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(last updated 11 Sep 2008)
Uranium exploration in Park County is opposed by Save Our South Park Water 2008
The Centennial mine project is opposed by Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction , see also powertechexposed.com .
On Apr. 15, 2008, the Greeley City Council joined the Fort Collins City Council and the boards of trustees for Timnath and Wellington in passing resolutions opposed to the mine -- which would be located between Nunn and Wellington. (Greeley Tribune Apr. 16, 2008)
On Dec. 4, 2007, Fort Collins City Council adopted a resolution that declares council's opposition to a proposed uranium mine northeast of the city and close to Nunn. The resolution is not binding and urges various agencies to deny all Powertech's permit applications for extracting the uranium. (Greeley Tribune Dec. 5, 2007)
On May 2, 2007, Nunn residents held a meeting about Powertech Uranium Corp.'s plans to begin uranium drilling in the area. Water and health hazards were the top concerns voiced. (Greeley Tribune May 3, 2007)
On Apr. 19, 2007, Powertech Uranium Corp. announced that, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Powertech (USA) Inc., it has entered into a contractual arrangement with R Squared Incorporated (R2) for the purpose of permitting Powertech's Centennial Project located in Weld County, Colorado. The agreement with R2 covers baseline data collection, environmental impact analysis, cost/benefit analysis and preparation of permit/license applications.
On June 8, 1999, IUC announced the immediate suspension of mining operations at the Sunday Mine for weak commodity prices.
On June 14, 2006, IUC announced the immediate resumption of mining operations at the Sunday Mine.
On Sep. 11, 2008, Energy Fuels Inc. announced that on September 10, 2008, both the Moab and Grand Junction field offices of the US Bureau of Land Management jointly issued a Record of Decision with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Whirlwind Mine, which has surface facilities in Mesa County, Colorado, and additional mining claims in Grand County, Utah.
The decision will enable Energy Fuels to immediately implement the Plan of Operations for the Whirlwind Mine. This plan allows for the production of up to 200 tons per day of uranium-bearing material, and all approved and necessary surface disturbance. Mine production at this level would result in 250,000 lbs. of U3O8 [96 t U] annual production.
On May 15, 2008, the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office released the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed uranium mine on public lands located west of Gateway.
The public will have until June 20, 2008 to review and offer comments on the document.
Energy Fuels Resources seeks to reopen two reclaimed underground mines, the Urantah Decline and Packrat Mine, combining the mines into one operation called the Whirlwind Mine.
The mines are located on unpatented claims in both Mesa County, and Grand County, Utah.
(Grand Junction Free Press May 15, 2008)
> View BLM Whirlwind Mine page
On February 21, 2008, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety approved the 112d Hard Rock Reclamation Permit for the Whirlwind Mine located near Gateway, Colorado. (Energy Fuels Feb. 27, 2008)
On Dec. 18, 2007, the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously voted in favor of granting Energy Fuels Resources Corp. a conditional-use permit to reopen the Packrat Mine and the Urantah Decline, known collectively as the Whirlwind Mine, about five miles west of Gateway. (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Dec. 19, 2007)
The Whirlwind Mine is a former Union Carbide operation, which is now undergoing mine rehabilitation. Energy Fuels Vice President-Corporate Marketing, Gary R. Steele, said planned 200 tpd production could begin in 2008. The estimated resource at the mine is 657,000 pounds of uranium [253 t U] and 2.17 million pounds of vanadium. (Mineweb Dec. 17, 2007)
(BLM, Colorado)
On Sep. 7, 2006, Energy Fuels Inc. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Energy Fuels Resources Corporation, has executed an option agreement to acquire the Whirlwind uranium and vanadium mine.
Little Maverick Mining Company is planning to mine approximately 500 tons of uranium [?] per month from the Whirlwind Claim near Lumsden Canyon. The company recently submitted a plan to the Bureau of Land Management for a new operation that would employ less than a dozen workers and use an existing mine shaft. The claim was last mined approximately 20 years ago. (Grand Junction Sentinel, March 8, 2005)
Located near Gateway, Colorado, Energy Fuels' Tenderfoot Mesa is undergoing $1 million in mine rehabilitation with a planned 100 tpd operation, which could begin as early as mid-2008. (Mineweb Dec. 17, 2007)
The Piñon Ridge uranium mill project is being opposed by Saving Paradox .
Energy Fuels files for county permit for Piñon Ridge uranium mill: Energy Fuels Corporation filed a special use permit for their proposed Paradox Valley uranium mill on July 25, 2008, with Montrose County Planning Director Steve White, according to Energy Fuels Environmental Manager Frank Filas.
The special use permit will be evaluated by the County Planning Department and forwarded to all members of the Montrose County Planning Commission for study before any public hearings are held to discuss the issues that the county feels are critical before they can make any decision to grant or deny Energy Fuels the right to build a mill on their property.
The document will be on file with the county and will also be downloadable in the near future from both the Energy Fuels Piñon Mill website and from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Web site for Energy Fuels .
(Montrose Daily Press July 25, 2008)
Company declares to ignore residents' concerns on Piñon Ridge uranium mill project:
Energy Fuels Resources, a company proposing a uranium mill project in Paradox Valley, didn't have to come to the people of San Miguel County to present its plans. And after taking barbed questions and angry comments for an hour and a half on Wednesday (May 28, 2008), it may have wished they hadn't.
The company hopes to build the mill on 880 private acres between Naturita and Paradox, in Montrose County, in the same basic area where the historic Uravan mill processed uranium for the world's first nuclear weapons. That site ended up polluted with radioactive waste. Uravan cost taxpayers $70 million to clean up, and some of the miners and mill workers their health, according to the class action lawsuits filed against Umetco Minerals Corporation.
On Wednesday, residents of the region seemed anxious not to let history repeat itself.
"Tell the regulators you don't want the uranium mill," said Glasier. "You can tell me you don't want this uranium mill, but I'm going to do everything I can to get this uranium mill built."
(The Daily Planet May 30, 2008)
In a recent presentation to the Northwest Mining Association Convention, Energy Fuels Vice President-Corporate Marketing, Gary R. Steele, said the rapid development of the Piñon Ridge Mill site can be attributed to licensing authority of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), instead of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission [Colorado is an Agreement State , to which NRC relinquishes the authority to license uranium mills].
By working with the regulators, Energy Fuels is confident of mill start up in 2010. Located in the uranium mining-friendly environment of Montrose County, Colorado, the 1,000 tpd mill will have both uranium and vanadium recovery circuits. It is located on 880 acres [3.56 km2] of private land owned by Energy Fuels, which Steele estimated is large enough for more than 30 years of tailings disposal [resulting in more than 10 million tons (or 9 million t) of tailings].
(Mineweb Dec. 17, 2007, emphasis added)
On July 18, 2007, Energy Fuels Inc. announced that it has acquired approximately 1,000 acres of property located west of Naturita, Colorado, in the Paradox Valley of western Montrose County, where it intends to construct its Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill.
Initial engineering studies indicate the Piñon Ridge Mill will be designed with a capacity of 1,000 tons per day of ore throughput. At historical U3O8 grades typical for the region, this mill will be designed to produce between 1.6 million and 2.0 million pounds of U3O8 (yellowcake) [615 to 769 t U] per year.
In addition, the mines in the local region (the Uravan Mining District) produce vanadium (V2O5) as an associated mineral with uranium. The presence of vanadium in these deposits effectively lowers the cost of uranium extraction. At historical V2O5 grades for this region, the Piñon Ridge Mill will also produce 5 million to 8 million pounds of V2O5 per year. The current spot price for V2O5 is in the $7.50 to $8.00 per pound range.
Mill license review and approval are expected to require about 16 months from the time of application submittal. The company plans to submit the mill license application in approximately 12 months. Mill operations are expected to commence in 2010.
(Energy Fuels Inc. July 18, 2007)
Energy Fuels Resources Corp. is planning to build a uranium mill west of Naturita that could start operating within three years.
Company President George Glasier said the new mill may be built about six miles west of Naturita adjacent to a U.S. Department of Energy site in the Paradox Valley.
The mill, he said, could employ about 100 people and process uranium and vanadium from mines all over the Western Slope.
Nucla-based Energy Fuels owns two uranium mines near Gateway and several others in Utah between Moab and Blanding.
Other small mines in the region could be on the way, he said.
It will take about two years for the state to license the mill, and nine months for Energy Fuels to build it, he said.
Environmental concerns include the mill's potential impact on area air quality and how the uranium ore is stored and transported, Colorado Environmental Coalition organizer Lee-Ann Hill said.
(Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, October 7, 2006)
Uranium exploration at Taylor Ranch is opposed by Tallahassee Area Community, Inc.
Tallahassee group files lawsuit: Uranium exploration in the Tallahassee area entered the legal arena last week when Tallahassee Area Community, Inc., filed a Rule 106 lawsuit against the Fremont County Commissioners. The matter has been assigned to District Judge David Thorson's courtroom. No hearing date has been set. The motion is an appeal of the county's decision June 9 to allow Black Range Minerals, an Australian mining company, to prospect for uranium on the Taylor and Boyer Ranches in the Tallahassee area. The controversial decision followed months of discussion and several public hearings. (The Cañon City Daily Record July 16, 2008)
On July 8, 2008, Fremont County Commissioners adopted the conditions that will allow Black Range Minerals to resume uranium exploration in as little as a month. The primary concern of residents in the Tallahassee area, where the uranium exploration will take place, is potential water contamination. To try to allay those fears, the conditions include contracting an independent, third-party water expert to monitor surface and groundwater throughout the exploration process. (The Cañon City Daily Record Jul. 9, 2008)
Exploration drilling for uranium in the Tallahassee area received the green light from the county this morning, but the issue is far from settled. Following months of controversy and argument, the Fremont County Commissioners unanimously approved the Conditional Use Permit required to test the area northwest of Cañon City for the economic viability of a full uranium mining and milling operation. However, the commissioners warned Black Range Minerals the county will be a strict watchdog to ensure the company complies with a lengthy list of conditions. Those stipulations are in the works and are scheduled for adoption next month following a public comment period. (The Cañon City Daily Record Jun. 9, 2008)
> For details, check Fremont County
Black Range Minerals of Australia wants to resume exploration for uranium on Taylor Ranch properties off County Road 2 northwest of Cañon City. Black Range previously started uranium exploration on the ranch, but stopped several weeks ago when the company learned it needed a county permit for exploration, according to Ed Norden, Fremont County commissioner. (The Pueblo Chieftain Apr. 1, 2008)
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