A new uranium mine could potentially come to northeast Wyoming with the help of a Colorado-based company.
The mine would be in Campbell County located near Wright, Wyo. It is projected to operate for about 20 years and produce about 1.5 million pounds of uranium a year, bringing in about $90 million to Wyoming in mineral taxes, the Associated Press reported.
Uranium could potentially add great economic value to the state of Wyoming in addition to the amount it will bring in with taxes as it can be used in smoke detectors, airplanes, x-ray machines and nuclear power plants. It will also employ about 75 people with a payroll of about 5.5 million people, according to the Associated Press.
Wyoming’s mine comes at a time when uranium mines are stirring controversy, particularly in Virginia, where the state is considering lifting a 30-year ban on uranium mining.
The Wyoming mine stirred some controversy of its own in May 2012 when people became concerned about wildlife in the area that might be affected by it, including sage grouse.
However, Erik Molvar of the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance said there was really nothing to worry about.
“There is little doubt that this is a high-impact industrial project that will have major impacts on local sage grouse populations,” Molvar said in a media release in May.
AUC, the company that proposed the mine, says it will operate on about 6,000 acres.
