Vintage, Barrasco is a great proponent of uranium ISR mining in...

Vintage, Barrasco is a great proponent of uranium ISR mining in Wyoming as is his colleague Senator Enzi.

Gillette is the hometown of U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, a conservative Republican who is also a former mayor of Gillette and member of both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature.




President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am contacting you regarding my concerns with the acquisition of a significant amount of America's uranium reserves by Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), which is owned by the Russian government. I emphatically oppose granting-an export license to ARMZ, which would allow the Russian government to ship U.S. uranium overseas. I request that your Administration inform me immediately should ARMZ file. a request for a license with the NRC to export U.S. uranium. ARMZ has acquired a 52 percent stake in Uranium One, Inc. Uranium One, Inc. owns significant uranium assets in the United States through its subsidiary Uranium One USA. This transaction gives the Russian government control over a sizeable portion of America's uranium production capacity. I have concerns regarding this transaction given Russia's record of supporting nuclear programs in countries that are openly hostile to the United States. Russia has directly aided Iran's nuclear development and agreed on October 15, 2010 to help develop Venezuela's nuclear program. With a record that suggests support for interests that are at odds with our national security, I urge you to take every precaution

Domestic uranium production is important to U.S. energy security. It also provides good paying jobs in Wyoming. The U.S. currently imports nearly 90 percent of the uranium used in America's nuclear power plants. We must promote U.S. uranium development by eliminating permitting delays that hinder the industry's growth. There are currently more than a dozen license applications pending at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for uranium mines in Wyoming. These applications date back as far as 2007. Proposed mines are also facing permitting delays from the Bureau of Land Management. Instead of allowing for domestic uranium to be shipped overseas, I hope we can work together to ensure that our domestic industry can grow in an expeditious manner to lessen our nation's dependence on foreign uranium.
America's national and energy security' must be paramount in this matter. Thank you for your attention to this letter.
Sincerely,
Michael B. Enzi
United States Senator


Below is the crux of the answer from NRC

Under its governing statutes, the NRC regulates to assure the safe use of nuclear materials, but does not have a role in promoting any particular use of those materials. With respect to your request for cooperation with the Executive Branch in fostering a robust domestic
uranium industry, the Department of Energy would be the agency responsible for such concerns. If you need any additional information, please contact me or Ms. Rebecca Schmidt, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Gregory B. Jaczko