LAWMAKERS FROM URANIUM STATES EXPRESS CONCERN OVER DUF6 TAILS BILL: Lawmakers Warn that Re-Enrichment Measure Could Hurt Uranium Prices, Lead to Lost Jobs

摘要

Lawmakers from uranium-producing states raised concern this week over language in a proposed House bill that would increase the Department of Energy' s annual limit on how much of its inventory of excess uranium it can transfer or sell for other purposes. The "Energy and Revenue Enrichment Act of 2011" would require DOE to establish a program to re-enrich a portion of its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride tails for later sale, and would set an annual sale limit of 15 percent of the domestic uranium supply, up from the Department's self-imposed 10 percent limit. In a June 22 letter to leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the subcommittee on Energy and Power, the lawmakers warned the bill could have a damaging impact on uranium prices that have already seen a drop due to factors such as the Fuki-shima nuclear power plant disaster. "As written, H.R. 2054 would exacerbate the problem by further depressing the value of uranium and conversion," wrote Reps. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) and Adrian Smith (R-Neb.).