Deseret News | It's a 'go' for tailings cleanup

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It's a 'go' for tailings cleanup

Where's nuke industry? | 6:53 a.m. May 4, 2009

So tell me why the government has to clean up after private nuclear companies didn't clean up their mess? ... Oh, those nuke companies are all out of business already and aren't around to take their responsibilities? Oh, I see...

I hope Utahns learn a big lesson here about developing new polluting industries, such as nuclear power plants or oil shale companies. If they go bankrupt or the price of their product becomes uneconomical, we Utah tax payers may be left holding the bag for their cleanup and damage onto society.

Rural communities across the west are filled with old mining or tailing sites that the federal government and private industry have abondoned to rural counties to deal with. It's a sad legacy of corporate irresponsbility -- but all okay under the "free market" principles of capitalism (if you're out of business, you can't pay!), but the costs and problems they bring to those rural towns are devistating.

soakblue | 11:07 a.m. May 4, 2009

This should have been done DECADES ago. Thank goodness it's finally happening.

RE Where's the nuke | 12:28 p.m. May 4, 2009

Companies now have to post bonds for environmental cleanup and restoration proir to any mining activity or mills etc. Also, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and a host of environmental laws would not have allowed a uranium mill to be developed in the way that the Atlas Mill was deveoloped in the 50's. First of all, companies now are not allowed to walk away from thier messes like they were before. 2nd, the environmental laws in effect today are very restrictive and take into account the long-term effects of new mines and development. Therefore comparing this to site to sites that will be developed in the future is not a valid argument. Scare tactics may work for the uneducated and ignorant folks who believe everything that they are told by the environmental lobby, but they don't work for those who are informed and understand the processes used today.

Comments continue below

Observation-ist | 12:54 p.m. May 4, 2009

To: Where's nuke industry?
Calling for corporate responsiblity is a prudent and wise thing. Taking a cheap shot at the 'free market principles of capitalism' is ignorant and short sighted.

Your inference that the principles of socialism or communism would have prevented this is laughable. Are you old enough to remember Chernobyl. Or maybe it's Marxist principles you aspire to. Can you say Holocaust.

Before you start throwing darts at capitalism or the free market system, please make the effort to understand the long-term implications of other economic models. The free market system is the best economic model on the planet, when it's implemented by moral people. If it's immoral people you're concerned about, can you say Monica Lewinsky.

Ralph | 12:54 p.m. May 4, 2009

Unfettered captilism is deadly. This is a good example. The people die and the taxpayers pay for the clean up. After the many deaths of Navajo workers in the uraniame mimes there are still many who are sick and dying.

Clarrification | 1:31 p.m. May 4, 2009

Observation-ist: You make a good point. I just need to make one correction. Marxism is the foundation of Communism and Socialism. The Holocaust was caused by a Facist not a Marxist.

lynn | 2:53 p.m. May 4, 2009

Are the tailings at a dangerous level now? It has been years - Is there a reason they can't be buried on the spot and where are they being taken to?

Clarification-ist | 3:04 p.m. May 4, 2009

Marxism and Fascism both have the same End-ism. Millions die.

Re.: Ralph @ 12:45pm | 3:07 p.m. May 4, 2009

Mimes were involved with this .... no wonder we never heard about this till now!

BH | 3:31 p.m. May 4, 2009

Lynn:

Recent flood levels of the Colorado River has risen to where there is concern that the tailings will leach into the river.

Contrary to what other posts above have implied, when the tailings were started, and actually for many years afterward, it was believed that the tailings were in a very safe place, and that the best action was no action. That is, leave the tailings where they were. At the time no one felt that previous actions had been irresponsible. But once again Mother Nature reminds us that we need to pay a little more attention to 100 year weather patterns.

lynn | 4:11 p.m. May 4, 2009

where is the "secure disposal site" and again, are they at a dangerous contamination level, and does this level decrease on its own over time? How about some general info DN?

Anonymous | 4:19 p.m. May 4, 2009

Observation-ist Ever heard of Arco? We have had accidents here. Our government nuclear safety standards wouldn't have licensed a Chernobyl. I guess Foc News failed to report the accident in France that released radiation in to a river. They never reported on the oil pipeline in Alaska leaking because they weren't inspected to corrosion to save many for BP.

Charles Stein got the money and the American public got the bill thanks to the Mining Law of 1972.

Anonymous | 4:35 p.m. May 4, 2009

Re: Clarification

Marxism, communism, socialism, and fascism are all ways to make everybody poor, starving and dying except an elite few-they're all wrong!

d

Concerned | 6:56 p.m. May 4, 2009

We live in Delta Colorado. We have lived here 5 years and have never had a wind storm carry in red dirt. So are we having a uranium storm? We need to look into this!

Mikkelsen | 8:47 p.m. May 4, 2009

According to a "confidential" viewgraph I saw used by the DOE in Grand Junction 15 years ago "Mill Tailings are a political hazard, NOT a environmental hazard" All the money is to create jobs and make people think there is a hazard when we know that the uranium ore has been processed leaving very, very low level background activity. This work is to prevent people from successfully suing the DOE if anyone along the river ever has cancer and wants to blame DOE because their in one chance in amillon that the cancer could be remotely related to the mill tailings up river of his house.

Ridiculous Comments | 11:21 p.m. May 4, 2009

These derogatory comments are most likely made by people under 40 years old who are oblivious to the fact that 50 years ago we didn't know the ecological impact of such things. Now they are making stupid comments about people not being responsible for their actions and other such illiterate statements.

Wake up and grow up.

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7 photos

Stuart Johnson, Deseret News

A man, center, bushes out uranium tailings from a container that finished dumping the tailings at the new operational Crescent Junction Disposal Site 30 miles north of Moab Monday. The tailings are from an old uranium mine.

Gallery (7 photos)