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NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tony Carter, 202/
586-3323
To Host Public Scoping Meetings on Uranium Leasing Program Environmental Assessment
GRAND JUNCTION, CO —The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management (DOE–LM) invites interested citizens to attend one of two public meetings where DOE-LM representatives will present information and receive comments regarding the scope of a draft Environmental Assessment being prepared for the Uranium Leasing Program. Dates and locations of the meetings are listed at the end of this news release. The Uranium Leasing Program has been a federal government program for more than 60 years, beginning shortly after World War II when the government was authorized to withdraw land from public use to ensure an adequate reserve of uranium and vanadium ores for the nation’s defense program. The Uranium Leasing Program was initiated to lease the withdrawn tracts of land to private industry to mine uranium and vanadium ores. Through the program, DOE-LM currently administers 13 active lease tracts located in San Miguel and Montrose counties, Colorado. DOE-LM is evaluating the program to determine if it is in the public’s best interest to expand the existing scope to include additional DOE-managed lands (up to 25 additional lease tracts located within the Uravan mineral belt area of southwestern Colorado) for the exploration and production of uranium and vanadium ores. Extracted ore most likely would be transported by over-the-road trucks to existing mills in Cañon City, Colorado, or White Mesa, Utah, for processing. The meetings will give the public an opportunity to provide comments on the program. “We would like input from the public on the issues that citizens think the Department of Energy should consider in preparing the draft Environmental Assessment for the Uranium Leasing Program,” said Michael Tucker, DOE-LM Program Manager. Comments on the scope of the draft Environmental Assessment will be accepted through August 31, 2005. Additional information about the Uranium Leasing Program is available on the DOE–LM website at http://www.lm.doe.gov/land/sites/sites.htm. The email address to submit comments electronically is ulcomments@gjo.doe.gov or a message can be left on the toll-free Uranium Leasing Program hotline at Meeting dates and locations are as follows:
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