NRC Must Risk-Inform Licensing of Uranium Mine Remediation

There are thousands of abandoned uranium mines across the United States. Many of these mines played a pivotal role in fueling the country's rapid build-out of atomic weapons. Now these mines lie abandoned, leaving behind a legacy of environmental degradation and health risks that are impacting people’s daily lives. Indigenous communities, in particular, have experienced disproportionate impacts, as many mines are located on or near tribal lands. Remediation of abandoned uranium mines is and must continue to be a national priority. Given the urgency and scale of the situation, we must re-evaluate our current regulatory structure to ensure that it continues to serve the public interest.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently considering SECY-23-0055: Options for Licensing Emerging Technologies Used for Remediation of Mine Waste. The options provided do not fully consider the general welfare of the public or the environment.

Licensing and regulations should be commensurate with the risk. The options provided focus solely on the existing licensing pathway for uranium mills and only consider the risk of a licensed action while ignoring the general welfare. In this case, maintaining the status quo presents and perpetuates the highest risk to the public and the environment. Therefore, as the Atomic Energy Act requires, the NRC should consider the ongoing impacts on the welfare of the public and environment, in this case, by risk-informing the regulation.

You can read our full letter to the NRC here.