Moratoria and Bans on Uranium Exploration and Mining
(last updated 13 Nov 2009)
Canada · USA · Denmark · Greenland · Ireland · Australia · New Zealand
On April 24, 2008, British Columbia imposed a ban on uranium exploration.
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On February 27, 1980, the B.C. Minister of Mines had announced a seven-year moratorium on the recording of mineral claims for the purpose of uranium exploration and the development of uranium deposits on existing claims. The moratorium expired in 1987.
On April 8, 2008, the Nunatsiavut Government imposed a 3-year moratorium on uranium mining on Labrador Inuit Lands.
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Nova Scotia has had a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining since 1982. If a company finds uranium in concentrations greater than 100 parts per million, it must report those results and stop digging.
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On April 29, 2005, Navajo Nation President Joseph Shirley Jr. signed the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005 that outlaws uranium mining and processing on the Navajo reservation.
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The Hualapai Tribal Council has voted to ban uranium mining on its Tribal lands which are located near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
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Uranium mining has been barred in Virginia by a 25-year-old moratorium.
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Greenland doesn't allow any uranium mining or prospecting to take place on the island. On Nov. 27, 2008, however, the Greenland parliament agreed to support the extraction of uranium as a by-product from mines where other minerals are the primary target (view details).
Uranium prospection licenses denied in Donegal
The Queensland state government policy prohibits uranium mining.
The Uranium Mining and Nuclear Facilities (Prohibitions) Act 1986 prohibits prospecting or mining for uranium.
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The Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983 prohibits exploration and mining for uranium.
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Under a 1996 minerals programme, prospecting, exploration and mining of uranium are no longer permitted.
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