To the Journal editor:
In a recent letter to The Mining Journal entitled, "No U.P. Uranium," there is a statement: "There is no uranium ore in the state of Michigan." The important word here is "ore," which is defined as a naturally occurring material that can be profitably mined.
The evidence for the presence of uranium in the Upper Peninsula is strong. The Western U.P. Health Department issued an advisory for people with wells in the Jacobsville sandstone formation in the Keweenaw Peninsula to have their water tested for uranium, because a 2003 study by a group at Michigan Tech University found that about 25 percent of 300 wells tested in the area had levels of uranium above EPA safety standards.
Since 2003, Bitterroot Resources has been exploring for uranium in the Jacobsville sandstone. In 2007, they found uranium in drill cores. Cameco, one of the largest uranium suppliers in the world, has given Bitterroot $1.7 million to do further exploration on the site.
New drilling was done in 2008, and the results are now being evaluated. Uranium prices have gone down from a peak of $140 per pound in 2004 to about $45 per pound today, so it may not be profitable to mine today, but may well be tomorrow.
Mining for uranium is currently done by a process called in-situ leaching. This method pumps chemically treated water into and through an ore body to dissolve the uranium and bring it to the surface.
If there is any connection or leakage of this water into any other water source, that water will be contaminated with uranium, and can't be effectively restored to natural groundwater purity.
During the rule-making process for Michigan's new nonferrous metallic mining law, the threat of uranium mining to create radioactive contamination was not addressed.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality stated "the rules would apply to uranium mining, however, if uranium mining appears imminent, then the DEQ will review these rules for their adequacy to regulate such mining and determine revisions that may be needed."
Part of the proposed MIWater ballot initiative language prohibits uranium mining until new rules have been established.
It is clear that such rules are needed now and a vote for the initiative would ensure this. It's all about our water.
Gail Griffith
Professor of chemistry (retired)
Northern Michigan University
Marquette