In January, H.R. 699 -- the Hard Rock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 -- was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. So far, Colorado Reps. Salazar, Polis, and DeGette have co-sponsored the bill. But Rep. Betsy Markey has not yet signed on. Please send Rep. Markey an email and ask her to co-sponsor this important bill.

The Hard Rock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 will help protect Colorado's environment when mining takes place in our state, including uranium mining. The U.S. EPA estimates that 40% of the west's watersheds have been polluted by mining, and with thousands of new mining claims across Colorado, this pollution will continue in the future.

In the last three years, thousands of uranium mining claims have been filed in Colorado, including claims just a few miles from the heavily populated areas of Fort Collins and Greeley. Companies are aggressively exploring for uranium and drilling test holes in many areas of Colorado.

These uranium mines will be either in-situ leach or open pit mines - both are very dangerous. In-situ leach uranium mines pump dangerous chemicals into the aquifer and groundwater to leach out the uranium, and then pump the groundwater to the surface to chemically extract the uranium from the water. Open pit mines involve digging massive open pits that extract uranium by mechanical means.