weighing all the factors

When assessing the likelihood of an explorer/developer ever reaching production there are many factors to consider such as viability in economic terms, the program to production – how robust is the support to the company in the interim, and then also consideration of the other environmental elements which may play a part.

I know TAC is a bad word here and as indicated prior I have no affiliations whatsoever. My first impression of this group was as painted by some of the more enthusiastic cheerleaders here, negative and mischievious. However, responsible investors should set their bias aside long enough to learn about this group and understand what it is that motivates them to act as they do.
The link also provides some background to the activities at Hansen-Taylor and a summary of the contentions which are likely to surface as BLR begins the process of gaining the approvals they need to ever mine anything http://coyotegulch.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/fremont-county-tallahassee-area-residents-are-now-1000-strong-in-opposition-to-black-ranges-uranium-operation/

I’m sure any rational person could not come away maintaining the idea that this is calculated mischief by a small isolated group of scoundrels, but rather an increasingly large and motivated group who’s lifestyle may be threatened by BLR’s activities. For anyone to suggest the hearing process that might resolve each sides concerns and legal position in these matters will be quickly resolved is to perpetrate a furphy of note.

I have come upon some information which may shed a bit more light on the current debate relating to material classification.

Source material definitions do not vary between State and Federal law, and are as per the NRC website link posted earlier. Bottom line is any material with more than 500ppm (0.05%) Uranium content is source material, whether it’s in a stockpile somewhere or pulled up from underground.

Similarly, State and Federal laws have identical byproduct definition. From 11e (2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,
“Byproduct Material means the tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or concentration of uranium or thorium from any ore processed primarily for its source material content, including discrete surface wastes resulting from uranium solution extraction processes. Underground ore bodies depleted by such solution extraction operations do not constitute "byproduct material" within this definition.”

For BLR the key issues are:
1) that the waste produced by ablation (90% of original ore mass and the process water) contain residual uranium, radium (decay product of U) and whatever heavy metals in the ore and potentially release airborne & water borne radon.
2) the uranium is concentrated in the ore (note "extraction or concentration)". That is the stated objective of the process. The uranium is in the form of UO2, natural uranium, not U3O8 which is the chemically converted form suitable for conversion to UF6 gas for enrichment. Both are uranium oxides and the regulations do not even refer to anything but "uranium".

I therefore stands to reason that ablation waste can be interpreted as byproduct material.

Consider the definition of uranium milling:
Federal Law: Uranium Milling means any activity that results in the production of byproduct material as defined in this part.
Colorado law: There is currently no such definition but the regulators have proposed the federal definition.

However, this definition currently exists in the Colorado Radiation Control Regulations Part 1:
“Source material milling” means any activity that results in the production of radioactive material that meets byproduct material definition .
When the source material being processed produces byproduct material it is milling.

Non-conventional and/or exploratory milling and only one step in the whole milling process, to be sure, but still milling.

Lots of regulatory hurdles to overcome, lots of public interest issues to resolve, and lots of time before the green light may come on.

Take the time to consider all these things.