Stop THE MAN redux.....

[gnwatts]

Vigilance!

http://suwa.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=21441.0&dlv_id=40521

Uranium mine expansion near Grand Gulch and Natural Bridges, does not seem like a good idea to me.

 

[Udink]

Is this some sort of joke? From my reading of their maps, SUWA is trying to protect these lands:




Sorry about the older B/W imagery, but there was a cloud in the way in the latest satellite imagery. Their web page says, "These are areas enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors from Utah and around the world, many of whom spend time camping, hiking, and enjoying scenic tours on the public lands surrounding the proposed mine site." Yeah, no.

 

[Nick]

It's not under clouds on Flash Earth.

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.583305&lon=-110.191461&z=17.6&r=0&src=msl

 

[gnwatts]

Not a joke.
Read the material.
It's not just the area they are mining, it is the impact of getting it out, and I will do whatever i can (in my limited capacity) to prevent the Uranium Greedheads from expanding their operation at the expense of OUR lands. Enough!
And, yes, people do enjoy these and surrounding areas.

More info:

http://www.suwa.org/2014/02/14/uranium-mining-in-southern-utah-again/

From Energy Fuels:

http://www.energyfuels.com/projects/daneros/

This mine is surrounded by Grand Gulch and it's associated canyon systems, Dark Canyon Primitive area and it's associated canyon systems and Natural Bridges National Monument.
Udink, if you feel that this is a joke trying to stop a 10X expansion of a uranium mine (that no one needs) feel free to comment to the BLM your whole hearted support. I will be at any hearing to argue against it, and we can have a beer after.
Or maybe a cup of joe.

 

[Udink]

Read the material.

I just re-read SUWA's materials and also browsed through the actual mining plan modification documents, thinking maybe I've missed something. But nope! SUWA is trying to "protect" a tiny portion of the lands shown in my Google Earth screenshots above. These are already heavily-disturbed areas.

This map is especially telling. It shows the proposed limit of new disturbed areas and the location of proposed new access roads that will be reclaimed afterward. It really does seem like a joke that they're trying to prevent disturbance on an already-disturbed area. Here is one of the roads SUWA is fighting against (I drew this based on the map linked above):

And, yes, people do enjoy these and surrounding areas.

The surrounding areas, yes, but not the already-ravaged areas into which they are proposing to expand. I don't see how the change in the mining plan will further affect any of the surrounding areas. Maybe one could argue this would put more trucks on the public roads in surrounding areas, but that's a point that neither SUWA nor the mining plan modification addresses.

 

[gnwatts]

I just re-read SUWA's materials and also browsed through the actual mining plan modification documents, thinking maybe I've missed something. But nope! SUWA is trying to "protect" a tiny portion of the lands shown in my Google Earth screenshots above. These are already heavily-disturbed areas.

This map is especially telling. It shows the proposed limit of new disturbed areas and the location of proposed new access roads that will be reclaimed afterward. It really does seem like a joke that they're trying to prevent disturbance on an already-disturbed area. Here is one of the roads SUWA is fighting against (I drew this based on the map linked above):

View attachment 15035


The surrounding areas, yes, but not the already-ravaged areas into which they are proposing to expand. I don't see how the change in the mining plan will further affect any of the surrounding areas. Maybe one could argue this would put more trucks on the public roads in surrounding areas, but that's a point that neither SUWA nor the mining plan modification addresses.

Your map is misleading. It is a small area, very small. Expand it out a bit and you would have a more balanced view of the impacts (Grand Gulch, Dark Canyon and Natural Bridges are very close). How do you think they are going to get all of that unneeded uranium out of there? Guaranteed roads will need to be widened and improved. SUWA is not just concerned with the roads surrounding the site (see bold below), you need to read their post. From SUWA's site regarding the BLM's pathetic historic embrace of extractive industries:

Utah and the other states in the Four Corners region have a legacy of thousands of abandoned uranium mine sites. These abandoned sites pose health, safety, and environmental risks to residents of the area, visitors, and wildlife, in the form of continued air and water contamination. The federal government has a history of ignoring known sources of contamination and harm caused by the mining and milling of uranium, and has failed to notify uranium workers and the general public of these risks.

This sad history coupled with the significant risks inherent in uranium mining underscores the need for the BLM to conduct a comprehensive environmental analysis of the proposed Daneros uranium mine expansion. The agency must disclose the potential impacts of expanded uranium mining on air and water quality, wildlife, wilderness, night skies, scenic viewsheds, cultural resources, and public health and safety. Additionally, because the risks of mining don’t stop at the mine site, the agency must disclose the impacts associated with transporting and milling the uranium ore at the White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah. Incredibly, even in light of the history and risks associated with uranium mining and milling, the BLM is not proposing to analyze the project in a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement.


I ask again, how are they going to get the toxic ore out? How would you like it if the BLM proposed to open up some old uranium mines in the Swell? Those beautiful old skinny roads we all love would be widened and "improved" with huge trucks etc. Toxic tailings and ponds. No big deal?

And we haven't even discussed the devastation that will be left in this mines wake when it closes. We have lived and played for the last 25 years surrounded by Superfund sites from the uranium booms (and eventual busts) in the past, from Telluride to Moab. How about the toxic tailings and contaminated ground water that will be left behind, after they close the mine AGAIN, which they will. They always go bust.

 

[Duke]

And here I thought that an Industrial Toxicologist with a nuclear background (what I do) would never have a chance at a job in that area.