** "Zombie" mines leave radioactive legacy
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Thursday, September 5, 2019
Sign outside abandoned uranium mine on the Navajo Nation | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ([link removed])
Dozens of uranium mines sit idle, but not appropriately shut down or reclaimed, across the West, leaving communities with the damaging radioactive legacy. According to the Center for Public Integrity ([link removed]) , uranium and coal companies have long abused lax state and federal regulations to idle mines that will likely never produce again without cleaning them up.
Two hours west of Albuquerque, the Mount Taylor uranium mine last produced ore and was allowed to flood in 1990, and was granted its first standby permit in 1999. With its 20 years of maximum inactivity about to expire, mine owners recently told state regulators it would re-enter active status, but require at least eight years to get there, buying more time to avoid reclamation costs. Similar examples are readily available in nearby states, including Colorado and Utah.
Uranium mining has left a toxic wake across the Four Corners region. Communities near mines face increased incidences of cancer, kidney disease, and respiratory issues. Thompson Bell, a Navajo Nation resident and former uranium mine mechanic noted ([link removed]) , "The thing about uranium, we found out: It destroys humans and land."
Quick hits
** Coal bankruptcies, mine closures shake Wyoming communities
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NPR ([link removed]) | Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) | WyoFile ([link removed])
** Report finds industry influence in Interior Department's effort to mine "critical" minerals
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Project on Government Oversight ([link removed])
** Trump Interior official who pushed Arctic drilling joins oil company in Alaska
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NPR ([link removed])
** New BLM head raises concerns over conflicts of interest, longstanding effort to sell public lands
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Wyoming Public Media ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Bureau of Land Management begins to notify DC employees whose jobs will soon be transferred West
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Dozens of species in Utah threatened by state's push to overturn roadless rule
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Salt Lake City Weekly ([link removed])
** Startup looks to turn job burnout into benefit for national parks
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New York Times ([link removed])
** Opinion: Wildlife, motorists and outdoor recreation economy benefit from Colorado executive order
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Boulder Daily Camera ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Mr. Pendley is not someone who should be entrusted with the management of our public estate. The fox has taken control of the hen house, and he is poised to systematically dismantle the very resources he is charged with overseeing.”
—Land Tawney, President of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this
Rain over Alaska's Wrangell St. Elias National Park
Photo by Neal Herbert, National Park Service ([link removed])
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