From The Telluride Watch (Gus Jarvis):
The report was prepared by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., a national consulting firm with offices in Denver and in Sacramento, Calif. The report was requested by Montrose County in order to determine the feasibility and magnitude of regional uranium operations, given supply, demand, and competitive restraints…
The Uravan Mineral Belt, one of the richest uranium deposits in the United States is estimated to contain between 31 percent and 36 percent of the nation’s uranium resource. The Montrose County uranium resource has the market advantage of containing high-grade uranium and large quantities of vanadium, which adds significant value to area mining properties. The uranium resource available to supply a mill in Montrose County is as much as 2,667 tons per day, at a uranium price of $50 per pound, and as much as 4,333 tons per day at a uranium price of $100 per pound.
Energy Fuels’ Piñon Ridge Mill is currently licensed for a capacity of 500 tons per day, with the potential to expand to 1,000 tons per day through additional permitting…
Before construction of the mill gets underway, Energy Fuels must still clear several hurdles including a legal challenge to the mill’s radioactive materials license approval. The lawsuit was filed in District Court last February by Sheep Mountain Alliance and alleges that during their review regulators never allowed the public to ask them or Energy Fuels representatives technical questions about the project, which the Telluride-based environmental group believes is a violation of the federal Atomic Energy Act.