Examining EPA’s Proposed Groundwater Rule for In-Situ Uranium Recovery
PURPOSE:
- To examine the proposed rule and how it impacts states, federal agencies, and the in-situ recovery industry.
- To examine how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can best move forward with the rule, including ways it can work with impacted groups.
BACKGROUND:
- On January 26, 2015, EPA issued a proposed rule entitled “Health and Environmental Protection Standards for Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings,” which sets new groundwater protection standards for in-situ uranium recovery operations.
- In-situ recovery is an extraction process where liquid uranium-containing solution is pumped from underground, thus avoiding the need for surface or underground mining.
- State, industry, and other federal agencies are critical of the rule, which EPA plans to finalize by the end of the year.
Witnesses and testimonies
| Name | Title | Organization | Panel | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Jonathan Edwards | Director - Radiation Protection Division | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | ||
| Mr. Charles Maguire | Director of Radioactive Materials | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality | ||
| Mr. John Cash | Vice President of Regulatory Affairs | Ur-Energy | ||
| Mr. Geoffrey Fettus | Senior Attorney | Natural Resources Defense Council |