Source NRC
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an operating license to Uranium One Americas, Inc., for the Moore Ranch in situ uranium recovery facility in the Powder River Basin region of Wyoming.
The Moore Ranch facility covers approximately 7,100 acres in northeastern Wyoming. Uranium One Americas submitted the application for the facility on Oct. 2, 2007. It was the first application for a uranium recovery license accepted by the NRC in two decades. The license is the first issued by the NRC for a uranium recovery facility since 1998.
The NRC's review of the application included an environmental review published Aug. 27 as a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which referenced the agency's Generic Environmental Impact Statement for in situ leach uranium recovery facilities.
The review also included a Safety Evaluation Report, which concluded the proposed facility can operate safely, including management of radiological and chemical hazards, groundwater protection, and eventual cleanup and decommissioning.
The Moore Ranch EIS, NUREG-1910 Supplement 1, is available on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/ . The Safety Evaluation Report and the license are available through the NRC's online ADAMS document database at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/adams-public.html , by searching for accession number ML101180487. More information on the Moore Ranch application is available at http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/uranium/apps-in-review/moore-ranch-new-appreview .