The work is unfolding as global instability and growing demand drive uranium prices higher
The largest uranium producer in the United States is ramping up work just south of Grand Canyon National Park on a long-contested project that largely has sat dormant since the 1980s.
The work is unfolding as global instability and growing demand drive uranium prices higher.
The Biden administration and dozens of other countries have pledged to triple the capacity of nuclear power worldwide in their battle against climate change, ensuring uranium will remain a key commodity for decades as the government offers incentives for developing the next generation of nuclear reactors and new policies take aim at Russia’s influence over the supply chain.
But as the U.S. pursues its nuclear power potential, environmentalists and Native American leaders remain fearful of the consequences for communities near mining and milling sites in the West and are demanding better regulatory oversight.
Producers say uranium production today is different than decades ago when the country was racing to build up its nuclear arsenal. Those efforts during World War II and the Cold War left a legacy of death, disease and contamination on the Navajo Nation and in other communities across the country, making any new development of the ore a hard pill to swallow for many.
read more: https://ictnews.org/news/uranium-is-being-mined-near-the-grand-canyon-as-prices-soar
Americans should shut the fuck up about nuclear power until it’s cheaper than renewables + hydro storage, until the US can actually build any nuclear plants, and until nuclear plants can be delivered anywhere near as fast enough as we need
The US’s refusal to build and maintain infrastructure isn’t indicative of the state of the rest of the world. Any conversion away from fossil fuels anywhere in the world benefits the whole world because we all live in the same greenhouse.
Renewables are better for sure, and that should be prioritized. But all avenues to save the climate must be followed.