KINGMAN, Ariz., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Denison Mines President Ron Hochstein said uranium mining has returned to northern Arizona for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Hochstein said while environmental groups attempted to stop the uranium mining in Mohave County, Ariz., with a lawsuit last September, his company obtained permission from state and Bureau of Land Management officials to mine for high-grade ore, The (Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun said Wednesday.
"They're challenging the permits, but the BLM and state have given us all the permits we need to operate," Hochstein insists.
Ore was first removed from the company's Arizona 1 mine in December and the ore is being transported to a mill outside Blanding, Utah, where it can be refined into yellowcake.
Grand Canyon Trust attorney Neil Levine told the Daily Sun the 2009 lawsuit regarding the mine remains incomplete and environmental groups still insist the uranium mining could have significant consequences.
"Any mining in the area has the potential to affect groundwaters and surface waters. That causes both Las Vegas and Los Angeles' water districts to object to the mining," Levine said.
