Welcome to A People's Atlas of Nuclear Colorado
To experience the full richness of the Atlas, please view on desktop.
Navigating the Atlas
You may browse the Atlas by following the curated "paths" of information and interpretation provided by the editors. These paths roughly track the movement of radioactive materials from the earth, into weapons or energy sources, and then into unmanageable waste—along with the environmental, social, technical, and ethical ramifications of these processes. In addition to the stages of the production process, you may view in sequence the positivist, technocratic version of this story, or the often hidden or repressed shadow side to the industrial processing of nuclear materials.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
A flyer opposing the Centennial Uranium Project, 2008, Coloradans Against Resource Destruction
Site
Centennial Project
Located in Weld County near Nunn, Colorado, the Centennial Uranium Project is part of a growing effort to revive Colorado's moribund uranium mining industry in order to capitalize on a push for more nuclear power in the United States as a much lower carbon alternative to coal- and gas-fired power plants. The project would use the leaching process to dissolve uranium within surrounding sediment in the Fox Hills Formation, using large quantities of water which would then need to be purified and pumped back into the ground. Coloradans Against Resource Destruction (CARD) have opposed the project on the grounds that water recovery operations threaten the local aquifer.
In 2006, Vancouver-based Powertech Inc. bought mineral rights and leases over the Centennial Project, which was explored in the 1970s by Rocky Mountain Energy. More than 3,500 holes and 300,000 meters were drilled between 1970 and 2009. Powertech merged with Hong Kong-based Azarga Resources Limited in 2014 and the project was temporarily halted due to difficulty meeting regulatory time limitations to establish a baseline groundwater characterization plan. However, the project was quietly revived in 2015 despite opposition by CARD, even as other environmental groups in Colorado are resistant to what they consider this “dirty front end" of uranium mining.
Azarga Uranium. "Centennial Uranium Project." Accessed September 20, 2021.
In 2006, Vancouver-based Powertech Inc. bought mineral rights and leases over the Centennial Project, which was explored in the 1970s by Rocky Mountain Energy. More than 3,500 holes and 300,000 meters were drilled between 1970 and 2009. Powertech merged with Hong Kong-based Azarga Resources Limited in 2014 and the project was temporarily halted due to difficulty meeting regulatory time limitations to establish a baseline groundwater characterization plan. However, the project was quietly revived in 2015 despite opposition by CARD, even as other environmental groups in Colorado are resistant to what they consider this “dirty front end" of uranium mining.
Sources
Williams, David O. "Powertech Says No Negative Connotation to EPA Withdrawal of Uranium Mining Permit." The Colorado Independent, February 10, 2011. Accessed July 31, 2020.Azarga Uranium. "Centennial Uranium Project." Accessed September 20, 2021.
Loading...
Continue on "Extraction"