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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 12/04/2007 - RESOLUTION 2007-108 EXPRESSING COUNCIL'S OPPOSITIO ITEM NUMBER: 23 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: December4, 2007 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Darin Atteberry SUBJECT Resolution 2007-108 Expressing Council's Opposition to the Mining of Uranium in the Vicinity of Nunn, Colorado. RECOMMENDATION Staff does not have a recommendation on this item. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Members of the City Council asked that a resolution be prepared to express the Council's opposition to uranium mining in Northern Colorado. BACKGROUND A Canadian company,PowerTech Uranium Corporation,is considering a uranium mining operation across nearly 6000 acres of land in the vicinity of Nunn, Colorado, about 11 miles northeast of Fort Collins, known as the Centennial Project. PowerTech proposes to extract the uranium in situ, meaning that uranium will be dissolved out of porous sands located deep underground and brought to the surface for processing. In addition, PowerTech has not ruled out extracting some uranium using open-pit mining techniques. PowerTech has indicated that it will start applying for necessary permits beginning in mid-2008. The Centennial Project would be the first in-situ uranium mining operation in Colorado. In-situ uranium mining is a newer method of mining uranium and environmental impacts and threats to public health are unknown. In-situ leaching mining technology holds inherent risks, including possible contamination of groundwater and degradation ofnatural groundwater conditions through the groundwater restoration process utilized after completion of the leaching operations. Because the mining operations, and the potential damage, occur below the surface, we may not know until too late what problems are caused by in-situ uranium mining. The North Front Range is growing rapidly in population and employment. The Centennial Project would be located near Fort Collins and in an area with a growing population. The North Front Range generally, and the proposed Centennial Project site in particular, are not suitable for uranium mining,because the level of risk to the health and safety of area residents cannot be determined with December 4, 2007 -2- Item No. 23 any degree of certainty. In addition,uranium mining at the proposed Centennial Project site would have a detrimental effect on the image and economic well-being of the City. The project should not be allowed because it cannot be proven it will not have adverse effects on the health,environmental, or economic interests of the people of Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. In-situ uranium mining in Colorado would be subject to the regulatory requirements listed below. All county, state, and federal agencies that may review the project should be made aware of the City's opposition, and should act to deny all permit applications for the project. Regulatory requirement Agency Notice of Intent to Conduct Prospecting Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Activities Division of Reclamation and Mining Safety DRMS Reclamation permit for mining activity DRMS Underground injection control permit U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Radioactive Materials License Colorado Department of Health and Environment Radiation Management Unit Use by Special Review Permit Weld County Planning Commission and Weld County Board of County Commissioners The regulatory process takes roughly one to two years. Assuming that PowerTech begins the regulatory process in mid 2008 as expected, then the process may be complete between mid-2009 and mid-2010. It is not possible to provide a more precise time line because the agencies involved determine the permit schedule based on a variety of factors, some of which we currently do not know. With the exception of the Notice of Intent to Conduct Prospecting Activities, each permit process provides an opportunity for the public to make comments to the regulatory agency prior to its decision whether or not to grant a permit. These public comment opportunities are summarized in the attached figure. ATTACHMENTS I. PowerTech permit process chart with opportunities for public comment highlighted in yellow. Opportunities for Public Comment are highlighted in Powertech Submits Applications for Major Uranium Recovery Facility Permits The permitting process can take Mid- yellow (Submissions Planned for mid-2008) �' approximately one-two years 2008 Underground Injection Control Permit Reclamation Permit for Mining Activity Radioactive Materials Licen.. Use by Special Review Permit The Environmental Protection Agency receives The Colorado Division of Reclamation and Mining Colorado Department of Health and Weld County Department of and reviews the Underground Injection Control Safety receives and reviews Reclamation Permit for Environment Radiation Management Unit planning Services recelves and Permit Application Mining Activity Application receives and reviews Radioactive reviews the Use re Special Materials License Application and Review Permit Application Environmental Report EPA establishes The Reclamation Permit mailing list of A public hearing Application is filed in the before the interested partiesCounty Weld County Clerk and Planning Recorder's Office Public Comment Periotl Commission is held within 60 days of the application review EPA writes draft permit or publishes Public Comment Period of intent to deny permit A public A second public meeting is held meeting is held within 45 days lice Permit Fact Sheet of the within 30 days Application 10 s or Statement of a lication of the first Basis is sent to The application pP Public review public meeting designated public interested parties is published in agencies for a local comments Public Hearing comment newspaper accepted until is held if once a week No 20 days after objections to for four last the permit are Public Comment Pori consecutive newspaper filed publication Weld County County Planning weeks Commissioners Commission review and makes comment on the recommendations Public Headng Environmental to the County Public Notice is -- - Public Notice of d r nested b Report Commissioners issued for draft public hearing ( i erested y UIC Permit 30 days before 30 Days to Parties during Comment Headng public comment Final Reclamation Permit Decision period) A public hearing before the County Commissioners is held within 45 days of receipt of recommendations 30 Day Lin es Notice ofMid- comment20091 Period for toDBCIai0n isMw Porn* 1010 submission of rmsie8ued toappeals mrmtenters RESOLUTION 2007-108 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS EXPRESSING COUNCIL'S OPPOSITION TO THE MINING OF URANIUM IN THE VICINITY OF NUNN, COLORADO WHEREAS, Canadian company PowerTech Uranium Corporation ("PowerTech") is considering a uranium mining operation across nearly 6000 acres of land in the vicinity of Nunn, Colorado,about 11 miles northeast of Fort Collins,known as the Centennial Project(the"Project"); and WHEREAS, Powertech has indicated that it will start the permitting process for the Project in mid-2008; and WHEREAS, Powertech proposes to extract the uranium in situ, meaning that uranium will be dissolved out of porous sands located deep underground and brought to the surface forprocessing; and WHEREAS, Powertech has not ruled out extracting some uranium using open-pit mining techniques; and WHEREAS,the Project would be the first in-situ uranium mining operation in Colorado;and WHEREAS, in-situ uranium mining is a newer method of mining uranium and the environmental impacts and threats to public health and safety posed by the process are largely unknown; and WHEREAS, in-situ leaching mining technology holds inherent risks, including possible contamination of groundwater and degradation of natural groundwater conditions through the groundwater restoration process utilized after completion of the leaching operations; and WHEREAS,because the mining operations involved in the in-situ process and the potential damage caused by such process occur below the surface, early detection of such problems may not be possible; and WHEREAS, the Project will be located in an area near Fort Collins which is experiencing rapid population growth; and WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the Colorado North Front Range and, in particular,the site presently under consideration by PowerTech is not a suitable location for uranium mining,both because the level of risk to the health and safety of area residents presented by uranium mining cannot be determined with any degree of certainty and because the presence of such an operation in the proposed location will almost certainly have a detrimental effect on the image and economic well-being of the City; and WHEREAS,for those reasons,the City Council is strongly opposed to the Project and wishes to convey its concerns and position of opposition to those county,state and federal agencies that may review the Project. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Sectionl. That the Council hereby expresses its strong opposition to the Centennial Project and urges all county, state and federal agencies involved in the permitting process for the Project to recognize that locating the Project along the North Front Range and in close proximity to the City of Fort Collins is ill advised because it may well be injurious to the health, safety and/or welfare of the residents in the area and do irreparable harm to the economic well-being of the City of Fort Collins. Section 2. That for the foregoing reasons,the Council further urges such agencies to deny any and all permit applications for the Project. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 4th day of December, A.D. 2007. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk