A New Mexico-based uranium manufacturer plans to move forward with a mining operation in the western part of the state after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that its land is not part of Indian Country.The full 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in a 6-5 decision that the U.S. Environmental safety Agency erred when it determined that a parcel of land near the Navajo community of Church Rock was Indian land.
The decision means that Hydro Resources Inc. can seek an underground injection control permit from the state of New Mexico rather than the EPA, which has permitting influence on tribal lands.Hydro Resources wants to inject chemicals into the ground to release uranium and pump the solution to the surface in a process called in-situ escape.
“I think that it's clear we were right all along, and we have been vindicated,” said Rick Van Horn, senior vice president of operation for Hydro's parent firm, Uranium Resources Inc. “That doesn't mean we are going to go ahead and do this without discussion with the other stakeholders in the society and surrounding areas.”
The decision means that Hydro Resources Inc. can seek an underground injection control permit from the state of New Mexico rather than the EPA, which has permitting influence on tribal lands.Hydro Resources wants to inject chemicals into the ground to release uranium and pump the solution to the surface in a process called in-situ escape.
“I think that it's clear we were right all along, and we have been vindicated,” said Rick Van Horn, senior vice president of operation for Hydro's parent firm, Uranium Resources Inc. “That doesn't mean we are going to go ahead and do this without discussion with the other stakeholders in the society and surrounding areas.”
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