Cotter's defunct uranium mine could draw new slaps for contamination (Colorado)

[jpak]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16643804

Colorado mining regulators squared off against Cotter Corp. on Wednesday, weighing whether to levy additional fines, declare new violations and order the company again to clean up its defunct uranium mine west of Denver that threatens water supplies.

Cotter's attorneys conceded that Cotter has not taken a step toward complying with an existing state order to pump out and treat toxic water filling the Schwartzwalder mine. That mine sits upstream from Denver Water's Ralston Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to 1.3 million metro-area residents.

State inspectors have found uranium contamination more than 10 times higher than health standards for drinking water.

"We are entitled to know what compliance would look like," Cotter attorney Nea Brown said before the state Mined Land Reclamation Board.

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:thumbsdown:

[Iterate]

1. And the Ironic Statement of the Month Award goes to...

...Nea Brown.

I would think that since the Mined Land Reclamation Board had issued its order, the citizens of the nearly sovereign State of Colorado would be entitled to know what compliance looks like.

On another, related note:

"Russian company seeks control of Canadian uranium-mining firm operating in Rockies"
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_16382080?obref=obnetwork

It seems a Russian company is seeking to buy a 51% stake in the Canadian owned Uranium One, and is justifying it in part by claiming to be better environmental stewards than Cotter. Don't you just hate being one-upped by the Russians?

"The deal would give Russian government-owned Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ) a 51 percent share of Uranium One. Uranium One is starting a mining project next year in Wyoming. ARMZ is the world's fifth-largest uranium producer, running mines in Russia and Kazakhstan.

ARMZ methods will be "significantly more environmentally friendly" than those used by the mining and milling Cotter Corp. and other private, U.S.-owned companies, said Newton, who is headed to Moscow this week."

So why does Uranium One need the cash? Because they just bought some mines from ARMZ in Kazakhstan, an exchange of assets as it's called:

http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/ISI_Intellinews/IntelliNews_Today-KZ275565374
http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/ISI_Intellinews/IntelliNews_Today-KZ265641645

Don't feel singled out though, because ARMZ has been busy buying uranium rights and assets all over the world, including India, Namibia, and Mongolia.

And where does ARMZ get the money for such a lavish spending spree? Here's an uncomfortable example, as it seems the loan came from Gazprombank, paid to the Russian oligarch, tycoon, and former deputy director of the FSB, Vladimir Anisimov:

"Russian state uranium firm buys Kazakh assets"
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLA45164920090310

Well, I just found 10 pages worth of cached and otherwise unlinkable info here, so I'll leave this rather long tangent where it stands. Suffice it to say it partially sketches out the rather shady world of "Big Uranium".