Congress directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to review and prepare a report on mines in the United States that provided uranium ore for atomic energy defense activities. We completed four technical topic reports that provide the foundation for the defense-related uranium mines report which was submitted to Congress in summer 2014. These topic reports include the:
- Location and Status Report – general location of defense-related uranium mines and status of efforts to reclaim and remediate these mines
- Cost and Feasibility Report – potential cost and feasibility of mine reclamation or remediation
- Risk Report – extent to which mines have posed or may pose a radiation health hazard to the public, and degradation to water quality and the environment
- Prioritization Report – priority ranking for reclamation or remediation at the mines
DOE Office of Legacy Management used existing information on abandoned uranium mines, including shared databases from federal, state, and tribal agencies to develop the topic reports. Additionally, we took into account cleanup standards and costs of reclamation and remediation efforts performed by other agencies and the private sector.
We also solicited input for the technical topic reports through forums with various levels of government, non-governmental organizations, and private companies. DOE also incorporated information from uranium mine reclamation that we performed in Colorado. We shared drafts of the topic reports with federal agencies, affected states and tribes, and the public through webinars and a review process, and incorporated changes to the reports based on comments received.
Additional information about the defense-related uranium mines report to Congress is available on our website. If you have any questions or would like to send us additional information, please email [email protected].