From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):
Since Gov. Bill Ritter signed a 2008 law, House Bill 1161, requiring companies doing in situ leach mining to safeguard groundwater, state mining regulators have been working with Powertech and others in the uranium mining industry to write rules governing how the law is implemented. So far, the rules-writing has been informal, but the state on [January 27] released its plans for a formal public process for the final approval of the rules by the state Mined Land Reclamation Board…
The board is asking for the public to make its voice heard on the proposed rules at an April 15 hearing at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Loveland. It will be the first formal public hearing on the rules, but how many hearings there will be isn’t clear…
The board set a March 1 deadline for written comments from the public about the proposed rules. Those who want to be a party to the hearing – someone who believes they have a direct interest in the rules and can offer alternatives – must submit a written request by Feb. 23. Those granted “party” status are given an elevated legal status in the hearing process and must attend an April 6 prehearing conference at the Denver Art Museum.
Jackie Adolph of Citizens Against Resource Destruction, which opposes the Centennial Project’s potential impact on groundwater, said she believes public input in the rulemaking process is important to protect the water. “I think that we will have quite a bit of public participation in this process,” she said.