Fukushima reports recovery As Nuclear energy booms

RAPID CITY – The uranium market, which plummeted following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, is experiencing a revival. This resurgence is driven by renewed interest in nuclear power, Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, and the recognition of nuclear energy as carbon neutral. These factors are fueling optimism for a potential rebirth of South Dakota’s uranium industry.

Although MarketWatch reported this week that since Trump’s win was announced, there hasn’t been a big impact on the uranium market. Nuclear-fuel market information and analysis firm president Jonathan Hinze pointed out to MarketWatch that major utility stocks are generally down since the election.

Still, there is every sign that the depressed market will turn around with Trump promising to overturn protections established by President Biden, like a 20-year mining moratorium in northern Minnesota to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from proposed copper and nickel mining.

Created under Trump, the Nuclear Fuel Working Group was commissioned to look at how to restore U.S. nuclear energy leadership, streamline regulatory reform and expand access to uranium deposits on federal lands. With a new approach to energy production, the Trump Administration is expected to give way to large corporations and small corporations to drill, exempt from regulations. Trump said in early September that on day one he would approve new drilling, new pipelines, new refiners, new power plants, new reactors and “we will slash red tape.”

That’s good news for the Dewey Burdock project which spans 12,613 surface acres and 16,962 mineral acres in the Edgemont uranium district. enCore Energy and proponents say that it will create jobs, support the local economy, and reduce the U.S. reliance on foreign uranium.

While proponents say that nuclear energy is carbon neutral, it is the production of highly radioactive waste that can remain dangerous for thousands of years if not properly managed and poses risks to the environment and human health if leaked or not properly disposed of. Opponents say the mining would be temporary, but the water and land pollution would be permanent.

The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance (BHCWA) is a diverse coalition of citizens who have come together to oppose the project and protect the valuable resources of the Black Hills. BHCWA executive director Dr. Lilias Jarding talked with Native Sun News Today about the Frequently Asked Questions section on the enCore Energy website.

In response to the question, “will this pollute the aquifer,” enCore energy claims that the aquifer that would be mined is already polluted. “They say that the EPA says that the aquifer is already contaminated,” said Jarding. “They repeat it over and over, but that is not what the EPA said. It’s a false premise. What the EPA said was that if mining happened, they would offer an aquifer exemption meaning that the water in the aquifer is exempt from the Clean Drinking Water Act and can never be used for drinking water in the future. That’s if the mining happens but it is not now. The contamination has not occurred.” She said that enCore makes this misstatement numerous times in the FAQ section.

In response to the question of reclamation and if the operation will leave a mess, Jarding said according to the U.S. Geological Survey, no in situ leach uranium mine has ever returned the water to its original conditions. “It’s apparently an impossibility at least with current technology,” explained Jarding. “What happens is before a mining project can begin, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which has to issue these projects a license, says that you must reclaim the water after the project ends, to a certain level, and there are specific levels for specific contaminants. But what has typically happened is that at the end of the project the company can’t meet those standards, they pump for a while and try for a while and then tell the NRC they are having a hard time getting it back to this level so the NRC steps in and adjusts the standards. If they say they have reached NRC standards, it’s a situation where the water had been allowed to be contaminated because the standards have been adjusted. If they say they never can return to the baseline quality, then that validates what the USGS says about no project has returned water to its original condition.”

Jarding agreed there is uranium naturally present, but she says it hasn’t been cut loose into the aquifer. She explained the ISL/ISR process pumps solution through uranium that is embedded in rock and cut it loose, break it up and suck it up above ground. That loosening process also loosens heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury.

By 2020 estimates, enCore said that the project will provide 80 construction and operations jobs. Benefits include $9 million in annual payroll from enCore and contractors, $1 million annually to the County, $200 thousand annually in taxes to both Hot Springs and Edgemont and $3.5 million annually in severance taxes.

Jarding said that seems like a lot of money, but she said that the NRC keeps adjusting standards. “So, people need to understand that if enCore could meet the adjusted standards and get their bond back, the water would still be contaminated.”

Jarding also said they misrepresent the kind of injection chemicals they are using – oxygen and baking soda. “This isn’t like the baking soda you have in your kitchen. This is an industrial baking soda. The concentrations are much higher.” enCore says that ISL is as highly regulated as the nuclear industry. Jarding agreed there are high standards, “But the bigger problem is that the high standards aren’t being enforced.”

Jarding referenced the Crow Butte Uranium mine in Nebraska which had 109 violations and reportable incidents as of a couple of years ago. “This is upstream from the Pine Ridge Reservation, both above and below ground, but they are almost never issued violations. So, there are situations where there is above ground leakage of radioactive and processing water.” EnCore also promises that it won’t impact the Cheyenne River, “but there are two creeks that run through the site and feed into the River nearby,” said Jarding. “So, if there are above ground spills and leaks which are typical, there are usually some, then that could potentially pollute the Cheyenne River directly.”

Jarding also said the geology is complex. “This is at the edge of the Black Hills where there are fractures and fissures that run through the area and there is potential to connect to the alluvial aquifers that are related to the riverway and are fed by the creek. I don’t’ think they’ve studied enough to know, frankly.”

As the push for nuclear power increases, the Japanese Government this month presented a report to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) summarizing progress on recovery operations at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant and the radioactive decontamination after the three nuclear reactors were disabled following a major earthquake. The 15-foot tsunami caused by the earthquake took out the power supply and cooling of the three reactors. All three cores melted in the first 3 days.

Following the disaster, the nuclear industry has implemented several safety improvements, including: strengthened protection against external natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunamis, increased independence of safety systems, enhanced emergency preparedness, better evaluation of potential risks, and a greater focus on safety culture across nuclear power plants globally, with particular emphasis on design requirements that can withstand extreme events and improved communication procedures during emergencies, according to the IAEA.

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)

The post Fukushima reports recovery As Nuclear energy booms first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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