 2, 2001: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Sept 10, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* May 26, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* April 27, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* March 6, 2000: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* July 2, 1999: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Aug 7, 1998: Spill of 10,260 gallons of injection fluid
* March 21, 1998: Monitor well placed on excursion status
* Aug 12, 1997: Discovery of Pinhole Leaks in Upper Liner of Process Water Evaporation Pond
When an ISL well is placed in “excursion status” it is because some part of the pipes or containers or other parts of the apparatus is LEAKING/SPILLING the water/solution/Uranium mix back into the groundwater (Aquifer).
“The most critical part of the ISL process is to control the movement of the chemical solutions within the aquifer. Any escape of these solutions outside the ore zone is considered an excursion, and can lead to contamination of surrounding ground-water systems. Some of the most common causes of excursions, identified by international operations in the United States and across Europe, can be through old exploration holes that were not plugged adequately, plugging or blocking of the aquifer causing excess water pressure buildup and breaks in bores, and failures of injection/extraction pumps.” ("An Environmental Critique of In Situ Leach Mining :
The Case Against Uranium Solution Mining" at www.sea-us.org.au)
Uranium Corporations say that ISL mining is environmentally friendly and safe, but according to researchers in the scientific community, “The ISL technique can lead to permanent contamination of groundwater and can contaminate land which was otherwise good productive land.”
According to news reports in Nebraska, Crow Butte Resources, Inc. experienced such a massive spill of more than 300,000 gallons of contaminated water that the area has been designated as “unfit for future use”—it is now considered a sacrifice area. (Instate News) as they were unable to clean it all up.
How will 20 more years of injecting contaminated water into all of the Aquifers that our people drink from effect our coming generations?
Inorganic Arsenic crosses the placenta and can cause fetal death, it can be detected in Mothers’ breast milk.
Children’s bodies are more susceptible to the damaging effects of Inorganic Arsenic.
Are these contaminants connected to our high numbers of infant deaths? Of infant/children brain seizures? Of Down Syndrome babies born to young mothers? Of babies born with extraordinarily short umbilical cords?
In April 2005 the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council declared a situation of Eminent Threat due to test results of individual and community water wells exceeding the EPA Standard MCL of Gross Alpha Particle Radionuclide and Arsenic.
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council Resolution #2005-46 states that
Indian Health Service negligence in testing for safe drinking water has resulted in tribal members becoming ill.
The Resolution states that: the wells our people were drinking from were declared “Unfit for Consumption” due to illegal MCL’s.
Health on the Pine Ridge
Do we need a comprehensive health study on the Pine Ridge?
According to the South Dakota Cancer Report of 2003, counties on the Pine Ridge have a “significantly higher rate of cancer, diabetes, and infant mortality than the SD state average for the time period of 2001-2005”.
SD health records also state that in the “2003 Study, the American Indian cancer death rate was 30% higher than that of whites in South Dakota.”
The state records include the data that from the years “1999-2003 while the cancer death rate decreased for whites in SD, it increased for American Indians”.
For the years “2003 through 2005, the American Indian infant mortality rate increased at almost twice the rate for the white people in South Dakota.”
The report: Cancer in South Dakota, 2003 states “that American Indians had the highest age-adjusted rates for Years of Potential Life Lost” and that “American Indians are dying at a much younger age compared to whites”.
Why is this so?
"An In Situ Leach Mine is a Liquid Radioactive Nuclear Waste Dump.”
The Oglala Lakota People and the people of Nebraska and the surrounding area deserve to be informed about what impacts the Crow Butte Resources, Inc. Uranium Mine and the newly proposed North Trend and Three Crow In Situ Leach Uranium Mines will do to our water, land, people, animals, plants and future generations. The Oglala Sioux Tribe can and should do the right thing: investigate and produce a comprehensive report on this energy company’s violations and investigate how to hold them accountable to the EPA laws and other principles of respect for Mother Earth and our Sacred Water; and to hold the EPA and Federal Government responsible in upholding our Treaty and Human Rights to clean water, land, air, and health conditions based on a clean environment. By passing OST Ordinance 07-40 on August 7, 2007, this is the responsibility Tribal Council made a commitment to. Communities, towns, local governments can create Law that ban any corporate development that will produce toxic waste, can create Law that holds the producer of toxic waste liable, can create Law that acknowledges Mother Earth has a right to be contaminant-free. Interested folks and organizations in and around Nebraska -- or any community who wishes to protect itself from deadly poisons -- can engage in such work.
Indeed, this environmental issue truly goes beyond the boundaries of race, county lines, townships, state borders -- it effects all of life in this area, and can reach far into the future generations of all living things: the two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, the standing silent nation (plants), those that crawl and swim, and our Sacred Water, Sacred Land, and Sacred Air.
For the Lakota Oyate (Lakota People) a clean environment is a matter of life and death. To expose our people to the deadly toxins of uranium mining is a threat to our survival as a people, we have no island from which we can draw more membership, this is environmental racism.
Without Water There Is No Life.
In Speaking of Radioactive Waste: “They have created something that cannot be destroyed” –Winona LaDuke
On August 7, 2007 the OST passed Ordinance #07-40 which recognizes the responsibility of the OST to protect the land, air, water, and people of the tribe and which criminalizes nuclear contamination on the Pine Ridge and within 1851 & 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty boundaries.
“No Uranium Mining on Lakota Land”
lakota1@gwtc.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Research Conducted by:
* Rayette Camp
* Victorio Camp
* Aaron Price
* Matt Rankin
* Chris Soverow
* The late Marlin “Moon Weston”
* Debra White Plume
Source Materials:
* Oglala Sioux Tribe Mni Wiconi Program Annual Reports 1999-2006 (Rural Water)
* OST Water & Sewer Program Reports
* OST Ordinances and Resolutions OST Archives Office
* Environmental Protection Agency
* Instate News (Nebraska)
* US Geological Study 1992-1997
* Wise Uranium
* Indigenous Mining
* SD Dept of Health & Human Services
* Indian Health Service, Pine Ridge Agency, Aberdeen Area Office
· The Case Against Uranium Solution Mining "An Environmental Critique of In Situ Leach Mining” at www.sea-us.org.au
· Cancer in South Dakota, 2003
For info contact:
Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way), PO Box 325, Manderson, SD 57756
Debra White Plume, Director 605-455-2155
cryingearth_riseup@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (email address)
DONATIONS: WE ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS TO HELP US IN OUR WORK TO PROVIDE AWARENESS AND EDUCATION REGARDING IN SITU LEACH/RECOVERY URANIUM MINING AND ITS EFFECTS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE, AND FUTURE. YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN BE MAILED TO: OWE AKU, P.O. BOX 325, MANDERSON, SD 57756
Owe Aku: Bring Back the Way
"We Do Not Inherit Mother Earth From Our Ancestors, We Borrow Her From Our Children." --Crazy Horse
_ _ _
According to website of the Defenders of the Black Hills, the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources is making determinations on lands of critical interest to the native peoples. Additionally, the Defenders have recently had to
"...submit comments to federal agencies, tabling at Pow Wows, giving speeches, and attending a hearing in Pierre, SD... (regarding the) Nuclear Regulatory Commission GEIS Comments, Defenders submitted comments before Nov. 7th to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on their Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement for areas in Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and New Mexico. Our comments were specific to the area as delineated in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.
Craven Canyon Exclusion from mining - The US Forest Service filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw 3,968.7 acres in Fall River County to protect the existing Native American petroglyphs in the Craven Canyon area from damage by mining. The site will be protected for the next 20 years. Defenders submitted comments thanking the Forest Service for their foresight and also supported the withdrawal of the land to protect and preserve this area sacred to many Native American nations.
Presentation given to DIA - Democracy in Action is a women’s group located in western South Dakota interested in legislative action. Charmaine (Whiteface) gave a presentation on Nov. 18th and spoke about the need for state and federal legislation. In this region of SD, WY, NE, she recommended a moratorium in SD on further uranium exploration and mining until the 230 open pit abandoned uranium mines and prospects in SD are cleaned up, and the more than 4,000 uranium exploratory wells are filled, capped, and marked.
Three federal bills are needed to protect the public and the environment from further radioactive pollution.
1) A federal bill to monitor and regulate radioactive particles in the smoke from coal-fired power plants needs to be passed by Congress.
2) A federal bill is needed to regulate and monitor radioactive particles in oil.
3) A federal bill needs to be passed to clean up ALL of the abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects in the United States, and to seal all exploratory bore holes or wells.
Sources for above articles:
Bring Back The Way: Revitalize and preserve the Lakota way of life
Defenders of the Black Hills
Jeff Garritsen is active in Oregon with such projects as Portland Peak Oil, the cable access show TV Set, and Sail Transport Network.
http://www.culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=65
Toxins tied to fish kill may have hitchhiked
Investigators weigh whether mining equipment is culprit
Sunday, October 04, 2009
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Dead fish rot on a rock where the water of Dunkard Creek left them near the village of Brave in Greene County.An invasive toxic algae, blamed for contributing to the massive Dunkard Creek fish kill along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border, may have hitchhiked to the region aboard equipment used in Marcellus shale drilling.
That kind of transregional travel could put fish and aquatic life in the states' other creeks and watersheds at risk in coming years as thousands of new wells are drilled into the thick and gaseous layer of shale that lies a mile deep under much of Pennsylvania and the northern Appalachians.
It has been more than a month since fish started going belly-up on Dunkard Creek, and officials with federal and state environmental and fisheries agencies have yet to identify what killed the fish or assign blame.
The only official explanation has come from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, which last week blamed alien golden algae for wiping out thousands of fish, mussels and other aquatic life in 35 miles of what had been one of the most biologically diverse creeks in either state.
But the West Virginia agency doesn't know how the algae got into the creek.
"We might never know how it got there," said spokewoman Kathy Cosco. "We are trying to determine if it's present already in other water bodies or has spread."
Investigators also are looking at the possibility that someone illegally dumped drilling wastewater into the creek.
The algae-as-hitchhiker theory is one being considered by federal investigators. It's part of the big puzzle federal and state agencies are trying to solve as they attempt to identify what many investigators say are "complex and multiple" causes for the ecological destruction.
The investigation continues to focus on extremely high levels of dissolved solids and chloride found in discharges from two Consol Energy mine-water treatment facilities on the creek, and low flow conditions -- possibly acerbated by tanker trucks that local residents have said they often saw withdrawing water from the creek. That combination created an aquatic environment conducive to growth of the algae.
"We do believe there is golden algae in the creek, but for it to thrive there must be a lot of stuff in the creek that shouldn't be there," said David Sternberg, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman. "There are other contributing factors."
Golden algae is one of a group of algae known as chrysophytes that are usually found in hotter, sometimes coastal, environments of the Southwest and South. It is the only chrysophyte algae that produces toxins lethal to fish, mussels, salamanders and other aquatic life.
"Our biggest concern is how the conditions were created in Dunkard Creek that allowed that algae to thrive," Mr. Sternberg said. "If we see a saltwater algae in a freshwater creek, we know there must be something very wrong."
The EPA also is "very concerned" that golden algae could spread throughout the northern Appalachian region where it might devastate other fisheries, Mr. Sternberg said.
Dr. John Rodgers, a professor at Clemson University who has researched invasive freshwater algae, made the initial identification of the algae in Dunkard Creek for Consol. He said its spores could be transported by animals, in boats, on people's shoes, in blown dust or in industrial equipment.
"[Drilling equipment] is certainly something you will want to look at. This is not an organism you want to trifle with," he said, adding that it has been blamed for wiping out bass populations in Texas.
"Certainly you want to think through the pathways it took to that stream and start working on it as fast as you can."
Last week, a long-awaited 18-month state environmental review of Marcellus shale drilling issues in New York said that floating and submerged aquatic plants could be transported by a variety of equipment used in the deep shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes to crack the shale layer and release the gas it contains.
"Invasive species may potentially be transferred to a new area or watershed if unused water containing such species is later discharged at another location," the report said. "Other potential mechanisms for the possible transfer of invasive aquatic species may include trucks, hoses, pipelines and other equipment used for water withdrawal and transport."
Texas origins?
The algae, prymnesium parvum, has been known to kill fish in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico since it first showed up in 1985 in the Pecos River in Texas. It also has been found in the Brazos River in Texas where gas well drilling companies are advised not to draw from the river during the algae's winter blooming season.
But the algae had not been found around the Mason-Dixon Line before. It is not known if Texas drilling equipment was moved to Pennsylvania; no states track the movement of drill rigs and tanker trucks.
Leroy Young, fisheries bureau director for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, declined to provide details about the commission's ongoing criminal investigation of the Dunkard Creek fish kill. But he said the golden algae is a concern.
"... Any kind of invasive is a concern," Mr. Young said. "This is a new thing and we'll be looking hard at it."
Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for Texas-based Range Resources, one of the biggest drilling companies operating in the Marcellus shale, said Range hasn't moved any drilling rigs from Texas to Pennsylvania. Its water-transport equipment is based in Pennsylvania, and it has no wells in Greene County or West Virginia.
"Almost all of our water-storage units are leased or rented from local companies and the water trucks are all local subcontractors," he said.
The company, which has drilled 150 wells into the Marcellus shale, 45 of them horizontal wells, has been recycling all drill water for more than a year, Mr. Pitzarella added. Some smaller drilling companies among more than two dozen gas producers operating in the state may be using equipment brought here from Texas, he said.
Pennsylvania may have as much as 363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas worth as much as $1 trillion deep underground in the Marcellus shale formations. Gas wells to tap those deposits are drilled 5,000 to 8,000 feet deep; each uses up to 4 million gallons of pressurized, chemically treated water to crack, or "frac," the shale and release trapped natural gas. Leftover wastewater contains high levels of chlorides, dissolved solids and fracing chemicals.
The use of fracing fluids and the drawing and disposal of well drilling wastewater have become environmental concerns. High levels of total dissolved solids in the Monongahela River last winter and this fall, which damaged equipment for some industrial water users and caused bad-tasting and -smelling water for residential water customers, was caused in part by discharges of drilling wastewater.
Last month, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., another Texas-based company with a long history in Pennsylvania, was ordered by the Pennsylvania DEP to temporarily stop its well fracing operations in Dimock, Susquehanna County, until the state can review three frac fluid spills. The company blamed faulty hose and equipment, and fully cleaned up all of the spills.
Declining quality
Although Dunkard Creek was a popular and productive warm-water fishery with good populations of bass, catfish and muskie until the beginning of September, its water quality has been in decline since at least 2002. Discharges high in dissolved solids and chlorides have poured into the creek from mine-water treatment facilities at Consol Energy's Blacksville No. 2 deep mine and its Loveridge Mine in West Virginia.
The West Virginia DEP granted orders in 2004, 2007 and 2008 allowing the company's treatment facilities to discharge unlimited amounts of chloride into the creek until 2013. Mr. Sternberg said the EPA only recently found out about those three administrative orders and is reviewing them.
"The Clean Water Act allows for compliance schedules negotiated by states," he said, "but by law water-quality standards and permit-effluent limits cannot be changed by an enforcement order."
The inability to pin down the fish kill's cause, and begin to address the problem has frustrated environmental, sportsmen's and watershed organizations.
"The players coming to drill here are new to Pennsylvania and may be bringing problems we could not foresee," said Jan Jarrett, president and chief executive officer of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, an environmental group that has campaigned for a state severance tax on gas well drilling.
"If that's the case, we need some protocols to make sure we don't have hitchhiker invasives. Right now the regulatory system is not nimble enough to address this."
Betty Wiley, president of the Dunkard Creek Watershed Association, said she lacks confidence in the environmental agencies of both states. Last week, a coalition of West Virginia and Pennsylvania watershed groups called on the EPA to take the lead role in the investigation of the fish kill and restoration of the watershed.
"The states haven't told us anything and this is a big problem," Ms. Wiley said, adding that she believes the West Virginia DEP traditionally has been lenient with coal companies. "I feel they are not capable of dealing with this thing in any way. We need the big guys to take charge"
The EPA said it won't do that. But last week it did order Consol to stop pumping wastewater from coal bed methane drilling operations into the Morris Run Borehole, which is attached to its inactive Blacksville No. 1 mine. Stopping that will help determine what impact that operation may have had on elevated discharges from Consol's Blacksville No. 2 treatment facility.
The EPA also proposed new limits on amounts of pollutants that can be discharged into West Virginia's Dunkard Creek watershed.
Consol spokesman Joe Cerenzia said the company had stopped pumping into the Morris Run borehole as directed and last week stopped discharging water from both of its mine-water treatment facilities. He said the company has several Marcellus shale wells in Greene County but none take water from the creek or discharge water into it or the Blacksville No. 1 mine.
Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09277/1003007-113.stm#ixzz0T7TsUpK3
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09277/1003007-113.stm
Sunday, October 04, 2009
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Dead fish rot on a rock where the water of Dunkard Creek left them near the village of Brave in Greene County.An invasive toxic algae, blamed for contributing to the massive Dunkard Creek fish kill along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border, may have hitchhiked to the region aboard equipment used in Marcellus shale drilling.
That kind of transregional travel could put fish and aquatic life in the states' other creeks and watersheds at risk in coming years as thousands of new wells are drilled into the thick and gaseous layer of shale that lies a mile deep under much of Pennsylvania and the northern Appalachians.
It has been more than a month since fish started going belly-up on Dunkard Creek, and officials with federal and state environmental and fisheries agencies have yet to identify what killed the fish or assign blame.
The only official explanation has come from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, which last week blamed alien golden algae for wiping out thousands of fish, mussels and other aquatic life in 35 miles of what had been one of the most biologically diverse creeks in either state.
But the West Virginia agency doesn't know how the algae got into the creek.
"We might never know how it got there," said spokewoman Kathy Cosco. "We are trying to determine if it's present already in other water bodies or has spread."
Investigators also are looking at the possibility that someone illegally dumped drilling wastewater into the creek.
The algae-as-hitchhiker theory is one being considered by federal investigators. It's part of the big puzzle federal and state agencies are trying to solve as they attempt to identify what many investigators say are "complex and multiple" causes for the ecological destruction.
The investigation continues to focus on extremely high levels of dissolved solids and chloride found in discharges from two Consol Energy mine-water treatment facilities on the creek, and low flow conditions -- possibly acerbated by tanker trucks that local residents have said they often saw withdrawing water from the creek. That combination created an aquatic environment conducive to growth of the algae.
"We do believe there is golden algae in the creek, but for it to thrive there must be a lot of stuff in the creek that shouldn't be there," said David Sternberg, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman. "There are other contributing factors."
Golden algae is one of a group of algae known as chrysophytes that are usually found in hotter, sometimes coastal, environments of the Southwest and South. It is the only chrysophyte algae that produces toxins lethal to fish, mussels, salamanders and other aquatic life.
"Our biggest concern is how the conditions were created in Dunkard Creek that allowed that algae to thrive," Mr. Sternberg said. "If we see a saltwater algae in a freshwater creek, we know there must be something very wrong."
The EPA also is "very concerned" that golden algae could spread throughout the northern Appalachian region where it might devastate other fisheries, Mr. Sternberg said.
Dr. John Rodgers, a professor at Clemson University who has researched invasive freshwater algae, made the initial identification of the algae in Dunkard Creek for Consol. He said its spores could be transported by animals, in boats, on people's shoes, in blown dust or in industrial equipment.
"[Drilling equipment] is certainly something you will want to look at. This is not an organism you want to trifle with," he said, adding that it has been blamed for wiping out bass populations in Texas.
"Certainly you want to think through the pathways it took to that stream and start working on it as fast as you can."
Last week, a long-awaited 18-month state environmental review of Marcellus shale drilling issues in New York said that floating and submerged aquatic plants could be transported by a variety of equipment used in the deep shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes to crack the shale layer and release the gas it contains.
"Invasive species may potentially be transferred to a new area or watershed if unused water containing such species is later discharged at another location," the report said. "Other potential mechanisms for the possible transfer of invasive aquatic species may include trucks, hoses, pipelines and other equipment used for water withdrawal and transport."
Texas origins?
The algae, prymnesium parvum, has been known to kill fish in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico since it first showed up in 1985 in the Pecos River in Texas. It also has been found in the Brazos River in Texas where gas well drilling companies are advised not to draw from the river during the algae's winter blooming season.
But the algae had not been found around the Mason-Dixon Line before. It is not known if Texas drilling equipment was moved to Pennsylvania; no states track the movement of drill rigs and tanker trucks.
Leroy Young, fisheries bureau director for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, declined to provide details about the commission's ongoing criminal investigation of the Dunkard Creek fish kill. But he said the golden algae is a concern.
"... Any kind of invasive is a concern," Mr. Young said. "This is a new thing and we'll be looking hard at it."
Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for Texas-based Range Resources, one of the biggest drilling companies operating in the Marcellus shale, said Range hasn't moved any drilling rigs from Texas to Pennsylvania. Its water-transport equipment is based in Pennsylvania, and it has no wells in Greene County or West Virginia.
"Almost all of our water-storage units are leased or rented from local companies and the water trucks are all local subcontractors," he said.
The company, which has drilled 150 wells into the Marcellus shale, 45 of them horizontal wells, has been recycling all drill water for more than a year, Mr. Pitzarella added. Some smaller drilling companies among more than two dozen gas producers operating in the state may be using equipment brought here from Texas, he said.
Pennsylvania may have as much as 363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas worth as much as $1 trillion deep underground in the Marcellus shale formations. Gas wells to tap those deposits are drilled 5,000 to 8,000 feet deep; each uses up to 4 million gallons of pressurized, chemically treated water to crack, or "frac," the shale and release trapped natural gas. Leftover wastewater contains high levels of chlorides, dissolved solids and fracing chemicals.
The use of fracing fluids and the drawing and disposal of well drilling wastewater have become environmental concerns. High levels of total dissolved solids in the Monongahela River last winter and this fall, which damaged equipment for some industrial water users and caused bad-tasting and -smelling water for residential water customers, was caused in part by discharges of drilling wastewater.
Last month, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., another Texas-based company with a long history in Pennsylvania, was ordered by the Pennsylvania DEP to temporarily stop its well fracing operations in Dimock, Susquehanna County, until the state can review three frac fluid spills. The company blamed faulty hose and equipment, and fully cleaned up all of the spills.
Declining quality
Although Dunkard Creek was a popular and productive warm-water fishery with good populations of bass, catfish and muskie until the beginning of September, its water quality has been in decline since at least 2002. Discharges high in dissolved solids and chlorides have poured into the creek from mine-water treatment facilities at Consol Energy's Blacksville No. 2 deep mine and its Loveridge Mine in West Virginia.
The West Virginia DEP granted orders in 2004, 2007 and 2008 allowing the company's treatment facilities to discharge unlimited amounts of chloride into the creek until 2013. Mr. Sternberg said the EPA only recently found out about those three administrative orders and is reviewing them.
"The Clean Water Act allows for compliance schedules negotiated by states," he said, "but by law water-quality standards and permit-effluent limits cannot be changed by an enforcement order."
The inability to pin down the fish kill's cause, and begin to address the problem has frustrated environmental, sportsmen's and watershed organizations.
"The players coming to drill here are new to Pennsylvania and may be bringing problems we could not foresee," said Jan Jarrett, president and chief executive officer of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, an environmental group that has campaigned for a state severance tax on gas well drilling.
"If that's the case, we need some protocols to make sure we don't have hitchhiker invasives. Right now the regulatory system is not nimble enough to address this."
Betty Wiley, president of the Dunkard Creek Watershed Association, said she lacks confidence in the environmental agencies of both states. Last week, a coalition of West Virginia and Pennsylvania watershed groups called on the EPA to take the lead role in the investigation of the fish kill and restoration of the watershed.
"The states haven't told us anything and this is a big problem," Ms. Wiley said, adding that she believes the West Virginia DEP traditionally has been lenient with coal companies. "I feel they are not capable of dealing with this thing in any way. We need the big guys to take charge"
The EPA said it won't do that. But last week it did order Consol to stop pumping wastewater from coal bed methane drilling operations into the Morris Run Borehole, which is attached to its inactive Blacksville No. 1 mine. Stopping that will help determine what impact that operation may have had on elevated discharges from Consol's Blacksville No. 2 treatment facility.
The EPA also proposed new limits on amounts of pollutants that can be discharged into West Virginia's Dunkard Creek watershed.
Consol spokesman Joe Cerenzia said the company had stopped pumping into the Morris Run borehole as directed and last week stopped discharging water from both of its mine-water treatment facilities. He said the company has several Marcellus shale wells in Greene County but none take water from the creek or discharge water into it or the Blacksville No. 1 mine.
Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09277/1003007-113.stm#ixzz0T7TsUpK3
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09277/1003007-113.stm
Thousands protest against France's oldest nuclear plant
Sat Oct 3, 4:49 pm ET
COLMAR, France (AFP) – Thousands of people demonstrated in eastern France on Saturday to demand the closure of the country's oldest nuclear power plant amid a huge police presence.
Organisers said more than 10,000 people, including from Spain, Italy and neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, rallied peacefully in Colmar while police said 3,500 took part in the protest against the Fessenheim nuclear plant.
"This is a success and the question of the closure of Fessenheim has now been clearly put forward," said Denis Vernet, of the anti-nuclear umbrella group SDN, which organised the protest with the German movement Bund.
A delegation handed a letter to the region's prefect Pierre-Andre Peyvel calling for the immediate closure of the plant.
Opponents say the plant, which opened in 1977 and is located near the German and Swiss borders, is dilapidated, but the government wants to keep it operational.
Authorities deployed 3,000 police officers, dozens of anti-riot police vehicles and trucks with water cannons to the demonstration in front of the city's train station, a municipal source said.
The organisers complained that the security apparatus was exaggerated and charged that German and Swiss border police had "blocked" some of the protesters heading to Colmar.
Local authorities denied that anyone was barred from passing the border, but acknowledged that travelers were asked for their papers.
"They want people to believe that the lack of security is because of the anti-nuclear activists. In reality, it is the nuclear industry and the political class that use intimidation and repression," Vernet said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091003/sc_afp/francenuclearenergyenvironmentdemo_20091003204911;_ylc=X3oDMTB0dGdiYnNqBF9TAzIxNTExMDUEZW1haWxJZAMxMjU0NjY4NjE4
COLMAR, France (AFP) – Thousands of people demonstrated in eastern France on Saturday to demand the closure of the country's oldest nuclear power plant amid a huge police presence.
Organisers said more than 10,000 people, including from Spain, Italy and neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, rallied peacefully in Colmar while police said 3,500 took part in the protest against the Fessenheim nuclear plant.
"This is a success and the question of the closure of Fessenheim has now been clearly put forward," said Denis Vernet, of the anti-nuclear umbrella group SDN, which organised the protest with the German movement Bund.
A delegation handed a letter to the region's prefect Pierre-Andre Peyvel calling for the immediate closure of the plant.
Opponents say the plant, which opened in 1977 and is located near the German and Swiss borders, is dilapidated, but the government wants to keep it operational.
Authorities deployed 3,000 police officers, dozens of anti-riot police vehicles and trucks with water cannons to the demonstration in front of the city's train station, a municipal source said.
The organisers complained that the security apparatus was exaggerated and charged that German and Swiss border police had "blocked" some of the protesters heading to Colmar.
Local authorities denied that anyone was barred from passing the border, but acknowledged that travelers were asked for their papers.
"They want people to believe that the lack of security is because of the anti-nuclear activists. In reality, it is the nuclear industry and the political class that use intimidation and repression," Vernet said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091003/sc_afp/francenuclearenergyenvironmentdemo_20091003204911;_ylc=X3oDMTB0dGdiYnNqBF9TAzIxNTExMDUEZW1haWxJZAMxMjU0NjY4NjE4
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Environmentalist: Edgemont uranium mine not financially feasible
By Steve Miller, Journal staff
The proposed Powertech uranium mining project northwest of Edgemont isn't financially feasible and won't provide enough protection against groundwater contamination, says Paul Robinson, an environmental critic of the project.
A local company spokesman disputed Robinson's arguments.
Robinson, billed as an environmental scientist with the Western Mining Action Network, spoke at the group's biennial conference in Rapid City on Friday.
In a news conference before his appearance, Robinson, research director of the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, N.M., said there isn't enough demand for uranium worldwide and that the current spot price of $43 a pound isn't enough to cover the cost of production for the uranium mine proposed in the Dewey-Burdock area, 13 miles northwest of Edgemont.
"My chief concern is that the company is marketing its program to produce uranium when there is no demand for new uranium mines or their products," Robinson told reporters. "Therefore, it is building interest around a project that has very little likelihood of producing because the market won't support new uranium mines."
Robinson said prices have dropped back to levels that existed before a spike in prices a few years ago.
Uranium reached $140 a pound in 2007 before dropping back to about $47 a pound earlier this year.
Robinson said there aren't enough nuclear reactors being built to even replace the ones that are aging.
Mark Hollenbeck of Edgemont, project manager for Powertech USA, said Friday he could not divulge the dollar figure at which the proposed mine would break even financially. But last spring, Hollenbeck said the $47 to $49 price for uranium on the spot market was well within the range that Powertech needed to make a profit on its project.
He said that even at $43 a pound, the price is more than six times higher than the $7 per pound uranium brought in 2003.
"Currently, there are about 35 reactors under construction in the world, and every country in the world is looking at expanding their nuclear fleet," Hollenbeck said.
He said the United States produces only about 10 percent of the 55 million pounds of uranium it uses each year to produce 20 percent of the nation's electricity.
In any case, Hollenbeck said, the project won't proceed unless it is financially viable. Meanwhile, he said, project plans are moving forward.
Robinson also said state and federal reclamation rules are too lax for in situ uranium mines.
Like such mines in Nebraska, Wyoming and Texas, Powertech USA, a subsidiary of Canadian company Powertech Uranium Corp., plans to inject chemically treated water into wells to dissolve the uranium, then pump out the solution and collect the uranium for processing.
Opponents argue the process could damage the environment, contaminate water and threaten the health of area residents. The company says the process is safe.
Robinson said neither the Nuclear Regulatory Commission nor state regulators require in situ uranium mines to return affected groundwater to its pre-mining condition.
"The NRC does a very bad job of protecting groundwater," he said. Robinson said disturbing the uranium and the accompanying heavy metals underground could cause release of contaminants into groundwater.
In Wyoming, Texas and Nebraska, regulators have allowed the in situ uranium mines to leave contamination at higher levels than existed before the mining, Robinson said.
Hollenbeck said the groundwater at Dewey/Burdock is already highly contaminated and unfit for drinking. "The radionuclides are through the roof on this groundwater. It does not meet any kind of drinking water standard whatsoever," he said. "If there weren't all these radionuclides in there, we wouldn't be going after it."
Hollenbeck acknowledged that the water after mining won't be exactly the same as before.
"It'll be the same kind of water when we started, but it won't be the exact same water," he said. "It is nowhere close to being drinking water today."
Robinson also said there is a danger of a plume of underground contaminants spreading out from the mine area and between monitoring wells that are spaced too far apart. Such an event is called an "excursion."
"These kinds of excursions have occurred beyond the well field at the Nebraska, Wyoming and Texas operations," he said.
Hollenbeck said that in addition to monitoring wells encircling the mine area, the NRC requires all in situ uranium mines to have buffer zones outside the monitoring wells.
"If, as these people claim, one of these excursions get out from the monitoring well ring, you have to go out and drill more wells and make sure it is controlled," he said.
Hollenbeck said that no excursion of contaminants has ever gotten outside the buffer zone of any of the NRC-regulated uranium mines.
Hollenbeck, the former mayor of Edgemont, said he and other area residents are going to make sure the environment where they live is protected.
He grazes some of his cattle on land he leases on the Dewey/Burdock mine site.
"I have a certified organic ranch," he said. "I raise grass-fed organic beef and lamb. So I have the highest standards of environmentalism for my ranch. That's why I'm involved in this project. I believe it's the safest environmental way of extracting minerals that we've come up with."
The Western Mining Action Network continues its conference through Sunday at Hotel Alex Johnson. The nonprofit organization says its mission is to foster a strong network to protect the environment by reforming mining practices.
About 160 people are attending the conference, organizers said.
Contact Steve Miller at 394-8415 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/10/02/news/top/doc4ac6ae41b1afb588768105.txt
The proposed Powertech uranium mining project northwest of Edgemont isn't financially feasible and won't provide enough protection against groundwater contamination, says Paul Robinson, an environmental critic of the project.
A local company spokesman disputed Robinson's arguments.
Robinson, billed as an environmental scientist with the Western Mining Action Network, spoke at the group's biennial conference in Rapid City on Friday.
In a news conference before his appearance, Robinson, research director of the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, N.M., said there isn't enough demand for uranium worldwide and that the current spot price of $43 a pound isn't enough to cover the cost of production for the uranium mine proposed in the Dewey-Burdock area, 13 miles northwest of Edgemont.
"My chief concern is that the company is marketing its program to produce uranium when there is no demand for new uranium mines or their products," Robinson told reporters. "Therefore, it is building interest around a project that has very little likelihood of producing because the market won't support new uranium mines."
Robinson said prices have dropped back to levels that existed before a spike in prices a few years ago.
Uranium reached $140 a pound in 2007 before dropping back to about $47 a pound earlier this year.
Robinson said there aren't enough nuclear reactors being built to even replace the ones that are aging.
Mark Hollenbeck of Edgemont, project manager for Powertech USA, said Friday he could not divulge the dollar figure at which the proposed mine would break even financially. But last spring, Hollenbeck said the $47 to $49 price for uranium on the spot market was well within the range that Powertech needed to make a profit on its project.
He said that even at $43 a pound, the price is more than six times higher than the $7 per pound uranium brought in 2003.
"Currently, there are about 35 reactors under construction in the world, and every country in the world is looking at expanding their nuclear fleet," Hollenbeck said.
He said the United States produces only about 10 percent of the 55 million pounds of uranium it uses each year to produce 20 percent of the nation's electricity.
In any case, Hollenbeck said, the project won't proceed unless it is financially viable. Meanwhile, he said, project plans are moving forward.
Robinson also said state and federal reclamation rules are too lax for in situ uranium mines.
Like such mines in Nebraska, Wyoming and Texas, Powertech USA, a subsidiary of Canadian company Powertech Uranium Corp., plans to inject chemically treated water into wells to dissolve the uranium, then pump out the solution and collect the uranium for processing.
Opponents argue the process could damage the environment, contaminate water and threaten the health of area residents. The company says the process is safe.
Robinson said neither the Nuclear Regulatory Commission nor state regulators require in situ uranium mines to return affected groundwater to its pre-mining condition.
"The NRC does a very bad job of protecting groundwater," he said. Robinson said disturbing the uranium and the accompanying heavy metals underground could cause release of contaminants into groundwater.
In Wyoming, Texas and Nebraska, regulators have allowed the in situ uranium mines to leave contamination at higher levels than existed before the mining, Robinson said.
Hollenbeck said the groundwater at Dewey/Burdock is already highly contaminated and unfit for drinking. "The radionuclides are through the roof on this groundwater. It does not meet any kind of drinking water standard whatsoever," he said. "If there weren't all these radionuclides in there, we wouldn't be going after it."
Hollenbeck acknowledged that the water after mining won't be exactly the same as before.
"It'll be the same kind of water when we started, but it won't be the exact same water," he said. "It is nowhere close to being drinking water today."
Robinson also said there is a danger of a plume of underground contaminants spreading out from the mine area and between monitoring wells that are spaced too far apart. Such an event is called an "excursion."
"These kinds of excursions have occurred beyond the well field at the Nebraska, Wyoming and Texas operations," he said.
Hollenbeck said that in addition to monitoring wells encircling the mine area, the NRC requires all in situ uranium mines to have buffer zones outside the monitoring wells.
"If, as these people claim, one of these excursions get out from the monitoring well ring, you have to go out and drill more wells and make sure it is controlled," he said.
Hollenbeck said that no excursion of contaminants has ever gotten outside the buffer zone of any of the NRC-regulated uranium mines.
Hollenbeck, the former mayor of Edgemont, said he and other area residents are going to make sure the environment where they live is protected.
He grazes some of his cattle on land he leases on the Dewey/Burdock mine site.
"I have a certified organic ranch," he said. "I raise grass-fed organic beef and lamb. So I have the highest standards of environmentalism for my ranch. That's why I'm involved in this project. I believe it's the safest environmental way of extracting minerals that we've come up with."
The Western Mining Action Network continues its conference through Sunday at Hotel Alex Johnson. The nonprofit organization says its mission is to foster a strong network to protect the environment by reforming mining practices.
About 160 people are attending the conference, organizers said.
Contact Steve Miller at 394-8415 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/10/02/news/top/doc4ac6ae41b1afb588768105.txt
Friday, October 2, 2009
Anti-mining rally in Delhi
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Shillong, Oct. 2: The National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movements today organised a rally in Delhi, widening the ambit of the Khasi Students Union’s anti-uranium mining crusade.
The decision to take out the rally from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace, was not without reason.
Nearly 200 NAAM activists carrying placards and banners were joined by some Khasi students led by KSU president Samuel Jyrwa. They blended anti-nuclear power plant protests with the uranium mining issue.
At Jantar Mantar, speakers from Meghalaya, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand highlighted the ill effects of uranium mining and the dangers of setting up of nuclear power plants.
The co-ordinator of NAAM, S.P. Udayakumar, said over phone that on reaching the samadhi site of the Mahatma, the activists shouted slogans against uranium mining in India and then proceeded towards Jantar Mantar.
Later, near Teen Murti Bhavan, the NAAM activists staged How to Kill a Man, a play that showed how uranium mining could kill thousands of people.
It was followed by passing of a resolution by NAAM members urging the government to prevent uranium mining projects in Meghalaya, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and stop the projects at Jaduguda in Jharkhand.
“We also vowed to say no to nuclear power plants in the country,” Udayakumar said.
“Uranium mining and nuclear power plants will do great harm to the people of the country; if America wants to carry out uranium mining, let it do so in that country and India should not succumb to the pressure of America.”
Talking over phone, Jyrwa said uranium mining and setting up of nuclear power plants go against the very ideals that Mahatma Gandhi stood for.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091003/jsp/northeast/story_11567822.jsp
Shillong, Oct. 2: The National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movements today organised a rally in Delhi, widening the ambit of the Khasi Students Union’s anti-uranium mining crusade.
The decision to take out the rally from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace, was not without reason.
Nearly 200 NAAM activists carrying placards and banners were joined by some Khasi students led by KSU president Samuel Jyrwa. They blended anti-nuclear power plant protests with the uranium mining issue.
At Jantar Mantar, speakers from Meghalaya, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand highlighted the ill effects of uranium mining and the dangers of setting up of nuclear power plants.
The co-ordinator of NAAM, S.P. Udayakumar, said over phone that on reaching the samadhi site of the Mahatma, the activists shouted slogans against uranium mining in India and then proceeded towards Jantar Mantar.
Later, near Teen Murti Bhavan, the NAAM activists staged How to Kill a Man, a play that showed how uranium mining could kill thousands of people.
It was followed by passing of a resolution by NAAM members urging the government to prevent uranium mining projects in Meghalaya, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and stop the projects at Jaduguda in Jharkhand.
“We also vowed to say no to nuclear power plants in the country,” Udayakumar said.
“Uranium mining and nuclear power plants will do great harm to the people of the country; if America wants to carry out uranium mining, let it do so in that country and India should not succumb to the pressure of America.”
Talking over phone, Jyrwa said uranium mining and setting up of nuclear power plants go against the very ideals that Mahatma Gandhi stood for.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091003/jsp/northeast/story_11567822.jsp
Virginia energy tax holiday
Updated: Thursday, 01 Oct 2009, 5:02 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 01 Oct 2009, 5:01 PM EDT
RICHMOND, Va. - Governor Tim Kaine announced Thursday that Virginia will hold its third annual sales tax holiday. Certain ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products are applicable.
During the annual sales tax holiday, Virginians will be exempt from paying sales tax on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense qualified products that cost $2,500 or less. Even products purchased online during the holiday will be exempt from sales tax if the seller has the items in-stock for immediate shipment. Eligible products include energy efficient products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, ceiling fans, clothes washers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators and room air conditioners, and water efficient products such as certain toilets and faucets. Only purchases made for personal, non-commercial will qualify for tax emeption.
Governor Kaine also launched the Virginia Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate program. It's a new program to encourage the purchase of high-efficiency appliances and products. The program will use $15,000,000 in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment act to provide rebates to residential and commercial consumers on certain qualifying appliances and equipment.
Homeowners will be eligible for rebates for 20% of the costs of the products, up to $2,000. Residential consumers will be eligible for rebates on air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, hot water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators, as well as for insulation and replacement windows.
Commercial consumers will be eligible for 20% of their costs up to $4,000. They could receive rebates on heating and cooling equipment, hot water heaters, window replacements, lighting upgrades, high efficiency motors, compressed air and steam system upgrades, as well as insulation and replacement windows.
Rebates will be distributed on a first come-first served basis. Participants will be required to complete an application form.
Governor Kaine also highlighted the availability of federal tax credits made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits provide a 30% tax credit, up to $1,500 for the purchase and installation of specific products from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. Qualifying products include energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes.
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/virginia/local_wavy_vaenergytaxholiday_20091001
Published : Thursday, 01 Oct 2009, 5:01 PM EDT
RICHMOND, Va. - Governor Tim Kaine announced Thursday that Virginia will hold its third annual sales tax holiday. Certain ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products are applicable.
During the annual sales tax holiday, Virginians will be exempt from paying sales tax on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense qualified products that cost $2,500 or less. Even products purchased online during the holiday will be exempt from sales tax if the seller has the items in-stock for immediate shipment. Eligible products include energy efficient products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, ceiling fans, clothes washers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators and room air conditioners, and water efficient products such as certain toilets and faucets. Only purchases made for personal, non-commercial will qualify for tax emeption.
Governor Kaine also launched the Virginia Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate program. It's a new program to encourage the purchase of high-efficiency appliances and products. The program will use $15,000,000 in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment act to provide rebates to residential and commercial consumers on certain qualifying appliances and equipment.
Homeowners will be eligible for rebates for 20% of the costs of the products, up to $2,000. Residential consumers will be eligible for rebates on air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, hot water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators, as well as for insulation and replacement windows.
Commercial consumers will be eligible for 20% of their costs up to $4,000. They could receive rebates on heating and cooling equipment, hot water heaters, window replacements, lighting upgrades, high efficiency motors, compressed air and steam system upgrades, as well as insulation and replacement windows.
Rebates will be distributed on a first come-first served basis. Participants will be required to complete an application form.
Governor Kaine also highlighted the availability of federal tax credits made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits provide a 30% tax credit, up to $1,500 for the purchase and installation of specific products from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. Qualifying products include energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes.
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/virginia/local_wavy_vaenergytaxholiday_20091001
Environmental groups, SW tribes stand together to promote clean, renewable energy
Written by ANDY BESSLERr, Sierra Club, Tribal Partnerships Program
Friday, 02 October 2009 21:48
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – As Hopi and Navajo leaders in the American Southwest evaluate their energy policies, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups remain committed to working with their tribal partners to find clean energy solutions that work for everyone.
"We are proud of our longstanding partnerships with tribal leaders in the Southwest, and we are committed to supporting efforts to transition from dirty coal to clean energy solutions," said Sierra Club President Allison Chin. "Together, we can rekindle our economy, reduce greenhouse gases and support people who have been left in the dust by a dangerous and dirty, coal-based economy."
For decades, Southwestern tribes have suffered from poisoned groundwater, air pollution, and sacred land destruction caused by coal mines and power plants. But the Navajo Nation’s recent unanimous green jobs resolution and the solar power projects in the Hopi village of Hotevilla are strong signs that clean energy solutions are gaining momentum. Dirty coal pollution also threatens nearby Grand Canyon National Park, a treasure for all Americans.
"We, the Hopi/Tewa people, have worked closely for many years with our allies from the environmental community to protect sacred lands from development and to stop uranium mining from poisoning our water," said Alph H. Secakuku, Sipaulovi Council Representative for the Village of Sipaulovi, Second Mesa, Arizona, Hopiland. "We will continue to work together—tribal communities and other clean energy jobs advocates—to bring green economic development to our lands that respects our air and water."
A report soon to be released by Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS) shows in stark detail how a combination of renewable energy development deployed with aggressive energy efficiency measures provides far more, long term, sustainable job creation, along with overall economic benefits, than traditional sources such as coal.
"Black Mesa Water Coalition appreciates the non-native individuals and environmental organizations that have supported our leadership as a Navajo grassroots organization," said Black Mesa Water Coalition Co-director Enei Begaye. "Native grassroots people are and should be in the lead on these issues in and around tribal lands."
"We were quite amazed," said report author Paul Sheldon, Senior Economist of NCS. "In some cases the models show ten times the number of jobs created from certain solar technologies verses coal-based generation." Sheldon said the lands of the Southwest hold some of the country's greatest solar and wind potential, resources that will still be there centuries after the last ounce of coal has been mined and burned.
To address climate change and to support communities, Southwest tribes and environmental groups have worked in partnership for years to promote clean energy, health and water issues by cleaning up dirty coal plants and promoting solar and wind projects on the reservations.
"NRDC is proud to have longstanding relationships with Tribal Nations across the country," said Phil Gutis, communications director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We are committed to continuing our work with Tribal Nations, including local Navajo allies, to find productive, clean and sustainable economic development opportunities that power and protect their communities."
"It is truly heartening to see that the indigenous grassroots organizations have become highly proficient in working with their governments from the local to the central levels," said Tony Skrelunas, Native America program director for Grand Canyon Trust and former Navajo Nation executive. "This is something that should be welcomed by all Navajo and Hopi communities since many members of these organizations will be our future leaders."
"Global warming is a threat on and off Navajo and Hopi lands," said Hertha Woody, a member of the Navajo Nation and a Sierra Club volunteer leader in Flagstaff. "There is great potential for solar and wind projects to help reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming, and we are proud to continue to support a transition from coal to clean energy that will create a more sustainable economy."
Sierra Club is honored to work with our tribal partners in transitioning to a clean energy future, including the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Dooda Desert Rock, Hopis Organized for Political Initiatives (H.O.P.I.), the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, To’ Nizhoni Ani, C-Aquifer for the Diné, and other community organizations.
http://nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2460:environmental-groups-sw-tribes-stand-together-to-promote-clean-renewable-energy&catid=56&Itemid=32
Friday, 02 October 2009 21:48
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – As Hopi and Navajo leaders in the American Southwest evaluate their energy policies, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups remain committed to working with their tribal partners to find clean energy solutions that work for everyone.
"We are proud of our longstanding partnerships with tribal leaders in the Southwest, and we are committed to supporting efforts to transition from dirty coal to clean energy solutions," said Sierra Club President Allison Chin. "Together, we can rekindle our economy, reduce greenhouse gases and support people who have been left in the dust by a dangerous and dirty, coal-based economy."
For decades, Southwestern tribes have suffered from poisoned groundwater, air pollution, and sacred land destruction caused by coal mines and power plants. But the Navajo Nation’s recent unanimous green jobs resolution and the solar power projects in the Hopi village of Hotevilla are strong signs that clean energy solutions are gaining momentum. Dirty coal pollution also threatens nearby Grand Canyon National Park, a treasure for all Americans.
"We, the Hopi/Tewa people, have worked closely for many years with our allies from the environmental community to protect sacred lands from development and to stop uranium mining from poisoning our water," said Alph H. Secakuku, Sipaulovi Council Representative for the Village of Sipaulovi, Second Mesa, Arizona, Hopiland. "We will continue to work together—tribal communities and other clean energy jobs advocates—to bring green economic development to our lands that respects our air and water."
A report soon to be released by Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS) shows in stark detail how a combination of renewable energy development deployed with aggressive energy efficiency measures provides far more, long term, sustainable job creation, along with overall economic benefits, than traditional sources such as coal.
"Black Mesa Water Coalition appreciates the non-native individuals and environmental organizations that have supported our leadership as a Navajo grassroots organization," said Black Mesa Water Coalition Co-director Enei Begaye. "Native grassroots people are and should be in the lead on these issues in and around tribal lands."
"We were quite amazed," said report author Paul Sheldon, Senior Economist of NCS. "In some cases the models show ten times the number of jobs created from certain solar technologies verses coal-based generation." Sheldon said the lands of the Southwest hold some of the country's greatest solar and wind potential, resources that will still be there centuries after the last ounce of coal has been mined and burned.
To address climate change and to support communities, Southwest tribes and environmental groups have worked in partnership for years to promote clean energy, health and water issues by cleaning up dirty coal plants and promoting solar and wind projects on the reservations.
"NRDC is proud to have longstanding relationships with Tribal Nations across the country," said Phil Gutis, communications director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We are committed to continuing our work with Tribal Nations, including local Navajo allies, to find productive, clean and sustainable economic development opportunities that power and protect their communities."
"It is truly heartening to see that the indigenous grassroots organizations have become highly proficient in working with their governments from the local to the central levels," said Tony Skrelunas, Native America program director for Grand Canyon Trust and former Navajo Nation executive. "This is something that should be welcomed by all Navajo and Hopi communities since many members of these organizations will be our future leaders."
"Global warming is a threat on and off Navajo and Hopi lands," said Hertha Woody, a member of the Navajo Nation and a Sierra Club volunteer leader in Flagstaff. "There is great potential for solar and wind projects to help reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming, and we are proud to continue to support a transition from coal to clean energy that will create a more sustainable economy."
Sierra Club is honored to work with our tribal partners in transitioning to a clean energy future, including the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Dooda Desert Rock, Hopis Organized for Political Initiatives (H.O.P.I.), the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, To’ Nizhoni Ani, C-Aquifer for the Diné, and other community organizations.
http://nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2460:environmental-groups-sw-tribes-stand-together-to-promote-clean-renewable-energy&catid=56&Itemid=32
Thursday, October 1, 2009
New evidence in uranium debate could result in court battle
by Amanda Ballard
on October 1, 2009
Environmentalists are threatening legal action against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for using insufficient and outdated environmental analyses to approve a plan to reopen a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon Trust, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the BLM. They are accusing the BLM of relying on obsolete information to approve a plan for Canadian-based Denison Mine Corp. to reopen its Arizona I mine, located about 20 miles north of the Grand Canyon’s northern border. If the BLM chooses to correct its alleged violations against the Endangered Species Act within the 60-day period, the lawsuit can be prevented.
Sandy Bahr, the chapter director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said conservationists want the BLM to address the issue and alleged environmental violations.
“In 1988, they did only an environmental assessment on the Arizona I mine,” Bahr said. “That is inadequate and outdated. They did not include any of the new data or information. They did not address issues with endangered species, the na- tional monuments or the tribes.”
The Arizona I mine is located on land included in the one million acres the U.S. Interior Department protected from new mining claims on July 20. During a two-year segregation period, the effects of mining will be evaluated to determine if the land should be protected from mining claims for an additional 20 years.
Scott Sticha, a public affairs specialist for the BLM, said although he could not address the issue directly because of legal matters, a ban was placed on new mining claims, and Denison Mine Corp. had been waiting on approval to reopen the Arizona I mine for some time.
Sticha said he encourages the public to give their opinion in the uranium mining debate. The BLM will be hosting a public forum at the High Country Conference Center on Oct. 15 so citizens can participate in the analysis of uranium mining’s impacts.
“We’ve already gotten somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 comments,” Sticha said. “This is the time [to comment]. It’s good for folks to comment early, because two years is a pretty short amount of time.”
Roger Clark, the air and energy director with the Grand Canyon Trust, said he hopes the conflict can be settled out of the courts.
“[My hopes are] to have the agency comply with these laws without our needing to sue them,” Clark said.
Bahr said environmentalists hope the threat of a lawsuit will motivate the BLM to better protect animal species and water supplies.
“We want to protect the public, the public’s lands and the public’s drinking water,” Bahr said. “The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River are critical to Arizona and to the nation. We should not risk them for the short-term profits of one company.”
Mining claims have grown with the price of uranium, which now is valued at approximately $55 per pound. More than 1,100 uranium claims are staked within five miles of the Grand Canyon.Taylor McKinnon, the public lands campaign director for the Center of Biological Diversity, said the land needs to be protected from the harm potentially caused by uranium mining.
“This issue comes down to risk,” McKinnon said. “Neither the government nor the uranium industry can guarantee against water contamination. Were it to happen, that contamination could be permanent and irretrievable. These are risks that shouldn’t be taken.”
For more information on this debate please visit, http://jackcentral.com/news/2009/09/decision-to-protect-land-near-grand-canyon-stirs-debate/
on October 1, 2009
Environmentalists are threatening legal action against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for using insufficient and outdated environmental analyses to approve a plan to reopen a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon Trust, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the BLM. They are accusing the BLM of relying on obsolete information to approve a plan for Canadian-based Denison Mine Corp. to reopen its Arizona I mine, located about 20 miles north of the Grand Canyon’s northern border. If the BLM chooses to correct its alleged violations against the Endangered Species Act within the 60-day period, the lawsuit can be prevented.
Sandy Bahr, the chapter director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said conservationists want the BLM to address the issue and alleged environmental violations.
“In 1988, they did only an environmental assessment on the Arizona I mine,” Bahr said. “That is inadequate and outdated. They did not include any of the new data or information. They did not address issues with endangered species, the na- tional monuments or the tribes.”
The Arizona I mine is located on land included in the one million acres the U.S. Interior Department protected from new mining claims on July 20. During a two-year segregation period, the effects of mining will be evaluated to determine if the land should be protected from mining claims for an additional 20 years.
Scott Sticha, a public affairs specialist for the BLM, said although he could not address the issue directly because of legal matters, a ban was placed on new mining claims, and Denison Mine Corp. had been waiting on approval to reopen the Arizona I mine for some time.
Sticha said he encourages the public to give their opinion in the uranium mining debate. The BLM will be hosting a public forum at the High Country Conference Center on Oct. 15 so citizens can participate in the analysis of uranium mining’s impacts.
“We’ve already gotten somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 comments,” Sticha said. “This is the time [to comment]. It’s good for folks to comment early, because two years is a pretty short amount of time.”
Roger Clark, the air and energy director with the Grand Canyon Trust, said he hopes the conflict can be settled out of the courts.
“[My hopes are] to have the agency comply with these laws without our needing to sue them,” Clark said.
Bahr said environmentalists hope the threat of a lawsuit will motivate the BLM to better protect animal species and water supplies.
“We want to protect the public, the public’s lands and the public’s drinking water,” Bahr said. “The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River are critical to Arizona and to the nation. We should not risk them for the short-term profits of one company.”
Mining claims have grown with the price of uranium, which now is valued at approximately $55 per pound. More than 1,100 uranium claims are staked within five miles of the Grand Canyon.Taylor McKinnon, the public lands campaign director for the Center of Biological Diversity, said the land needs to be protected from the harm potentially caused by uranium mining.
“This issue comes down to risk,” McKinnon said. “Neither the government nor the uranium industry can guarantee against water contamination. Were it to happen, that contamination could be permanent and irretrievable. These are risks that shouldn’t be taken.”
For more information on this debate please visit, http://jackcentral.com/news/2009/09/decision-to-protect-land-near-grand-canyon-stirs-debate/
Request for Qualifications—Regional Socioeconomic Study of Impact of Uranium Mining and Milling
The Danville Regional Foundation is requesting evidence of qualifications from interested firms, nonprofits and academic programs.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is considering lifting its twenty-seven year moratorium on uranium mining. This statewide consideration is under the jurisdiction of the Coal and Energy Commission of the Virginia Legislature.
The proposed lifting of the moratorium is prompted by the announced plans of Virginia Uranium, Inc. to mine and mill a deposit of an estimated 119 million pounds of ore at Coles Hill Farm located in central Pittsylvania County, south central Virginia, approximately 20 miles north of the City of Danville.
The Coal and Energy Commission has entered into negotiations with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a statewide study of the “scientific, technical, environmental, human health and safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, milling, and processing as they relate to the Commonwealth of Virginia.” As proposed, this study would be funded by Virginia Uranium, Inc.
A separate, statewide study of the socioeconomic implications of the proposed mining and milling is under consideration. (See http://dls.virginia.gov/groups/cec/Uranium/meetings.htm for more information.)
The Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) was created in 2005. It uses its approximately $165 million in assets to assist in the economic and cultural transformation of the region limited to Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville in Virginia and Caswell County in North Carolina.
(See www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org for more information.)
DRF is considering sponsoring an independent and rigorous socioeconomic examination of the effects of the proposed mine, mill, and long-term waste management upon the people and institutions, including the economy, limited to the region served by DRF. The proposed study would include the examination of three scenarios—best reasonable, worst reasonable, and reasonable, based on a variety of economic, social and ecological variables to be developed by the independent researchers. Impact of similar mining, milling and tailings storage from other sites around the world could be part of the analysis.
This proposed socioeconomic study would be conducted by an organization that is located outside of Virginia and is without conflicts-of-interest. This proposed regional study would be separate from the statewide efforts of the Virginia Legislature, while potentially building on those efforts. The results of the regional study would be widely shared with the residents and institutions of the target region. DRF is requesting letters of interest, with qualifications by December 1, 2009.
Qualifications should include background and history of organization, contact information, resumes of principals likely to be assigned to this effort, samples or examples of related work completed, and reference list of previous clients.
DRF will review the letters of interest and qualification and may invite full proposals from a small number of qualified candidates.
Inquiries should be directed to Karl Stauber, President & CEO, Danville
Regional Foundation at kstauber@danvilleregionalfoundation.org. October 1, 2009
The Commonwealth of Virginia is considering lifting its twenty-seven year moratorium on uranium mining. This statewide consideration is under the jurisdiction of the Coal and Energy Commission of the Virginia Legislature.
The proposed lifting of the moratorium is prompted by the announced plans of Virginia Uranium, Inc. to mine and mill a deposit of an estimated 119 million pounds of ore at Coles Hill Farm located in central Pittsylvania County, south central Virginia, approximately 20 miles north of the City of Danville.
The Coal and Energy Commission has entered into negotiations with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a statewide study of the “scientific, technical, environmental, human health and safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, milling, and processing as they relate to the Commonwealth of Virginia.” As proposed, this study would be funded by Virginia Uranium, Inc.
A separate, statewide study of the socioeconomic implications of the proposed mining and milling is under consideration. (See http://dls.virginia.gov/groups/cec/Uranium/meetings.htm for more information.)
The Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) was created in 2005. It uses its approximately $165 million in assets to assist in the economic and cultural transformation of the region limited to Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville in Virginia and Caswell County in North Carolina.
(See www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org for more information.)
DRF is considering sponsoring an independent and rigorous socioeconomic examination of the effects of the proposed mine, mill, and long-term waste management upon the people and institutions, including the economy, limited to the region served by DRF. The proposed study would include the examination of three scenarios—best reasonable, worst reasonable, and reasonable, based on a variety of economic, social and ecological variables to be developed by the independent researchers. Impact of similar mining, milling and tailings storage from other sites around the world could be part of the analysis.
This proposed socioeconomic study would be conducted by an organization that is located outside of Virginia and is without conflicts-of-interest. This proposed regional study would be separate from the statewide efforts of the Virginia Legislature, while potentially building on those efforts. The results of the regional study would be widely shared with the residents and institutions of the target region. DRF is requesting letters of interest, with qualifications by December 1, 2009.
Qualifications should include background and history of organization, contact information, resumes of principals likely to be assigned to this effort, samples or examples of related work completed, and reference list of previous clients.
DRF will review the letters of interest and qualification and may invite full proposals from a small number of qualified candidates.
Inquiries should be directed to Karl Stauber, President & CEO, Danville
Regional Foundation at kstauber@danvilleregionalfoundation.org. October 1, 2009
The Red Rock Wilderness Act: Our Chance to Be Present at the Creation
Photo of Gooseneck of Colorado River taken by Ray Bloxham for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Posted: September 30, 2009 11:42 AM
Robert Redford,Actor, Director, and Environmental Activist
This week marks an historic turning point for people who love the wild canyon country and sweeping mesas of Southern Utah. For the first time, the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest, and Public Lands will consider a bill designed to protect millions of acres of spectacular Utah lands as wilderness.
All of these lands -- some of the last great places on earth -- are owned by the public, but most of them remain vulnerable to industrial development. America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would protect them from oil and gas development, uranium mining, and off-road vehicle use. Meanwhile, hunters, anglers, hikers, and families could continue to enjoy these lands, including the renowned Cedar Mesa, San Rafael Swell, and the Book Cliffs.
This is our chance to be present at the creation. If we pass the Red Rock Wilderness Act, we can tell our grandchildren that we helped birth the latest Yellowstone. We can say we preserved treasures equal to Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks. We can add to the wilderness inheritance of future generations, and they will thank us for it.
I love the extraordinary lands encompassed in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. I have spent decades exploring them, and I am still awed by the beauty of their serpentine canyons and alcoves filled with stone houses built by the ancestors of today's Pueblo people. I have profoundly inspiring memories of the time I've spent hiking with my family under sculpted arches, through pink sand dunes and across mesas that open up to a sea of redrock vistas.
Fortunately, there is growing support in Congress for protecting precious wildlands like these. This February, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Act -- the most significant conservation law in decades. The law designated more than 2.1 million acres of wilderness in nine states. Significantly, this was a bipartisan effort.
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, introduced by true champions Senator Richard Durbin and Congressman Maurice Hinchey, also has bipartisan support. It has a remarkable 139 cosponsors in the House and 31 in the senate--that's almost 1 out of every 3 Members of Congress.
I believe two key forces are fueling this renewed desire to protect the public's lands.
First, lawmakers are finally recognizing the toll climate change is taking on fragile landscapes like Southern Utah. The highly regarded NRDC is releasing a report tomorrow documenting the impacts of global warming on national parks, and Zion is one of the 25 most imperiled. The same extreme heat and drought that plague Zion stretch across the region.
Already, conditions are so dry that high winds are picking up Utah's red dust and dumping it hundreds of miles east on Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Skiers call this red snow or watermelon snow.
When you build roads and lay drill pads and pipelines on this kind of delicate landscape, it rips apart the biological soils that retain precious water and prevent erosion. Scientists agree that protecting large roadless areas is critical for combating climate change.
Lawmakers are also beginning to realize that we can power our nation with cleaner, more sustainable options than dirty fossil fuels. Energy efficiency and plug-in hybrids will do far more to free us from our oil addiction than the tiny amount of fuel found in Utah -- home to just 2.5 percent of the nation' natural gas reserves and 1 percent of oil reserves.
But there is also a second force behind the growing movement for America's Redrock Wilderness Act: the American people. I don't think popular support for wilderness has ever waned in this country -- exploring untrammeled ground is too deeply embedded in American tradition. But I do believe that during the Bush administration, those voices were not heard above industry's clamor.
Still, Americans burst through the din last November, when the Bush administration gave 77 drilling leases as a parting gift to their friends in the oil and gas industry. The leases were all in Southern Utah and many of them were in full view of beloved national parks. More than 150,000 people filed protest comments with the Bureau of Land Management, and the successful effort to block the leases received national attention. It became clear just how much Americans care about this corner of Utah.
There is also strong local support for America's Redrock Wilderness Act. The lands included in the bill were inventories by hundreds of Utah volunteers, and Utah activists, religious leaders, and businesspeople have called on politicians to pass it. The natural assets of the state of Utah and the quality of life they provide continue to be a primary reason individuals and families move there and stay there.
As well, many Utah residents see the economic benefits of choosing wilderness over industrialization. Back when President Clinton first proposed protecting the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, some locals hated the idea. Now many say it was one of the best things that happened to their region. According to a report by the Sonoran Insitute, using data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, labor income and personal earning power increased significantly in the years after the monument was designated.
The truth is no generation regrets setting aside land for another. No generation looks back and chastises the previous one for leaving a wilderness inheritance.
The America's Redrock Wilderness Act is our chance to add to this natural heritage. You can do your part by telling your lawmakers to support the bill.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-redford/the-red-rock-wilderness-a_b_304281.html
Posted: September 30, 2009 11:42 AM
Robert Redford,Actor, Director, and Environmental Activist
This week marks an historic turning point for people who love the wild canyon country and sweeping mesas of Southern Utah. For the first time, the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest, and Public Lands will consider a bill designed to protect millions of acres of spectacular Utah lands as wilderness.
All of these lands -- some of the last great places on earth -- are owned by the public, but most of them remain vulnerable to industrial development. America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would protect them from oil and gas development, uranium mining, and off-road vehicle use. Meanwhile, hunters, anglers, hikers, and families could continue to enjoy these lands, including the renowned Cedar Mesa, San Rafael Swell, and the Book Cliffs.
This is our chance to be present at the creation. If we pass the Red Rock Wilderness Act, we can tell our grandchildren that we helped birth the latest Yellowstone. We can say we preserved treasures equal to Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks. We can add to the wilderness inheritance of future generations, and they will thank us for it.
I love the extraordinary lands encompassed in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. I have spent decades exploring them, and I am still awed by the beauty of their serpentine canyons and alcoves filled with stone houses built by the ancestors of today's Pueblo people. I have profoundly inspiring memories of the time I've spent hiking with my family under sculpted arches, through pink sand dunes and across mesas that open up to a sea of redrock vistas.
Fortunately, there is growing support in Congress for protecting precious wildlands like these. This February, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Act -- the most significant conservation law in decades. The law designated more than 2.1 million acres of wilderness in nine states. Significantly, this was a bipartisan effort.
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, introduced by true champions Senator Richard Durbin and Congressman Maurice Hinchey, also has bipartisan support. It has a remarkable 139 cosponsors in the House and 31 in the senate--that's almost 1 out of every 3 Members of Congress.
I believe two key forces are fueling this renewed desire to protect the public's lands.
First, lawmakers are finally recognizing the toll climate change is taking on fragile landscapes like Southern Utah. The highly regarded NRDC is releasing a report tomorrow documenting the impacts of global warming on national parks, and Zion is one of the 25 most imperiled. The same extreme heat and drought that plague Zion stretch across the region.
Already, conditions are so dry that high winds are picking up Utah's red dust and dumping it hundreds of miles east on Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Skiers call this red snow or watermelon snow.
When you build roads and lay drill pads and pipelines on this kind of delicate landscape, it rips apart the biological soils that retain precious water and prevent erosion. Scientists agree that protecting large roadless areas is critical for combating climate change.
Lawmakers are also beginning to realize that we can power our nation with cleaner, more sustainable options than dirty fossil fuels. Energy efficiency and plug-in hybrids will do far more to free us from our oil addiction than the tiny amount of fuel found in Utah -- home to just 2.5 percent of the nation' natural gas reserves and 1 percent of oil reserves.
But there is also a second force behind the growing movement for America's Redrock Wilderness Act: the American people. I don't think popular support for wilderness has ever waned in this country -- exploring untrammeled ground is too deeply embedded in American tradition. But I do believe that during the Bush administration, those voices were not heard above industry's clamor.
Still, Americans burst through the din last November, when the Bush administration gave 77 drilling leases as a parting gift to their friends in the oil and gas industry. The leases were all in Southern Utah and many of them were in full view of beloved national parks. More than 150,000 people filed protest comments with the Bureau of Land Management, and the successful effort to block the leases received national attention. It became clear just how much Americans care about this corner of Utah.
There is also strong local support for America's Redrock Wilderness Act. The lands included in the bill were inventories by hundreds of Utah volunteers, and Utah activists, religious leaders, and businesspeople have called on politicians to pass it. The natural assets of the state of Utah and the quality of life they provide continue to be a primary reason individuals and families move there and stay there.
As well, many Utah residents see the economic benefits of choosing wilderness over industrialization. Back when President Clinton first proposed protecting the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, some locals hated the idea. Now many say it was one of the best things that happened to their region. According to a report by the Sonoran Insitute, using data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, labor income and personal earning power increased significantly in the years after the monument was designated.
The truth is no generation regrets setting aside land for another. No generation looks back and chastises the previous one for leaving a wilderness inheritance.
The America's Redrock Wilderness Act is our chance to add to this natural heritage. You can do your part by telling your lawmakers to support the bill.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-redford/the-red-rock-wilderness-a_b_304281.html
EPA to delay 79 coal mining permits in 4 states
By TIM HUBER (AP) – 11 hours ago
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — President Barack Obama's administration put the brakes on 79 applications for surface coal mining permits in four states Wednesday, saying they would violate the Clean Water Act.
The action is the administration's latest attempt to curb environmental damage from a highly efficient but damaging mining practice known as mountaintop removal. Each permit likely would cause significant damage to water quality and the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.
The permits would allow mine operators to bury intermittent streams with excess material removed to expose coal seams. Environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the Rainforest Action Network want Obama to ban the practice, arguing it destroys ancient mountain peaks, fouls water and damages the culture of Appalachia.
The applications now go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will coordinate changes to reduce potential damage. The aim is to avoid environmental damage and meet the country's energy and economic needs, Peter Silva, EPA's assistant administrator for water, wrote in a letter to the corps.
The EPA wants the mine operators to build fewer, smaller so-called valley fills to dispose of debris, Silva said in the letter. The agency also wants the permits to require more environmental monitoring, more information about mining effects on various watersheds and reviews of proposed mitigation plans.
The coal industry estimates mountaintop mines in Appalachia produce 130 million tons of coal a year, most of which goes to generate electricity for 24.7 million customers in the East and South.
"Coal mining throughout Appalachia cannot reassure thousands of anxious workers and their families, and we cannot plan for the economic future of our operations absent a workable, transparent process that provides certainty," National Mining Association President Hal Quinn said in a statement.
"EPA's answer of more delay and study is at cross-purposes with our nation's need for affordable energy, investments and secure jobs."
The United Mine Workers labor union also criticized the delay.
"It is imperative that the process for approving or rejecting permits be clarified so that everyone can know what to expect," President Cecil Roberts said in a statement. "Dragging things out only adds unnecessary pressure to coal miners, their families and their communities and makes it much more difficult to meet America's energy and economic needs."
All 79 permits were on a preliminary list released by the EPA Sept. 11 and public comments submitted since then support the decision, Silva wrote in the letter. They cover applications for surface coal mines in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. West Virginia and Kentucky rank second and third in U.S. coal production behind Wyoming.
"People all over West Virginia can't believe this is happening," West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said in a statement. "They don't understand why Washington is willing to kill-off good paying jobs when our economy is still on the ropes and the unemployment rate is still unacceptably high."
Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, praised the EPA and said the group hopes "it is just one of many positive actions the Obama administration will take toward ending mountaintop removal coal mining. An enhanced review of each of these pending permits will surely prove that this most destructive form of coal mining is incompatible with clean water."
Rainforest Action Network spokeswoman Nell Greenberg called the action an important step toward a mountaintop mining ban.
"It is clear which way the wind is blowing on mountaintop removal mining," she said in a statement.
The EPA said the 79 delayed permits represent the corps' current backlog of mountaintop mining permits, though the National Mining Association put that figure at 250.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrhO5QqMpXzKVDeYZG47Sm71BHCgD9B1S1G00
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — President Barack Obama's administration put the brakes on 79 applications for surface coal mining permits in four states Wednesday, saying they would violate the Clean Water Act.
The action is the administration's latest attempt to curb environmental damage from a highly efficient but damaging mining practice known as mountaintop removal. Each permit likely would cause significant damage to water quality and the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.
The permits would allow mine operators to bury intermittent streams with excess material removed to expose coal seams. Environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the Rainforest Action Network want Obama to ban the practice, arguing it destroys ancient mountain peaks, fouls water and damages the culture of Appalachia.
The applications now go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will coordinate changes to reduce potential damage. The aim is to avoid environmental damage and meet the country's energy and economic needs, Peter Silva, EPA's assistant administrator for water, wrote in a letter to the corps.
The EPA wants the mine operators to build fewer, smaller so-called valley fills to dispose of debris, Silva said in the letter. The agency also wants the permits to require more environmental monitoring, more information about mining effects on various watersheds and reviews of proposed mitigation plans.
The coal industry estimates mountaintop mines in Appalachia produce 130 million tons of coal a year, most of which goes to generate electricity for 24.7 million customers in the East and South.
"Coal mining throughout Appalachia cannot reassure thousands of anxious workers and their families, and we cannot plan for the economic future of our operations absent a workable, transparent process that provides certainty," National Mining Association President Hal Quinn said in a statement.
"EPA's answer of more delay and study is at cross-purposes with our nation's need for affordable energy, investments and secure jobs."
The United Mine Workers labor union also criticized the delay.
"It is imperative that the process for approving or rejecting permits be clarified so that everyone can know what to expect," President Cecil Roberts said in a statement. "Dragging things out only adds unnecessary pressure to coal miners, their families and their communities and makes it much more difficult to meet America's energy and economic needs."
All 79 permits were on a preliminary list released by the EPA Sept. 11 and public comments submitted since then support the decision, Silva wrote in the letter. They cover applications for surface coal mines in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. West Virginia and Kentucky rank second and third in U.S. coal production behind Wyoming.
"People all over West Virginia can't believe this is happening," West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said in a statement. "They don't understand why Washington is willing to kill-off good paying jobs when our economy is still on the ropes and the unemployment rate is still unacceptably high."
Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, praised the EPA and said the group hopes "it is just one of many positive actions the Obama administration will take toward ending mountaintop removal coal mining. An enhanced review of each of these pending permits will surely prove that this most destructive form of coal mining is incompatible with clean water."
Rainforest Action Network spokeswoman Nell Greenberg called the action an important step toward a mountaintop mining ban.
"It is clear which way the wind is blowing on mountaintop removal mining," she said in a statement.
The EPA said the 79 delayed permits represent the corps' current backlog of mountaintop mining permits, though the National Mining Association put that figure at 250.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrhO5QqMpXzKVDeYZG47Sm71BHCgD9B1S1G00
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