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<br />., , ~ <br /> <br />OJJ5u3 <br /> <br />Executive Summary of Critical Issues <br />Topic - Moab Tailings Pile <br /> <br />Last Updated <br />February 1, 2005 <br /> <br />CAP Position <br />This is a problem that deserves CAP attention. We need not necessarily take a <br />position on the "cap it or move it" issue, but we should make clear that we are <br />concerned that the Moab situation be dealt with, and as soon as possible, to <br />protect the integrity and quality of the Colorado River water supply. <br /> <br />Summary of Issue: <br />Approximately 130 acres of uranium tailings are piled less than 1000 feet from <br />the bank of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah and is a source of toxic <br />seepage into groundwater and into the river. The Colorado River is the main <br />source of drinking water for about 25 million downstream residents in Arizona <br />and California. The tailings are the byproduct of processing uranium ores from <br />many small mines in the area between 1956 and 1984, when its then owner <br />Atlas Corp. shut down the mill. <br /> <br />Responsibility for cleanup was passed to the Department of Energy after Atlas <br />Corp. went bankrupt. In January 2000, the Department of Energy (DOE) came <br />up with a plan to relocate the pile. DOE has successfully relocated a number of <br />smaller uranium mill tailings piles in the past. <br /> <br />In October 2001, the DOE presented a Draft Preliminary Plan for Remediation, <br />analyzing in greater detail the options of maintenance in place (capping) and of <br />relocation. The cost estimates dramatically rose to $114 million and $364 <br />million, respectively. Congress ordered the Draft Plan be submitted to the <br />National Academy of Sciences for review. <br /> <br />Status as of February 1. 2005 <br />In November 2004, DOE released a draft environmental impact statement <br />(DEIS) that outlines a removal plan, a cap-and-Ieave-in-p1ace plan, and a "do <br />nothing" option (which is required by law). The DEIS does not identify a <br />preferred alternative. Public hearings were held in January 2005 and <br />comments on the DEIS are being accepted through February 18, 2005. The <br />final environmental impact statement (EIS) will consider public comments, <br />information contained in the DEIS and "other factors, including the costs of the <br />alternative actions." No date is indicated when a final EIS will be issued. <br />