( By Keith Hernandez ) [Approx. Read Time: 7 minutes]
This is a follow-up to a previous blog posted on June 22, 2009: ‘Battle Royale on Uranium Mining‘. Currently, there is talk of opening a new uranium mine in southern Virginia. In particular, a statewide study has been approved to examine the potential risks and feasibility of such mines. The proposed site in Pittsylvania County, VA is very rural and the opposition for the mine is stiff. Below is a background and history discussion for the subject. There are some very pertinent historical events that warrant opposition of this new mine, but misinformation is going to be its biggest enemy. All political, economical, and aesthetic issues aside, this blog is intended to present straight-up hard facts about uranium mining operations and regulations.
The Process
The nuclear fuel cycle begins with mining and processing uranium ore. There are two methods for extracting ore. Open pit and underground mining operations remove ore from the ground with mechanical equipment. In-situ Leaching (ISL) operations pump solutions into the soil in order to extract uranium ore in a slurry.
The extracted ore is then milled and refined into ‘yellow cake’. This refining process yields liquid mill tailings that are usually stored in evaporation ponds. These ponds themselves contain low level radioactive contamination. They can also release radon gas when improperly maintained. Other wastes from the process create large stockpiles of sub-grade ore and slightly uranium enriched rock. These stockpiles can create radioactive dust that spread to surrounding areas through wind transport.
Additional background can be found in the following links:
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/uranium.html
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/mill-tailings.html
Background
Commercial nuclear power generation in the United States has a spotless record with respect to radiation related deaths. This success is due largely in part to the regulations that guide our industry. Unfortunately, uranium mining was not always regulated as it is today. Much was unknown about the effects and hazards of radioactive material.
Historically, uranium mines were plagued with all the health hazards of regular mines, but they also had additional risks from the naturally occurring radioactive isotopes found in the ore. One of the most notorious accidents occurred in Church Rock, New Mexico on July 16, 1979. A tailings pond dam ruptured and released the contaminated water into local water sources.
However, barring any major accidents, many of these sites did not pose immediate health threats, and according to an NRC study circa 1980, the possible effective lung dose (including possible radon release) received over 15 years by an individual living near a “cluster” of uranium mills is 41 millirem. This is about the same amount of exposure received from a full set of dental x-rays (40 millirem).
Below is a chronology (worldwide) of major accidents resulting from uranium tailing pond failures. Notice that there were many in the US prior to 1980 and zero after these laws were enacted. Also keep in mind that tailing pond failure, while a major factor, is only one dimension of environmental impact that results from uranium mining.
http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafu.html
These environmental and health tragedies lead to reform in our federal regulations. Uranium mining is now closely regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). There are many federal laws that provide these government agencies with standards, requirements, and the sovereignty to enforce.
Laws and Regulations
The applicable laws enforced by the EPA can be found below. These laws caveat the laws that the NRC enforces:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/conmedia/soil/pdfs/ssg_appd-e.pdf
The applicable laws enforced by the NRC can be found below:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part040/part040-appa.html
These laws are the result of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) which was enacted by Congress in 1978. This act is broken into two titles:
Title I: Reclamation Work at Inactive Tailings Sites
“Two sites in North Dakota were withdrawn and tailings from some sites were combined, resulting in 19 tailings disposal sites.”
“By August 1999, 17 more sites were completed and brought under the general NRC license, including sites at Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico; Burrell, Pennsylvania; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Durango, Colorado; Falls City, Texas; Green River, Utah; Gunnison, Colorado; Lakeview, Oregon; Lowman, Idaho; Maybell, Colorado; Mexican Hat, Utah; Naturita, Colorado; Rifle, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; Shiprock, New Mexico; Slick Rock, Colorado; and Tuba City, Arizona. The only remaining sites are those at Grand Junction, Colorado and Moab, Utah.”
“DOE initiated the groundwater cleanup phase of the UMTRA Project in 1991. It has completed all of the 20 scheduled baseline risk assessments for the groundwater cleanup phase and has transmitted them to concerned parties. Two sites did not have groundwater contamination. DOE has developed Groundwater Compliance Action Plans for demonstrating groundwater compliance at 13 sites and submitted them to the NRC for concurrence. DOE has demonstrated groundwater cleanup compliance at eight of those sites.”
Title II: Licensed Uranium Recovery Facilities and Mill Tailings Sites
“Of 16 uranium recovery facilities currently licensed by the NRC under its regulations (10 CFR Part 40), there are 12 conventional uranium mills and four in situ leach (ISL) facilities. There is also one former conversion facility under reclamation for 11e(2) byproduct material. Two of the conventional mill site licenses have been terminated and the reclaimed tailings areas transferred to DOE for long-term care under the general license provisions of 10 CFR 40.28.”
“No NRC-licensed conventional uranium mills are operating. One mill is in stand-by status and will likely resume commercial operation in the future. The remaining conventional uranium mill sites have completed, or are completing, reclamation activities to provide long-term stabilization and closure of the tailings impoundments and the sites. Two of the four ISL facilities are presently operating, one is on stand-by status, and one will likely resume operations in the future. The NRC inspects these sites at semiannual to three-year intervals depending on the operational (or stand-by) and reclamation status.”
These quotations from the NRC site describe in detail the activities nationally for ALL uranium mining operations. These results show tremendous effort and progress with this issue. The number of sites that are now rehabilitated and under continual monitoring is impressive.
The law also covers requirements for capping, ground water monitoring, and rainfall runoff standards. Again, these requirements must be addressed before a company receives its permit from the NRC to build and operate. This involves a detailed review by the NRC of every aspect of the mines design and construction. Review and monitoring persists not only through the design stages, but through operation and decommission. Any new mine in Virginia is most certainly accountable to these standards.
Conclusion
It is very important for the public to be aware of the facts. While neither advocating for or against uranium mining, this blog’s purpose was to inform. The nuclear industry has traditionally kept a shroud of secrecy around its operations and inner workings. It is time to get the facts out in the open, and let the public decide for itself. This is especially true for the rural communities in Pittsylvania County, VA. Is anyone giving them the real facts?
