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*Court upholds EPA ruling that mine site is on Navajo land *Mine would be subject to Clean Safe Drinking Water rules LOS ANGELES, April 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld a 2007 finding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the site of a uranium mine that Hydro Resources Inc plans to operate is on Navajo Nation land and subject to Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Hydro Resources (HRI) plans to operate the underground injection mine on a 160-acre (65-hectare) site it owns in McKinley County, New Mexico, a few miles from Church Rock.

Quebec will create a special committee to study the potential effects of uranium exploration and mining on public health, says the province's chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier. Poirier made the announcement Friday, following a meeting with a group of 23 doctors in the province's North Shore region. The doctors at the Sept-Îles Hospital have threatened to resign unless the province puts in place a ban on uranium mining and exploration, which they said is a threat to public health. "We agreed to look at all the options and not just only to think if one day there will be a mine - but what are the effects now on the population," Poirier said.

Quebec will create a special committee to study the potential effects of uranium exploration and mining on public health, says the province's chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier. Poirier made the announcement Friday, following a meeting with a group of 23 doctors in the province's North Shore region. The doctors at the Sept-Îles Hospital have threatened to resign unless the province puts in place a ban on uranium mining and exploration, which they said is a threat to public health. "We agreed to look at all the options and not just only to think if one day there will be a mine - but what are the effects now on the population," Poirier said.

Word came Thursday that Virginia's uranium mining study has gotten the go-ahead from a top panel of the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. At last, science and rational thought seem to be prevailing in this decades-long dispute. The National Research Council (NRC) is part of nation's premier scientific organization. Earlier this year, the General Assembly voted to request the NRC study whether a 119 million pound deposit of uranium ore in neighboring Pittsylvania County could be safely mined and milled, without risk to the environment. Since the early 1980s, Virginia has had a moratorium on mining and milling in place, due to concerns as to whether it could be done safely.

Word came Thursday that Virginia's uranium mining study has gotten the go-ahead from a top panel of the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. At last, science and rational thought seem to be prevailing in this decades-long dispute. The National Research Council (NRC) is part of nation's premier scientific organization. Earlier this year, the General Assembly voted to request the NRC study whether a 119 million pound deposit of uranium ore in neighboring Pittsylvania County could be safely mined and milled, without risk to the environment. Since the early 1980s, Virginia has had a moratorium on mining and milling in place, due to concerns as to whether it could be done safely.

A proposed uranium mine north of Edgemont could add 200 construction jobs before mining ever begins, residents were told Wednesday. Representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Southwest Research Institute, a nonprofit research and development organization, met with business, community and government representatives to gauge the effects of granting a license to PowerTech USA to mine uranium in the Dewey-Burdock area north of Edgemont and to discuss the status of the application. The NRC is reviewing PowerTech's licensing application and is gathering data that will go into a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

A proposed uranium mine north of Edgemont could add 200 construction jobs before mining ever begins, residents were told Wednesday. Representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Southwest Research Institute, a nonprofit research and development organization, met with business, community and government representatives to gauge the effects of granting a license to PowerTech USA to mine uranium in the Dewey-Burdock area north of Edgemont and to discuss the status of the application. The NRC is reviewing PowerTech's licensing application and is gathering data that will go into a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Intera Inc. will assess sites on federal and private lands throughout New Mexico. State Mining and Minerals Division Director Bill Brancard calls the project a step forward in reducing exposure to health and safety hazards associated with abandoned mines and their legacy of radiological contamination. Brancard says there's a need to clean up sites because of renewed interest in uranium exploration in the state. The assessment will cover sites that were part of a uranium mining boom before regulations required reclamation and cleanup.

Intera Inc. will assess sites on federal and private lands throughout New Mexico. State Mining and Minerals Division Director Bill Brancard calls the project a step forward in reducing exposure to health and safety hazards associated with abandoned mines and their legacy of radiological contamination. Brancard says there's a need to clean up sites because of renewed interest in uranium exploration in the state. The assessment will cover sites that were part of a uranium mining boom before regulations required reclamation and cleanup.

The Legacy of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Upon US Indigenous & Communities of Color We are communities that, in partnership with the Peace Development Fund, form the Building Action for Sustainable Environments Initiative (BASE). We are citizens who represent some of the communities in the US who bear the legacy of 50 years of nuclear energy and weapons production. We are indigenous nations, we are Latino citizens and farm-workers, and we are African American communities living near nuclear power and weapon production sites. Reducing and eliminating the wasteful and dangerous means of producing nuclear energy and bringing renewable green energy production and jobs to our communities are the goals in which our communities have a major stake. Our communities suffer from diseases and illnesses that we contend are related to our exposure to the highly toxic processes of mining and milling uranium, the unsafe storage of radioactive materials and the lack of clean-up of sites and facilities, the transportation of highly radioactive waste through our communities, and the lack of safe disposal methods for highly deadly nuclear waste. Cancer, neurological damage, genetic damage, lung disease, respiratory disorders, lupus, and heart problems are among some of the illnesses that affect our communities.

The Legacy of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Upon US Indigenous & Communities of Color We are communities that, in partnership with the Peace Development Fund, form the Building Action for Sustainable Environments Initiative (BASE). We are citizens who represent some of the communities in the US who bear the legacy of 50 years of nuclear energy and weapons production. We are indigenous nations, we are Latino citizens and farm-workers, and we are African American communities living near nuclear power and weapon production sites. Reducing and eliminating the wasteful and dangerous means of producing nuclear energy and bringing renewable green energy production and jobs to our communities are the goals in which our communities have a major stake. Our communities suffer from diseases and illnesses that we contend are related to our exposure to the highly toxic processes of mining and milling uranium, the unsafe storage of radioactive materials and the lack of clean-up of sites and facilities, the transportation of highly radioactive waste through our communities, and the lack of safe disposal methods for highly deadly nuclear waste. Cancer, neurological damage, genetic damage, lung disease, respiratory disorders, lupus, and heart problems are among some of the illnesses that affect our communities.

The Commonwealth supervising scientist of the Ranger uranium mine at Kakadu National Park says investigations are continuing into water contamination at the site. Alan Hughes has told a Senate estimates committee that Energy Resources of Australia has conducted geophysical surveys to determine the impact and extent of leaking from a tailings dam at the mine. Mr Hughes says the company has only preliminary results from the surveys and is not sure if ERA will make the findings public. "I understand that they are having significant discussions with the traditional owners and the Northern Land Council about tailings and seepage issues on an ongoing basis," he said.

The Commonwealth supervising scientist of the Ranger uranium mine at Kakadu National Park says investigations are continuing into water contamination at the site. Alan Hughes has told a Senate estimates committee that Energy Resources of Australia has conducted geophysical surveys to determine the impact and extent of leaking from a tailings dam at the mine. Mr Hughes says the company has only preliminary results from the surveys and is not sure if ERA will make the findings public. "I understand that they are having significant discussions with the traditional owners and the Northern Land Council about tailings and seepage issues on an ongoing basis," he said.

"Residents can voice their opinion on a socioeconomic study of uranium mining and milling during a public-comment meeting scheduled next month. The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining Subcommittee will meet at 6 p.m. June 22 at Chatham High School to hear public input on the scope of the socioeconomic study. The study, the second portion of state's two-part examination of the impacts of uranium mining and milling, will focus on Pittsylvania County and the surrounding region. "The socioeconomic study … will be primarily site-specific to the Pittsylvania (County area) and adjoining counties," said David Bovenizer, spokesman for Uranium Subcommittee Chairman Delegate Lee Ware. The National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council is conducting the other part of the study focusing on the scientific and technical aspects of uranium mining and milling. That study, indirectly paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc., is expected to be complete in the fall of 2011. "

The mining of uranium has long been a controversial public issue, and a renewed debate has emerged on the potential for nuclear power to help mitigate against climate change. The central thesis of pro-nuclear advocates is the lower carbon intensity of nuclear energy compared to fossil fuels, although there remains very little detailed analysis of the true carbon costs of nuclear energy. In this paper, we compile and analyze a range of data on uranium mining and milling, including uranium resources as well as sustainability metrics such as energy and water consumption and carbon emissions with respect to uranium productionsarguably the first time for modern projects.

A study to determine the safety of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County must be extensive and transparent, answer concerns from area residents and include a public hearing, local legislators told a uranium mining subcommittee Friday in Richmond. Delegate Danny Marshall, R-Danville, and Delegate Don Merricks, R-Pittsylvania County, attended a meeting of the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining Subcommittee held at the Capitol.

The Whirlwind uranium mine near Gateway has been placed on standby, or temporarily closed, a result of plummeting uranium prices. The move furloughed five miners temporarily, said Gary Steele, vice president of corporate marketing for Energy Fuels Inc., the owner and operator of the mine, which received its permit in September. "We were never actually in production," because the company hadn't yet reached an agreement with the Denison Mine in Blanding, Steele said. "We had no mill outlet for our ore." After the price of uranium went from a peak of $138 a pound in early 2007 to $44 a pound recently, "Denison couldn't read the tea leaves any better than we could," Steele said. It's now back up to around $55 a pound. "It's difficult to make commitments in the face of a free-falling market."

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) says it would be short-sighted to expand the Northern Territory's Ranger uranium mine now that another major potential deposit has been found. Energy Resources of Australia says it has found a potential further 40,000 tonnes of uranium oxide near the Ranger mine in Kakadu National Park, which could extend the mine's life by seven years.

Thursday, July 3, 2008 2:18 PM MDT The Mining and Minerals Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department has awarded a contract to Golder Associates to initiate cleanup work at abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico. This project will involve a field assessment of more than a dozen abandoned uranium mines northwest of Grants followed by the development and implementation of plans for the cleanup of these sites.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved regulations to guide Zambia's uranium mining activities, Zambian Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa said. The regulations encompass the proposed mining, milling and transportation of uranium and other radioactive minerals in the country, he said in the Southern province of the country.

The Hualapai (WAHL'-uh-peye) Tribe has renewed a ban on uranium mining on its land near the Grand Canyon, joining other American Indian tribes in opposing what they see as a threat to their environment and their culture. The tribal bans add to a temporary mining ban on nearly 1 million federally owned acres around the Grand Canyon. The combined actions mean uranium-bearing lands in northern Arizona open to companies hungry to open mines are growing scarce. Much of the uranium in Arizona is in the northwest corner of the state. The high-grade ore used in nuclear energy and for medicine is especially attractive at a time when prices for uranium have risen. But members of northern Arizona tribes say it's not worth putting their health, water and land at risk.

"Energy Resources of Australia has made it clear it wants to mine the Jabiluka uranium deposit within the Kakadu National Park. ERA owns and operates the nearby Ranger uranium mine, which provides the fuel for one per cent of the world's electricity. At the company's annual general meeting in Darwin today, shareholders were told the company is relying on the approval of a $36 million processing facility to recover an extra 20,000 tonnes of uranium oxide. The company has a mining lease until 2021, but told the meeting it would love to exploit the contentious Jabiluka deposit. "

The city and its hired lobbying firm are parting ways after 10 years, a split instigated by conflicting views on the possibility of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County. The City Council this month came out in opposition to mining, citing water quality concerns. The city's lobbying firm, The Vectre Corp., also represents Virginia Uranium, Inc., the company who wants to mine the radioactive substance used in nuclear power plants.

Members of a state commission preparing to oversee a study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County were urged by area residents last night to make sure the study fully addresses the health effects related to mining the nuclear fuel. Residents also vowed to fight any legislative attempt to use the study to overturn a 27-year-old statewide moratorium on uranium mining. "This subject is near and dear to our hearts -- it affects our loved ones, our land, our water," said Jack Dunavant, chairman of Southside Concerned Citizens, at Chatham High School before a crowd of about 450, most of whom were opposed to uranium mining. "If Richmond tries to shove this down our throat, we will fight to the bitter end, till the last man falls."

The Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the Department of the Interior, in early December eliminated a regulation that gave two congressional committees the power to require the secretary of interior to set aside public lands from uranium mining and other extractive activities. The action, coupled with renewed federal interest in uranium mining, is causing concern for some Western tribes. In effect, the Bush administration's decision could open up public lands in and around the Grand Canyon to uranium mining. The aftereffects of such developments could have devastating effects on the health of tribes in and around the Grand Canyon, according to environmentalists and health and legal experts.

First came the 11th-hour bid to relax clean air standards for power plants near the nation's national parks, then a battle backing power plants over nearby aquatic life that wound up before the Supreme Court, and now the Bush administration is pushing for a rule to block Congress from limiting uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. What's next, a Taco Bell atop Mount Rushmore? The latest bid by the lame-duck Bush administration to roll back environmental regulations was announced late last week when U.S. Interior Department officials said they would move forward with a rule that would eliminate a provision that directs the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw lands from possible mining when Congress declares emergency conditions exist. The new rule would fly in the face of a June 25 emergency congressional resolution that required the Interior Department to withdraw a million acres of federal lands near Grand Canyon National Park from the permitting process for uranium mining.