Conservation Economics Institute

The EPA has recently released a draft economic analysis for proposed revisions to protection standards for uranium mill tailings. With uranium mining operations transitioning from open pit and surface mining to in-situ recovery (ISR) operations taking place below ground, EPA has issued a subpart F to revise 40 CFR Part 192 by adding monitoring requirements to help protect groundwater.  We applaud the EPA for updating health and environmental standards for uranium operations, but we see a number of areas where EPA’s economic analysis could be improved.  CEI worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council to inform economic policy for protecting groundwater.