The uranium industry worldwide is experiencing what is being termed a “nuclear renaissance.” Increasing awareness of global warming effects, rising energy demand, and desire to reduce dependence on foreign oil have created an unprecedented worldwide demand for nuclear energy, which in turn is driving uranium prices to the highest they have ever been in history. Uranium owners in the United States are rushing to renew mining permits and milling licenses to reactivate operations that have been abandoned, in some cases, for as long as 25 years.

Tetra Tech is the environmental permitting program manager for Denison Mines’ conventional uranium mines in the United States. Our responsibilities include agency interface, engineering, environmental baseline development, and application preparation for permits for air quality, surface water discharge, groundwater quality, construction, and operating permits. We also support reclamation bonding for multiple new and reactivated mines throughout the Rocky Mountain states.

In part because of Tetra Tech’s performance in support of Denison’s United States operations, our role was expanded toGinclude management of Denison’s Asia resource development program at two sites in Mongolia.

Highlight:
After Tetra Tech delivered the first of Denison’s conventional uranium mine permits to Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining in 2006, the technical manager of the state’s review team advised our client that our submittal was “one of the best written applications he had read in his tenure at the agency.” The state subsequently approved the permit request in an unprecedented turnaround time of four months.