The Associated Press | Posted: Friday, September 5, 2008 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to delay the completion of an environmental study on uranium mining.
The NRC is working on a study of in-situ uranium mining. The process uses chemicals to free uranium from the surrounding ore, allowing it to be pumped out of the ground with water and refined on the surface.
Freudenthal wrote to NRC Chairman Dale Klein on Wednesday urging his agency to adhere to a January deadline for finishing the study.
The governor says the federal agency is considering pushing back the completion date to next June. But he says delaying the study would slow the development of uranium projects in the state.