A uranium mining boom is spreading in Texas

Mikaelsen thought he had won. But when TCEQ commissioners took up the matter a few months later, they again rejected all of the judge’s findings.

A: 19 page order published in September, the panel concluded that “faults within 2.5 miles of its proposed disposal wells are not sufficiently conductive or vertical to permit migration of hazardous components from the injection zone.” The panel found that nearby older oil wells “are likely sufficiently plugged and will not provide a fluid path.”

“UEC has demonstrated that the proposed disposal wells will prevent the movement of fluids that would result in contamination of an underground source of drinking water,” according to the order granting the injection disposal permit.

“I felt it was rigged,” Michaelsen said, holding up his 4-inch-thick binder of research and case notes.

Another set of permit renewals remains before the Goliad mine is operational, and local officials are also fighting it.In August, the Goliad County Commissioners Court passed a the resolution against uranium mining in the county. It is an underground water district seeking to challenge permits again in the administrative court. And in November, district sued TCEQ in Travis County District Court seeking to overturn the agency’s permit approvals.

Because of the lawsuit, a TCEQ spokesman declined to answer questions about the Goliad County mine, saying the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

A final set of permits must be renewed before the mine can begin production, however, after years of frustration, county leaders are not optimistic about their ability to influence the decision.

According to Art Dohman, vice president of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District, only about 40 communities immediately surround the Goliad mine. But Dohman, who has worked for the district’s groundwater authority for 23 years, worries that the uranium, radium and arsenic accumulated during mining will leave the area years later.

“Groundwater is moving. It’s a slow pace, but once that arsenic is released, it’s there forever,” Dohman said. “After a generation, it will affect the downstream areas.”

UEC did not respond to a request for comment.

TCEQ is currently evaluating opportunities to further expand and promote uranium production in Texas, following a directive issued last year when lawmakers from the Nuclear Caucus added an item to TCEQ’s annual budget ordinance. study Uranium resources will be produced for state lawmakers by December 2024, before next year’s legislative session.

According to the budget article, “The report shall include recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes and potential economic incentive programs to support the uranium mining industry in this state.”