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Federal Board Delivers Mixed Decision On Uranium License

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A federal board has revised a license granted to a company that wants to mine for uranium in western South Dakota.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a year ago issued a license to Powertech Uranium Corp. for the proposed Dewey-Burdock mine near Edgemont. Powertech is now Azarga Uranium.

The license was put on hold when mine opponents including the Oglala Sioux raised questions about possible damage to aquifers and cultural sites.

The Rapid City Journal reports ( ) that the board has ruled in Azarga’s favor on five challenges relating to water quality and quantity. But it also instructed the company to make more efforts to locate existing drill holes at the site to prevent contamination, and it said the mine could threaten cultural sites.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal,