Uranium Waste is Toxic & We Don't Want It

GO: Uranium Waste is Toxic & We Don't Want It

Really? Yes. We want you to send a note to the  EPA Owe Aku is a grassroots organization of Lakota people and our allies founded to promote the protection of sacred water and preservation of our territorial lands.  Our actions for environmental justice rely upon cultural revitalization as our major tool in achieving our goals.  The principle location from which are operations are based are on Lakota territory along Wounded Knee Creek on what is called the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation .  More information on our work can be found at www.oweakuinternational.org

Greetings! I have copied and pasted below a letter to the EPA regarding its request for comments concerning the proposed regulations of In Situ Leach (ISL) uranium mining. You can copy, paste and email to the EPA, or write your own letter, but PLEASE do take action at this time. Deadline for comments is April 27. Thank you all so much! Please send on to your friends who may do the same. Wopila. Wioweya Najin Win Air and Radiation Docket Environmental Protection Agency Mailcode: 2822T 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Washington, DC 20460 email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov RE: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2012-0788 March 23, 2015 To whom it may concern: Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on EPA’s proposed health and environmental  standards for uranium mill tailings under 40 C.F.R. part 192. EPA’s current standards under part 192 are outdated and do not address in-situ leach (ISL) uranium recovery operations, which are now the largest kind of uranium mining and milling operations in the nation. It is high time for EPA to update its standards to protect groundwater during ISL operations. As you know, water in the Western U.S. is a scarce resource and deserves a paramount level of protection. Many communities rely solely on groundwater and with dwindling supplies water resources that are not currently used may well be needed for drinking water in the future. The value of these water resources cannot be overstated. ISL uranium operations currently get a free pass to pollute these precious water supplies. No ISL mine has restored groundwater to pre-mining conditions and often pollution after mining is left at high levels. ISL facilities also have frequent spills, leaks, excursions, and other problems that leave groundwater resources at risk. It is important for you to promptly finalize your proposed standards to better protect these groundwater resources. I also urge you to contain more robust requirements for baseline water testing and long-term monitoring in your final rule. Additionally, please require operators to restore groundwater back to pre-mining conditions. Please don’t let the uranium industry get a free pass to pollute our groundwater resources. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, -- Debra White Plume Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way 605-455-2155 PO Box 325 Manderson, SD 57756 www.oweakuinternational.org

GO: Uranium Waste is Toxic & We Don't Want It