And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Source: <A HREF="http://www.desnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,30004474,00.html?"> http://www.desnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,30004474,00.html? ======================================================== January 03, 1999 Decision soon on moving pile of uranium tailings Associated Press MOAB � The chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says a decision will be made in the next month on whether a mountain of uranium tailings near the Colorado River can be left in place. But chairwoman Shirley Ann Jackson would not tip her hand following a tour of the 10.5 million-ton Atlas Corp. tailings pile. Still, proponents of a plan to move the pile away from the river think the decision may already be made. "It is pretty clear their decision will be to approve capping in place," Bill Hedden, Utah conservation director for the Grand Canyon Trust, said Thursday. "I would be flabbergasted if they decided otherwise." The fear is that the tailings, which sit just 750 feet from the Colorado River, are contaminating the groundwater. Gov. Mike Leavitt has said the tailings must be moved, and last month Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt offered his help in getting it done. To pay for the move, authority over the pile would have to be shifted from the NRC to the U.S. Department of Energy. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is drafting a bill to make that shift and appropriate funds for the move. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., is working on a similar bill to move the tailings to protect the water supply of residents in his state. Atlas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last September, but the company still plans to spend $19 million to cap the tailings, said Richard Blubaugh, director of environmental and governmental affairs for the Denver-based company. But it would take an estimated $155 million to move the material, and Blubaugh said scientific studies show the pile can safely be left at its present location. Jackson stressed science will determine the outcome. "In the end, if there is a solution that is protective of public health and safety, we have no authority to order someone to do something else," she said. Environmentalists have long complained that harmful contaminants are leaching from the pile into the river, threatening three endangered fish. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the pile could safely be capped, following criticism of earlier drafts by the NRC and Atlas. Grand County Council Chairman Harvey Merrell said Thursday the interest of Babbitt and Miller makes him optimistic the tailings will eventually be relocated. ========================================================= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this mailing list, or to change your subscription to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at http://www.onelist.com and select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DOEWatch List --- Subscribe online: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/doewatch <<<<=-=-=FREE LEONARD PELTIER=-=-=>>>> If you think you are too small to make a difference; try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.... African Proverb <<<<=-=http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ =-=>>>> IF it says: "PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...." Please Check it before you send it at: http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm
