President Barack Obama designated the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) in December of 2016 in San Juan Country in southeastern Utah by Presidential Proclamation. The original size was about two million square miles. The area inside the monument was largely undeveloped and included a variety of historic, cultural and natural resources.
        Energy Fuels Resources (USA) is a subsidiary of Energy Fuels Resources (CAN). Most of EFR’s mining takes place in the U.S. Southwest and its headquarters is located in Denver. However, it is based in Canada because the Canadian regulatory environment is considered friendly to mining companies. Sixty percent of mining companies world-wide are based in Canada. EFR has the biggest portfolio of in-ground uranium resources of any company in the U.S. and is the largest producer of uranium in the U.S. EFR provides mining and milling services to other companies.
        The original BENM also included or abutted three hundred and fifty uranium mining claims filed by EFR. EFR owns the only uranium mill in the U.S. which is located a few miles from the boundary of the monument. Even being near the monument carries additional regulation for such things as mines and mills.
        In 2017, representatives of EFR met with a senior Department of Interior (DoI) official to lobby for reduction of the BENM. A month later, President Donald Trump ordered a surprise review of BENM which involved the DoI official who met with EFR. When the review was finished, Trump ordered that the BENM be reduced by eighty-five percent. The reduction of BENM removed more than one hundred EFR uranium claims from the BENM.
       It has been announced that the House Natural Resources Committee chaired by Arizona Representative Raul M. Grijalva is going to hold a hearing in March to review the DoI review of BENM. The Committee is investigating whether or not the 2017 review of BENM “had a predetermined outcome of shrinking Bears Ears to benefit the uranium sector generally and Energy Fuels Resources specifically.”
        Grijalva said that if it could be proven that anyone involved with carrying out the review of BENM had met with EFR before the review started, then “all my suspicions as to the motivation behind the shrinkage would be validated… I think it would make our need to get at the bottom of it … it would make it even more significant.”
       Ryan Zinke was a Secretary of the Interior under President Trump but was forced to resign under the burden of a variety of charges of corruption. Zinke has been asked to attend the Committee hearings by Grijalva  but he declined the invitation. Considering his record of corrupt activities while Secretary of the Interior, it would be likely that Zinke used his power as Interior Secretary to help facilitate the reduction of BENM to benefit EFR.
      It would be a major environmental crime against the citizens of this country to subject the unique resources of the original BENM to the degradation and pollution attendant on the mining of uranium. There are other sources of uranium in the U.S. and there is no shortage of uranium that threatens national security.

Ambient office  =  100 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 110 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Crimini mushroom from Central Market =89 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 91 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 83 nanosieverts per hour

        The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) is launching a new project referred to as the Versatile Fast Neutron Source project. This new reactor will be used to provide fast neutron testing capability to assist in the development of advanced nuclear reactor technology. The project is also called the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR).
        Sources of fast neutrons for nuclear technology testing are only operating at a few places in the world and the U.S. has not had one for twenty years. This has prevented the U.S. from using accelerated irradiating testing on new reactor technology, fuels and related materials unless U.S. companies were willing to appeal to China or Russia to help with such testing.
        The Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act was implemented last September. It directs the DoE to develop a reactor-based fast neutron source for testing advanced reactor components and fuels. In addition, it also directs the DoE to begin a program to use high-performance computer modeling and simulation techniques to assist in the development of new reactor technologies.
       Rick Perry is the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He introduced the VTR program February 28th at a joint press conference with the Executive Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Perry said, “This cutting-edge Advanced Reactor will give American companies the ability they currently lack to conduct advanced technology and fuels tests without having to go to our competitors in Russia and China.”
       The DoE says that the VTR will remove a “research gap” and “drastically” reduce the time required to test, develop and qualify advanced reactor technologies. It will also be critical in the creation of new fuels, materials, sensors and instrumentation. Ed McGinnis is the Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of the DoE Office of Nuclear Energy. He said, “Having this domestic capability is critical to our national security and our ability to re-establish ourselves as a global leader in advanced reactor technologies.” The DoE Idaho National Laboratory has already selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’ (GEH) PRISM technology to support the VTR project.
        PRISM stands for Power Reactor Innovative Small Module. The PRISM is a GEH Generation IV reactor which GEH hopes will help close the nuclear fuel cycle in the U.S. PRISM is also part of the GEH proposal for its Advanced Recycling Center proposal which was delivered to the U.S. Congress as a way to deal with nuclear waste. PRISM is a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor based on a scaled up Experimental Breeder Reactor II design. It is a commercial version of the Integral Fast Reactor that was developed by Argonne National Laboratory between 1984 and 1994.
      The PRISM design is intended to be fabricated in factories to lower the cost and standardize the construction. It has passive cooling systems which will always operate and automatically lower the core temperature in case the reactor gets too hot.
        GEH has been subcontracted to collaborate with the Bechtel Corporation to develop the design and cost estimates for the construction of an PRISM integral sodium-cooled fast reactor. On March 1st, DoE said that it will begin conceptual design of the reactor which may be completed as early as 2026.

Ambient office  =  103 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 119 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 118 nanosieverts per hour

White onion from Central Market = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =  100 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 130 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Green beans from Central Market =80 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 87 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =  102 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 110 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Potato from Central Market = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Wild Rock Fish – Caught in USA = 91 nanosieverts per hour