Uranium
Program:
Uranium exploration on US
Forest Service land south of the Grand Canyon has been delayed more
than two years due to environmental group objections, and because of
delays in the statutory environmental analysis process reportedly
created by Kaibab National Forest budget shortages and understaffing.
The environmental group objections are based on their
well-publicized fears that uranium mining activities in the Grand
Canyon region would lead to mining-related contamination of the
Colorado River. In late 2008, the Kaibab Joint Venture between DIR
Exploration, Inc., and Takara Resources, Inc., decided to carry out a
NEPA Environmental Assessment on its own in order to expedite the
processing of its drilling plans. With the help of three consultant
firms, the Kaibab JV completed its 184-page Draft EA in 3 ½ months
and submitted the document to the Kaibab National Forest in
mid-February 2009. A copy of the Draft EA can be downloaded from
http://public.dirxploration.fastmail.us/.
Risk-analysis described
in the EA, based on US Geological water quality data and hydrological
studies, indicates that the Colorado River water quality would be
under no threat from continued uranium exploration and mining in
northern Arizona. This result is consistent with the preliminary
findings of the Water Sustainability Program at the University of
Arizona reported this past February 23rd by the Environmental Working
Group, see pdf copy posted here.
Further
commentary regarding this subject can be found at Lee Allison's Blog on
Arizona Geology here.
Using breccia pipe
exploration and ore body discovery data obtained from the BLM, the US
Forest Service, breccia pipe mining companies, and historical uranium
spot prices, the Kaibab JV EA also determined that from 6 to 20 new
high-grade breccia pipe uranium mines can be expected to be developed
in Coconino County south of the Grand Canyon over the next 20 years.
Employing a mean or expected value of 11 new mine developments in
this area, the EA showed that 1,100 additional jobs for a total of
11,000 job-years would be created in Coconino County by the
establishment of the uranium mining industry south of the Grand
Canyon. Estimated total annual personal income added to the Coconino
County economy would be about $67,400,000 per year with only
temporary and minor impacts on the natural environment of the county.
In a useful comparison, this amount of added annual income and job
growth would be almost 6X’s the amount of annual personal income
and 3X’s the full-time equivalent jobs currently supported each
year by the commercial rafting industry of the Grand Canyon.
Interestingly, re-entry
of the uranium mining industry to Coconino County appears to be very
timely: Newly-published economic research indicates that states that
add new types of businesses to their economies during a
recession
experience significantly shorter periods of recession
http://www.jrap-journal.org/pastvolumes/2000/v38/F3831.pdf).
Gopher
Gold Prospect:
DIR Exploration, Inc., completed negotiations of the mineral lease
of its Gopher gold prospect (Shine claims) located in Humboldt
County, Nevada, in August 2008. The Gopher is a Sleeper-type gold
prospect discovered by DIR which is approximately 3.5 miles
north-northeast of the high grade Sleeper Mine previously developed
by AMAX. The leasing company is Pediment Gold, LLC., a US subsidiary
of a Toronto-listed junior exploration and mining company, Nevada
Exploration, Inc. (http://www.nevadaexploration.com.
Terms of the lease between DIR and Pediment Gold include the
drilling by Pediment of at least 9 reverse circulation drill holes on
the property totaling no less than 5400 feet within the first two
years of the agreement.
