Colorado Forest Project News

Denver – With overwhelming bipartisan support, the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill to protect Colorado’s environment and waters from unsafe uranium mining by an 11-to-2 vote.

“The uranium rush could trample our open spaces and poison our waters,” said Pam Kiely, legislative program director of Environment Colorado. “This is a glowing victory to protect our environment from radioactive uranium mining.”

House Bill 1161 would require all uranium mines in Colorado to meet strong environmental and public health protections as a “designated mining operation” and require mining companies to restore groundwater quality of injection or “in-situ” uranium mining projects to its original, pre-condition. The bill is sponsored by Rep. John Kefalas (D-Fort Collins), Rep. Randy Fischer (D-Fort Collins), and Sen. Steve Johnson.

“Today’s vote is an important step forward to protect our waters and wild lands,” continued Kiely. “We must protect our lands and our waters from the radioactive and toxic pollution of uranium mining.”

Open pit and underground uranium mining can mar landscapes and contaminate the environment. These uranium mines can leak toxic and radioactive pollution such as aluminum, lead, selenium, uranium, and zinc, posing threats to human health and wildlife. The Dolores River Canyon, a citizen proposed wilderness area on Colorado’s West Slope, is littered with hundreds of uranium claims that threaten the natural beauty of this area.

Newly proposed in-situ or injection uranium mines have been projects are being explored in wild lands such as Troublesome Creek, west of Rocky Mountain National Park, and on farm and ranch lands in Weld County.

“We’re one step closer to protecting our water from radioactive uranium mining,” said Jeff Parsons, attorney of the Western Mining Action Project. “There’s no second chances with the new uranium boom. If we want to protect communities, uranium mining companies need to do it right the first time around.”

The in-situ leach mining process involves injecting chemicals into aquifers to force out or leach radioactive uranium ore through the aquifer. This uranium mining can release toxic metals such as arsenic, selenium, and uranium, poisoning the groundwater and surrounding landscape.

The bill comes as a response to landowners and others close to the proposed Weld County uranium mine who have been fighting the uranium industry for months out of concern that mining will jeopardize their health, drinking water and property.

A broad range of groups support the bill such as Colorado Counties Inc., the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the Colorado Medical Society, Environment Colorado, Information Network for Responsible Mining, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and citizen groups such as Citizens Against Resource Destruction, Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste, and Alliance for Responsible Mining.