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WISE Uranium Project: 2001 News Archive

(last updated 22 Oct 2004)

> See also Uranium Mining Issues: 2001 Review

2001 NEWS

> for more recent news, see 2002 News Archive

December 28, 2001: Cluff Lake mine operating license renewed (Saskatchewan)
December 27, 2001: Depleted uranium warheads found in Afghanistan
December 24, 2001: Chromosome aberrations found in Gulf and Balkans Wars veterans
December 20, 2001: European Union issues recommendation on radon in drinking water
December 20, 2001: U.S. DOE seeks comment on decommissioning of Paducah Feed Plant (Kentucky)
December 20, 2001: Sellafield MOX plant starts operation (United Kingdom)
December 20, 2001: CNSC to revoke Mining Facility Removal Licence for Kiggavik (Nunavut, Canada)
December 20, 2001: CNSC to revoke Mining Facility Removal Licences for Dawn Lake and Shea Creek (Saskatchewan, Canada)
December 19, 2001: IUC proposes slurry pipeline for Atlas tailings relocation to White Mesa Mill site (Utah)
December 17, 2001: Kennecott fined for illegal uranium extraction in Mexico
December 15, 2001: Homestake requests relaxed groundwater standards for Grants uranium mill tailings site (New Mexico)
December 14, 2001: US DOC charges Eurodif and clears Urenco in dumping case
December 13, 2001: UNEP Opens Post-Conflict Assessment Unit
December 13, 2001: U.S. Congress passes bill to ensure compensation payments for uranium miners for 10 years
December 13, 2001: Eligibility expanded for U.S. DOE nuclear worker compensation program
December 11, 2001: U.S. NRC issues license amendment to process alternate feed material from Molycorp Site at White Mesa Mill, Utah
December 11, 2001: CAMECO new operator of the Cigar Lake Project (Saskatchewan)
December 10, 2001: European Union unveils new law to deter industrial accidents, including tailings dam failures
December 7, 2001: CNSC to issue temporary licensing exemptions for old uranium tailings sites (Canada)
December 7, 2001: FOE and Greenpeace lose appeal against Sellafield MOX plant decision (UK)
December 6, 2001: Georgia environmental group wins hearing on MOX fuel plant project (South Carolina)
December 6, 2001: Urenco to build uranium enrichment plant in US
December 5, 2001: Assessment Report for Honeymoon ISL uranium mine released (South Australia)
December 5, 2001: 1999 acid excursion at Honeymoon ISL uranium mine disclosed one week after final government approval (South Australia)
December 3, 2001: CNSC to issue operating license for Midwest uranium mine (Saskatchewan)
December 3, 2001: Ireland loses legal challenge against Sellafield MOX plant (UK)
November 30, 2001: Power Resources, Inc. acquires North Butte / Ruth in situ leach uranium project from Pathfinder Mines (Wyoming)
November 30, 2001: Tailings Reclamation at Petrotomics Shirley Basin uranium mill site completed (Wyoming)
November 30, 2001: NRC issues Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the processing of alternate feed from the Molycorp site at the White Mesa Mill (Utah)
November 30, 2001: New Olympic Dam-style copper/gold/uranium deposit discovered? (South Australia)
November 29, 2001: UN General Assembly rejects request to study DU weapons' health effects in Iraq
November 29, 2001: Los Alamos Lab reports depleted uranium levels higher since fire (New Mexico)
November 28, 2001: Draft Environmental Assessment of Ground Water Compliance at the New Rifle, Colorado, UMTRA Site available
November 28, 2001: South Australian Government gives final go-ahead for the Honeymoon ISL uranium mine
November 27, 2001: FOE and Greenpeace appeal Sellafield MOX plant court decision
November 26, 2001: State of Utah to close abandoned uranium mines in San Rafael Swell area
November 26, 2001: Cheap uranium makes MOX uncompetitive, British Energy says
November 26, 2001: Australian Federal Government gives final go-ahead for Honeymoon ISL Uranium mine
November 25, 2001: Confusion about unreliable contamination data around Paducah enrichment plant (Kentucky)
November 21, 2001: Australian Government gives the final environmental clearances to Honeymoon ISL Uranium mine
November 20, 2001: $41 million awarded to Cañon City uranium mill residents (Colorado)
November 20, 2001: Irish Government calls for injunction against Sellafield (UK) MOX plant at International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
November 20, 2001: Unexploded World-War-II ordnance discovered during decommissioning of Siemens Hanau nuclear fuel plant (Germany)
November 15, 2001: High Court Judge rules Sellafield MOX plant go-ahead not unlawful (UK)
November 2001: Chromosomal aberrations with former Wismut uranium miners
November 14, 2001: Lagoa Real / Caetité uranium mine receives authorisation to resume operation after one-year outage due to leakage (Brazil)
November 13, 2001: Kazakhstan cannot control major uranium waste dump
November 12, 2001: First stage of Lanzhou centrifuge enrichment plant completed early (China)
November 9, 2001: Kazakhstan starting to develop Akdal, Moinkum, and Karamurun uranium ISL projects
November 8, 2001: Provision for uranium mining subsidies removed from U.S. Senate bill
November 7, 2001: U.S. BLM to segregate land for disposal site for Atlas, Moab, uranium tailings from location and entry (Utah)
November 2001: Cleanup of old uranium mines in Puy-de-Dôme department demanded (France)
November 6, 2001: Rio Algom requests 2-year extension of reclamation deadline for Ambrosia Lake tailings
November 6, 2001: U.S. EPA issues directive on uranium standards for groundwater at Superfund sites
November 5, 2001: NIOSH releases draft online calculator to determine probability of causation for cancer claims of U.S. nuclear workers
November 5, 2001: Decommissioning of Le Bouchet uranium mill and uranium processing facility starts (France)
November 2, 2001: U.S. NRC consents to disposal of imported DU counterweights in facility not licensed for radioactive waste
November 2, 2001: U.S. National Mining Association files petition for rulemaking to wave licensing fees for uranium mines
October 31, 2001: UMTRA Ground Water Shiprock, New Mexico, Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Available
October 31, 2001: CNSC renews operating licenses for Key Lake, McArthur River and Rabbit Lake mines (Saskatchewan)
October 30, 2001: U.S. Utilities planning own enrichment plant
October 29, 2001: UNEP investigating DU sites in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia
October 26, 2001: U.S. DOE assumes ownership of Atlas Moab tailings site (Utah)
October 25, 2001: U.S. DOD releases summary report on DU impacts in the Balkans
October 24, 2001: Pioneer Metals Corp. and Cameco to Form Public Uranium Exploration Company
October 21, 2001: Fire again at Olympic Dam copper/uranium mill
October 20, 2001: Comurhex Pierrelatte uranium conversion plant flooded (France)
October 18, 2001: BNFL installs windows at Capenhurst DU storage facility to enhance transparency... (UK)
October 18, 2001: U.S. NRC seeks comment on Draft Research Program Plan: Radionuclide Transport in the Environment
October 18, 2001: U.S. NRC releases Draft Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with non-reactor facilities
October 17, 2001: Bill requiring suspension of depleted uranium munitions introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives
October 16, 2001: Pathfinder requests amendment to the tailings reclamation plan for its Shirley Basin site in order to reduce cost (Wyoming)
October 11, 2001: Russia assists in reclamation of uranium mill tailings in Kyrgyzstan
October 11, 2001: U.S. NRC shuts down its website in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11
October 5, 2001: U.S. HHS seeks public comment on rules to assist compensation of nuclear workers for job-related cancers
October 5, 2001: FOE and Greenpeace take MOX nuke plant to court (UK)
October 4, 2001: No need for reclamation of South African gold/uranium mill tailings?
October 3, 2001: U.S. Senate petitioned to block uranium mining subsidies
October 3, 2001: Sellafield MOX plant receives government go-ahead (UK)
October 2, 2001: USEC revives centrifuge enrichment technology plans
October 2, 2001: Japan shelves laser uranium enrichment method
September 28, 2001: Cleanup of Kowáry uranium mill tailings completed with EU aid (Poland)
September 26, 2001: UK Ministry of Defense appoints Advisory Panel for screening programme for DU health effects
September 24, 2001: NRC fines uranium company for discrimination
September 23, 2001: Derailment of railway car carrying uranium ore concentrates near Nîmes (France)
September 17, 2001: GAO Review of Radiation Exposure Compensation Program (USA)
September 14, 2001: NRC accepts blending of CaF₂ uranium conversion waste to meet release criteria (Illinois)
September 14, 2001: No Depleted Uranium in Hijacked Jets Crashed in New York and Washington D.C.
September 13, 2001: Groundwater contamination likely at SICN Annecy DU manufacturing site (France)
September 13, 2001: Plutonium found in DU penetrator spent in Southern Serbia
September 12, 2001: Startup of Muyunkum uranium ISL project expected for October 2001 (Kazakhstan)
September 12, 2001: U.S. NRC, on Sep. 12, 2001 (!), denies need to assess hazard from terrorist attacks on proposed MOX fuel plant (South Carolina)
August 2001: Aerial survey of abandoned uranium mines identifies excess radiation areas in Navajo Indian Reservation (Arizona)
August 31, 2001: CNSC renews Operating Licence for McClean Lake Mine (Saskatchewan)
August 28, 2001: Bush administration seeks to delay miner compensation (USA)
August 28, 2001: WHO begins DU health study in Iraq
August 27, 2001: Concerns about leaking uranium conversion waste dump at Port Granby (Ontario)
August 27, 2001: Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. seeks licence to build MOX fuel plant at Rokkasho-mura
August 24, 2001: Draft Multi-Agency Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols Manual for Public Comment (USA)
August 24, 2001: U.S. NRC Procedure for Termination of Uranium Milling Licenses in Agreement States to be revised
August 23, 2001: WHO to meet Iraqi officials on DU health study
August 22, 2001: Missing shipment of uranium hexafluoride conversion waste (USA)
August 22, 2001: USEC request to import (!) Depleted Uranium to the U.S.
August 22, 2001: Russia plans to develop Khiagdinskoe uranium ISL project (Buryatia, Russia)
August 18, 2001: Hanau MOX fuel plant no longer available for export to Russia (Germany)
August 15, 2001: Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan agree on joint venture to develop the Zarechnoye uranium deposit (Kazakhstan)
August 15, 2001: Cogéma quits Sugraly project? (Uzbekistan)
August 15, 2001: WMC considers doubling of Olympic Dam mine capacity (Australia)
August 7, 2001: Swedish soldiers in Kosovo have lower uranium levels in urine than at home
July 31, 2001: Site Preparation Licence issued for Cigar Lake Mine / New hearings (Saskatchewan)
July 25, 2001: U.S. Congress' plan to subsidize uranium in-situ leach industry affects Navajo
July 25, 2001: CNSC announces hearings on Cluff Lake uranium mine licence renewal (Saskatchewan)
July 24, 2001: U.S. President signs bill to ensure compensation payments to uranium miners
July 20, 2001: U.S. NRC releases Issue Summary on DU counterweights
July 17, 2001: U.S. NRC approves another 5-year postponement of initiation of decommissioning of Sweetwater uranium mill (Wyoming) in view of Bush's Energy Plan
July 16, 2001: DU exports of Urenco's Gronau enrichment facility disclosed (Germany)
July 13, 2001: USX's Boots/Brown, Clay West, and Moser uranium in-situ leach mine sites released for unrestricted use (Texas)
July 12, 2001: U.S. DOE to prepare Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on disposition of scrap metal from enrichment plants and other sources
July 11, 2001: Motor racing circuit planned on former Lodève uranium mine and mill site in France
July 7, 2001: U.S. EPA cancels plan to ship radioactive waste from Denver to Uravan uranium mill tailings (Colorado)
July 6, 2001: U.S. VA: Illnesses Not Associated With Service in the Gulf
July 3, 2001: Argentina: Plans for reclamation of uranium mining sites with World Bank loan
July 3, 2001: UK MOD puts DU shell test on hold
June 28, 2001: $16 million awarded to Cañon City uranium mill residents (Colorado)
June 27, 2001: Final decommissioning plan submitted for Jefferson Proving Ground (Indiana) - no DU remediation
June 26, 2001: UK Ministry of Defence releases report of a reconnaissance visit to Kosovo
June 20, 2001: SILEX uranium enrichment technology classified
June 20, 2001: Soil cleanup underway at DU impact site in Montenegro
June 16: 2001: No New Zealand soldiers ill from depleted uranium
June 15, 2001: IUC requests license amendment to process alternate feed material from Maywood FUSRAP Site, NJ, at its White Mesa uranium mill (Utah)
June 14, 2001: Nuclear Metals, Inc. DU manufacturing site in Concord, Mass. listed Superfund
June 11, 2001: Quivira Mining requests more relaxed groundwater standards for Ambrosia Lake mill site (New Mexico)
June 5, 2001: Remediation works begin at Sillamäe tailings pond (Estonia)
June 8, 2001: License renewed for radioactive waste storage at Umetco's Uravan uranium mill site (Colorado)
June 1, 2001: German parliament approves new radiation protection regulations
May 2001: European Parliament releases DU study
May 31, 2001: Last uranium mine in France shut down
May 30, 2001: First decommissioning license issued for old Hanau MOX fuel plant (Germany)
May 29, 2001: U.S. NRC discontinues 10 CFR Part 41 rulemaking efforts for Uranium Recovery Industry
May 28, 2001: Depleted uranium exposure at 1950s British nuclear weapons' tests in Australia
May 25, 2001: U.S. Labor Department issues interim final rule on energy workers' compensation
May 23, 2001: Appeal against French depleted uranium storage project at Bessines finally turned down
May 22, 2001: UK Royal Society releases depleted uranium report
May 17, 2001: NGOs criticize revision of German radiation protection standards
May 16, 2001: Health Council of the Netherlands releases depleted uranium report
May 16, 2001: UK Ministry of Defence seeks comment on proposed protocols for DU survey in Kosovo
May 15, 2001: U.S. NRC denies request for early site work at proposed MOX fuel plant (South Carolina)
May 11, 2001: Umetco applies for relaxed groundwater standards at Gas Hills uranium mill site (Wyoming)
May 11, 2001: Umetco applies for disposal of offsite-material at Gas Hills uranium mill tailings site (Wyoming)
May 11, 2001: Future of depleted uranium residues from melt-down experiments unclear (Germany)
May 11, 2001: Portsmouth enrichment plant closed (Ohio)
May 9, 2001: U.S. NRC to hold Public Meeting on the Use of Risk Information in the Regulatory Process of Uranium Recovery facilities
May 7, 2001: U.S. DOE Releases Advance Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Facilities
May 4, 2001: U.S. NRC proposes License Renewal for Smith Ranch (Wyoming) in-situ leach site
May 1, 2001: U.S. NRC seeks comment on Plan for Updating and Consolidating the Decommissioning Policy and Guidance of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
April 30, 2001: U.S. NRC issues Decommissioning License for Depleted Uranium Study Area at Aberdeen Proving Ground (Maryland)
April 26, 2001: WHO releases report on Depleted Uranium
April 25, 2001: UMTRA Ground Water Shiprock, New Mexico, Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Review
April 24, 2001: President Bush's budget includes no money for Atlas Moab uranium mill tailings cleanup (Utah)
April 23, 2001: 6 JCO officials plead guilty to negligence charges in Tokai criticality accident case (Japan)
April 18, 2001: U.S. NRC accepts application for authority to construct a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility (South Carolina)
April 17, 2001: Final report of Portuguese investigation team confirms no radiation hazard from depleted uranium found in Kosovo and Bosnia
April 16, 2001: U.S. EPA releases revised Radionuclide Slope Factors
April 12, 2001: Rio Tinto places 10-year moratorium on Jabiluka uranium mine project (Australia)
April 11, 2001: UK Ministry of Defense seeks comment on screening programme for DU health effects
April 10, 2001: U.S. uranium mining industry requests temporary exemption from licensing fees
April 6, 2001: U.S. Labor Department to manage DOE Worker Compensation program
March 30, 2001: U.S. ATSDR releases Paducah public health assessment for comment
March 30, 2001: Cameco's stake in Energy Resources of Australia Ltd for sale
March 29, 2001: U.S. DOE Releases Historical Studies of Recycled Uranium
March 27, 2001: New developer sought for Cerro Solo uranium mining project (Argentina)
March 27, 2001: COGEMA confirms plans for closure of Cadarache MOX fuel plant (France)
March 26, 2001: Ground Water Remediation Activities at Shiprock, New Mexico, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Site Require Floodplain/Wetlands Involvement
March 23, 2001: Rio Tinto not likely to develop Jabiluka mine in the short-term for opposition and market conditions
March 23, 2001: Rio Tinto stalls efforts to sell majority stake in Energy Resources of Australia Ltd for poor uranium outlook
March 23, 2001: ICRP sets up a Task Group on Protection of the Environment
March 19, 2001: U.S. NRC approves enrichment assay upgrade at Paducah
March 19, 2001: No elevated cancer rate in Italian Balkans soldiers
March 17, 2001: Assessment of abandoned uranium mining sites in Germany completed - Cleanup still not assured
March 15, 2001: Radiation victims dying with IOUs in hand - New bills introduced in U.S. Congress to ensure payments
March 14, 2001: German government approves new radiation protection regulations, allowing for exceedance of 400 mSv lifetime dose standard for Wismut uranium mining cleanup workers
March 13, 2001: WHO to weaken drinking water standard for uranium
March 13, 2001: UNEP releases final report on DU in Kosovo
March 9, 2001: Washington State Dept. of Health terminates Sherwood uranium mill license
March 8, 2001: Sick Hanau nuclear worker accepts settlement and discontinues appeals court case (Germany)
March 7, 2001: U.S. NRC Intends To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (South Carolina)
March 6, 2001: Operating Licence for McClean Lake Mine to be issued (Saskatchewan)
March 6, 2001: Site Preparation Licence for Cigar Lake Mine to be issued (Saskatchewan)
March 6, 2001: European Commission Study Finds No Depleted Uranium - Cancer Link
March 5, 2001: Draft Regulatory Guide for Measuring Airborne Radon Progeny at Uranium Mines and Mills (Canada)
March 2, 2001: U.S. NRC to revise UF6 Transportation Safety Standards
March 2, 2001: U.S. NRC Receives Construction Application For Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (South Carolina)
March 1, 2001: U.S. NRC to approve decommissioning of contaminated land at Umetco East Gas Hills uranium mill site (Wyoming)
February 26, 2001: Depleted Uranium Counterweights Melted into Aluminum Ingots
February 21, 2001: Beverley ISL uranium mine officially opened (South Australia)
February 18, 2001: Wildlife Service Pulls Support of In-Place-Cap for Atlas Moab Tailings (Utah)
February 16, 2001: U.S. NRC issues Preliminary Compliance Evaluation Report on Paducah enrichment assay upgrade project
February 16, 2001: UNEP confirms plutonium found in Kosovo DU ammunition
February 15, 2001: U.S. NRC considers alternatives for rulemaking to regulate uranium industry
February 14, 2001: France to abandon development of atomic vapour laser enrichment technology
February 14, 2001: Cameco to double investment in Inkay project (Kazakhstan)
February 14, 2001: Cameco announces delay of Cigar Lake project (Saskatchewan)
February 14, 2001: Springfields uranium conversion plant to be shut down in 2006 (United Kingdom)
February 14, 2001: Swiss laboratory finds scant plutonium traces in Balkans DU
February 12, 2001: UK Ministry of Defense seeks comment on screening programme for DU health effects
February 7, 2001: USEC uranium stock contaminated with technetium
February 6, 2001: Portuguese investigation team finds no radiation hazard in Kosovo
February 5, 2001: German institute finds no plutonium in Kosovo DU ammunition
February 2, 2001: Canadian Government moves to liberalize ownership rules for Cameco
February 1, 2001: Italian experts find no elevated radiation in Bosnia
February 1, 2001: Czech investigation team finds no DU hazard for soldiers in Kosovo
February 1, 2001: WHO finds no DU cancer link in Kosovo; further study requested
February 1, 2001: Approval for Honeymoon ISL uranium mine in South Australia deferred
January 31, 2001: Merger of nuclear businesses of Framatome and Siemens finalized
January 30, 2001: EPA to issue another aquifer exemption for Christensen Ranch ISL disposal wells (Wyoming)
January 29, 2001: Uranium price recovers after 2 months at US$ 7.10 record low (Ux)
January 28, 2001: International Committee of Red Cross does not support call for ban of DU weapons
January 26, 2001: No uranium found in blood of French Balkans soldiers
January 25, 2001: WHO to probe Depleted Uranium in Iraq
January 25, 2001: McArthur River reserves increased by more than 50% (Saskatchewan)
January 24, 2001: Council of Europe calls for ban on DU weapons
January 24, 2001: NATO releases maps of depleted uranium munition use in Kosovo and Bosnia
January 22, 2001: U.S. Nuclear Industry Files Lawsuit against Drinking Water Radiation Standards
January 22, 2001: U.S. NRC puts import license for depleted uranium counterweights from UK on hold
January 19, 2001: DU ammunition incidents in Germany disclosed
January 19, 2001: WHO Team to Investigate Depleted Uranium and Other Toxic Substances in Kosovo
January 17, 2001: European Parliament demands moratorium for depleted uranium weapons
January 16, 2001: DU semiconductors to solve DU waste problem?
January 16, 2001: U.S. NRC denies petition against use of depleted uranium munitions
January 16, 2001: Concerns about uranium-236 detected in DU used in Kosovo
January, 2001: Belgian Ministry of Defense finds no DU in Kosovo soils
January 13, 2001: Britain's navy to phase out depleted uranium weapons
January 12, 2001: Study finds no significant increase of uranium in urine of German soldiers in Kosovo
January 11, 2001: UN in Kosovo takes steps to thwart possible ill effects of depleted uranium
January 10, 2001: U.S. DOE releases Exposure Assessment Report for Paducah enrichment plant workers: up to 400 workers exposed up to 20-fold in excess of standard
January 9, 2001: Head of UN Kosovo mission invites NGOs to study health risks of depleted uranium ammunition
January 9, 2001: IUC requests license amendment to process alternate feed material from Molycorp Site at its White Mesa Mill, Utah
January 6, 2001: Portuguese probe Kosovo Depleted Uranium sites
January 6, 2001: WHO found no increase in leukemia incidence with Kosovo residents
January 5, 2001: First information about depleted uranium use in Southern Serbia
January 5, 2001: Montenegro to begin decontamination of DU impact site
January 5, 2001: Preliminary results from UNEP Assessment Team on Depleted Uranium use in Kosovo
January 4, 2001: Concerns about leukemias with soldiers who served in the Balkans
January 4, 2001: U.S. Department of Defense confirms Depleted Uranium use in Bosnia 1994/1995

> For older news, see the 2000 News Archive

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