(USA) Federal regulators investigating SC uranium spill The Sun News The Associated Press 1 Feb 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Federal regulators are at a South Carolina nuclear fuel plant investigating a spill of wastewater containing uranium.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday a team had arrived at the Westinghouse Electric Co. plant near Columbia.
The NRC says about 200 gallons of wastewater containing ammonia and uranium spilled Jan. 24 after a pump failed.
Australia Issues Red Alert as Tropical Cyclone Approaches Coast By Jason ScottDec. 16 (Bloomberg) – Australia issued its highest storm alert as Tropical Cyclone Laurence’s winds strengthened to as high as 285 kilometers (177 miles) per hour as it approached the northwestern coast, where offshore oil and gas rigs were evacuated earlier………..
Cyclone George in March 2007 caused flooding at Energy Resources of Australia Ltd.’s Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory.
Australia Issues Red Alert as Tropical Cyclone Approaches Coast – Bloomberg.com
2 SRS workers fired over dropping uranium AugustaChronicle.com By Rob Pavey | Staff Writer Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 Savannah River Site officials have taken corrective actions — and fired two workers — after two incidents in H Canyon in which bundles of highly enriched uranium were dropped by a crane. (more…)
Arch1 5 August 09
Currently GA’s largest profits come from it’s manufacture of the Predator unmanned aerial drone vehicle. Privately held General Atomics says its revenue from the drone business totals about $150 million annually……………..
With these high profile political and military connections it would seem the new 4 mile uranium mine in Australia is in safe hands.
But is it?
In October 1991, three years after General Atomics purchased Sequoyah Fuels Corp who operated in a uranium processing plant at Gore, 135 miles east of Oklahoma City, the plant was ordered to be shutdown by the nuclear agency.
The shutdown was prompted by an inspection in August 1990 during which an agent from the nuclear agency’s field office in Arlington, Tex., discovered unusually high concentrations of uranium in water at the bottom of a construction pit at Sequoyah Fuels.
The Government found uranium in the water at levels 35,000 times higher than Federal law allows.
In 1992 it was found Sequoyah Fuels Corp, a GA subsidury left 20, 000 pounds of uranium contaminated soil beneath the main processing building.
…………………………resulting in GA closing the mine down completely stating it could not afford the clear up costs.
In May 2002, at its Beverley mine in South Australia, a section of PVC pipe broke apart, releasing 14,900 liters of water containing uranium into the Australian outback.
South Australia state officials had already ordered urgent changes to rules on reporting leaks after revelations that Heathgate had logged some two dozen spills since the mine was opened in 1998.
In one of the worst spills, 62,000 liters of radioactive uranium solution spewed from a ruptured pipe on January 12.
