A mining company’s plan to stockpile uranium ore at a mine north of the Grand Canyon has raised concern among environmentalists over radioactive dust being swept across the landscape, AP reports.
But Energy Fuels Resources Inc. said Thursday that there’s no need to worry because a state permit requires that dust be monitored and controlled, no homes are nearby, and the dust isn’t highly radioactive.
The company planned to place the Pinenut Mine on standby in July because of decreasing prices for uranium. Company spokesman Curtis Moore said Thursday that it makes more sense economically to keep the 30 to 40 workers onboard and extract all the ore possible from the site through the first quarter of 2015, avoiding shut-down and startup costs.
