A former uraium mill site near Moab, Utah adjacent to the Colorado River. Photo source: Ecoflight

Lately, my go-to source for western U.S. water news and commentary is Coyote Gulch, a blog with it’s ear on the ground. Earlier this month, it reported here on a nice chunk of change from the U.S. Department of Energy going to clean up after the uranium industry. An excerpt:

Gary Harmon writing for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:

The federal government will provide $108 million from the economic stimulus package to push ahead more quickly with the cleanup of uranium mill tailings from Moab, Utah. The new spending will more than double the number of employees from 125 to at least 275, officials with the U.S. Department of Energy said. The cleanup is scheduled to begin April 20 and is estimated to cost about $1 billion, which will be paid by the Department of Energy.

Footnote: Whole Earth Catalog writer/hipster Stuart Brand recently gave the New York Times an interview. He’s got a book coming out later this year in which he promises to explain why nuclear power is “green.” Can’t wait to see that.

Tip: Muck & Mystery