When a Denver District Court invalidated the radioactive materials license for the proposed Piñon Ridge uranium mill in western Montrose County on June 13, it set in motion he proposed Piñon Ridge mill in western Colorado makes uranium a very hot topic, and two things are in question.

The judge ruled in June that Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment’s (CDPHE’s) radiation division failed to hold a public hearing to provide for consideration of all water, air, waste and socioeconomic information, and to allow for cross examination of Energy Fuels’ material.  That hearing has now been scheduled for November 7, 2012.

“Western Colorado – including my home town of Grand Junction – is already pock-marked with radioactive mill tailings and the associated contamination of soil and water,” said Janet Johnson, WCC of Mesa County board member.  “Piñon Ridge could become yet another Colorado radioactive waste site unless Energy Fuels is held to the highest standard.”

The court-ordered hearing on the proposed Piñon Ridge mill is scheduled for November 7, in Nucla.  Western Colorado Congress (WCC) members are being encouraged to participate in this hearing.  So far, concerns have been raised about risk to human health and environment, low bonding requirements, and the possibility of storing radioactive waste from elsewhere.

Marv Ballantyne, a WCC Board member, says, “We finally have an opportunity to ask the state for strong protections that are necessary for a radioactive processing facility. We are hopeful the independent judge will thoroughly consider clean water, taxpayer liability, and long-term waste management in the final decision.”

Contact Lee Gelatt at (970) 256-7650 to learn more about how you can participate in the hearing.