Released on February 25, 2011
The Saskatchewan government has committed an additional $36.2 million to the clean-up of an abandoned uranium mine site in northern Saskatchewan.
The Gunnar site is an abandoned uranium mine site the provincial and federal governments are cleaning up in the Uranium City area. The Saskatchewan Research Council, which has been managing the process for the past four years, has identified additional remediation work required on the site. Project costs have also risen beyond the original estimates developed prior to 2004.
"We are serious about our environmental commitments and will spend what is necessary to clean up the Gunnar site," Energy and Resources Deputy Minister Kent Campbell said. "Environmental protection and the public health and safety of northerners are our prime concerns."
This "Cold War legacy mine" was a small, short-term mining operation from the 1950s and 1960s near Uranium City. Following completion of operations, the uranium mine was abandoned at a time when environmental controls for decommissioning and reclaiming such sites were limited or non-existent. Responsibility for bringing the site up to today's standards cannot be placed with the mining companies involved since they no longer exist.
Four years ago the two levels of government signed an agreement for the clean-up of legacy mine sites. In a parallel process, the provincial government established a world-leading Institutional Control Program and Registry to address the long-term management of abandoned and existing mine sites, including those for uranium.
"Saskatchewan's modern-day mining industry is highly regulated and practises strong environmental stewardship," Campbell said. "The industry has worked with our ministry to develop a modern program that is considered a world-class standard for the long-term management of decommissioned mine sites."
The federal government is expected to commit equal funding to the Gunnar clean-up.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Roy Schneider
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691