From the North Forty News (Dan MacArthur):
Despite the intensity of opposition, just 26 residents registered their concerns at the April public hearing scheduled from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at a Loveland hotel’s conference hall capable of seating more than 100. The lack of testimony prompted the board to cut the session short at 6:30 p.m. The hearing may have been subdued in part because the board already had received some 3,500 written comments, which are posted on the board’s web site.
Speakers urged the board to affirm proposed regulations developed to reflect the intent of three bills approved by the legislature applying to hard-rock and in situ uranium mining. Notably, the regulations require in situ mine applicants to establish a baseline of existing conditions for ongoing monitoring of surface and groundwater. The state can hire an independent agency at the applicant’s expense to oversee development of such plans. Reclamation to those baseline standards must be completed within five years following the mining of each phase. Any effect on groundwater beyond the mined land that fails to meet established standards could require immediate reclamation.
Jay Davis, a Weld County resident who lives next to the proposed Centennial Mine project, urged the board to adopt the rules as proposed and resist any attempts to dilute them. “Colorado water is far too valuable to be compromised from being used as a mining tool,” he said.