THE BUZZ
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Town of Timnath has published a map of its Growth Management Area and is in the process of seeking approval of the GMA by the Larimer County Commissioners as part of the proposed Larimer County/Town of Timnath Intergovernmental Agreement. On Wednesday, January 30, 2008, the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider adoption of the IGA.
The northeastern corner of the GMA is at the intersection of Larimer County Road 52 and the Larimer/Weld county line (WCR 13). This point is a mere 3.5 miles from the southernmost section of land slated for uranium mining by Powertech, and only 4 miles from the actual uranium ore body. The uranium deposit is relatively shallow (80-125 feet below the surface), and lies above the water table. The only proven method to extract this uranium is by open pit mining, although Powertech officials insist they are devising some new way of mining this deposit that is less environmentally-objectionable than digging an open pit.
The Town of Timnath is planning for residential, commercial, and/or industrial development to occur within its GMA, and Powertech apparently believes it is politically and economicaly feasible to conduct uranium mining four miles from such planned urban density development. A map of the proposed Timnath GMA is here.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Powertech recently signed a lease for commercial office space in Wellington. The offices are in a small converted frame house on the northwest corner of North 6th Street and Harrison Avenue, which is just north of Loaf & Jug and west of First National Bank. The building was most recently occupied by ReQuest Real Estate Services and broker Doug Andersen. Andersen owns the building and rented the space to Powertech.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Powertech is opening an office in Wellington, according to a local real estate broker.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
An alert web surfer has discovered that Powertech's public relations whiz Pete Webb has recently registered the domain name www.nunngrow.com. Uranium mining opponents have maintained a website at www.nunnglow.com for nearly a year. Entering the "nunngrow" URL takes one to the Powertech Uranium Corp. website. Another example of the Powertech team's commitment to professionalism, integrity, and transparency.... (See the "nunngrow" registration information here. See photo of Pete Webb and his able assistants here.)
Friday, October 12, 2007
Item#1 An announcement of statewide significance with respect to uranium mining will be made in the near future. Stay tuned...
Item#2 A new organization has been formed to oppose plans to mine uranium in northern Colorado, joining Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (www.nunnglow.com) in the grassroots fight against Powertech. Stewards of the Land is headed by mining area residents and cattle growers Daryl and Cynthia Burkhart. Its focus is on educating and organizing affected landowners and pursuing specific legal and political methods to protect homes, land, and water from Powertech. They can be reached at 970-897-3195.
Updated November 4, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Residents of the mining area have reported receiving phone calls from a woman asking about landowners' plans for testing their well water. Many residents are having their well water independently tested for uranium and heavy metals to provide baseline data prior to potential in-situ leach mining by Powertech. The female caller claims that a relative is moving to the area and that she would like more information about water testing, including the lab doing the testing and which contaminants they are testing for. When residents call the woman's phone number they get R Squared Inc., the "respected" consulting firm hired by Powertech to manage the permitting process. The female caller has denied, then later admitted, working for R Squared. R Squared Inc. is run by George M.L. Robinson (see Item #2, October 8, 2007). Updated October 13, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Item #1 Powertech project manager and Realtor(R) Lane Douglas recently approached recalcitrant landowners to ask if they had reconsidered their refusal to sell out to Powertech. The landowners in question reside within the proposed mining zone and have so far declined to sell their homes and land to Powertech.
Item #2 Landowners report that in a preliminary meeting with Powertech officals in 2006, George Robinson, principal of R Squared Inc. and consultant to Powertech, stated that the company intended to use graduate students from Colorado State University to conduct some of the baseline studies required for permit applications. CSU grad student Rui Zhang denies that his study "Investigation of Various Concentrations of Gamma Emitters Present in Human Subjects from High Background Radiation Regions" has any "affiliation" with Powertech. Zhang was stationed at the entrance to Powertech's July 19 open house in Nunn, Colorado, and was handing out flyers soliciting subjects for the study.
George M.L. Robinson, R Squared Inc.
Rui Zhang, M.S. Candidate, Co-Principal Investigator, Colorado State University
Friday, October 5, 2007
Item #1 A few landowners in or near the mining area have retained a law firm to investigate an intriguing question - does Powertech really have legal ownership of the uranium mining rights the company purchased in October 2006 from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation?
Item #2 CSU Assistant Professor Thomas Johnson and graduate student Rui Zhang from the CSU Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences are doing a study of radioactive isotope levels in the urine of 60 residents of the mining area who drink well water. The study's title: Investigation of Various Concentrations of Gamma Emitters Present in Human Subjects from High Background Radiation Regions. The funding source(s) for the study have yet to be disclosed by CSU.
Item #3 The City of Fort Collins' Natural Resources Department is studying the Powertech proposal and its potential impacts on the city. A report and recommendation may be prepared and presented to the City Council.
Item #4 Powertech contractors performed construction work on old exploration wells located within Weld County road right-of-ways without first obtaining ROW construction permits from the county's Public Works Department.