Michaelson thought he had won. But when TCEQ commissioners raised the question several months later, they again rejected all of the judge's findings.
one in 19 page order Issued in September, the commission concluded that “faults within 2.5 miles of its proposed disposal wells are not sufficiently transmissive or vertically extensive to permit migration of hazardous components from the injection zone.” The commission found that nearby old oil wells, “are probably substantially plugged and will not provide pathways for the movement of fluids.”
“UEC has demonstrated that the proposed disposal wells will prevent flow of liquids into an underground source of drinking water resulting in pollution,” the order granting the injection disposal permit said.
“I felt like it was rigged, a setup,” Michelson said, holding up his 4-inch-thick binder of research and records from the case. “It was a canned decision.”
The Goliad mine has one more set of permit renewals to go before it can begin operating, and local officials are also fighting it. In August, the Goliad County Commissioners Court passed a Resolution Against uranium mining in the county. groundwater district is I want to challenge Permit again in administrative court. And in November, the district filed a lawsuit against TCEQ is seeking to overturn the agency's permit approval in Travis County District Court.
Due to the lawsuit, a TCEQ spokesperson declined to answer questions about the Goliad County mine site, saying the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
The final set of permits have yet to be renewed before production at the mine can begin. However, after years of frustration, district leaders are not optimistic about their ability to influence the decision.
According to Art Dohman, vice president of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District, there are only about 40 residences around the Goliad mine site. They may be the only ones affected in the near future. But Dohman, who has served on the groundwater district board for 23 years, is concerned that uranium, radium and arsenic produced in the mining process will leach from the site as the years go by.
“Groundwater moves. It's a slow motion, but once the arsenic is released, it's there forever,” Dohmann said. “In a generation, it's going to affect downstream areas.”
UEC did not respond to a request for comment.
Currently, TCEQ is evaluating possibilities to further expand and encourage uranium production in Texas. This follows a directive given last year, when Nuclear Caucus lawmakers added an item to TCEQ's biennial budget order a search Uranium resources will be produced for state lawmakers by December 2024, ahead of next year's legislative session.
According to the budget item, “The report should include recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes and potential economic incentive programs to support the uranium mining industry in this state.”