Why I created powertechexposed.com
This site is dedicated to uncovering the facts surrounding Powertech Uranium Corp.'s proposal to mine uranium in Weld County, Colorado. Furthermore, its purpose is to protect the health, environment, property, and livelihoods of residents, landowners, and business owners by petitioning elected officials and government agencies on this matter of heightened public concern.
My family and I live on the prairie between the towns of Wellington and Nunn, Colorado. Our land is about two miles west of the area that Powertech wants to mine. Our water, and all our neighbors' water, comes from wells drilled into the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer.
After reviewing the history of uranium mining by the in situ leach and open pit methods, my opinion is that this project would likely contaminate the groundwater aquifer used by hundreds of well owners, disperse windblown radioactive dust over the Fort Collins/Wellington/Nunn/Ault area, and negatively impact the real estate market and general economic prosperity of this part of northern Colorado.
Powertech proposes to mine on at least twelve sections of land, roughly 7,000 acres, located between the City of Fort Collins and the towns of Wellington, Nunn, and Ault. One of the mining areas is six miles from the city limits of Fort Collins, and much of the mining area is located within the proposed growth management area of the town of Nunn.
The proposed project is generally referred to as the Centennial Project. In fact, it is two projects: The "Indian Springs" project consists of the seven northern sections where in situ leach mining is proposed. The "Centennial" project includes the five southern sections of land slated for sand and gravel mining followed by conventional open-pit uranium mining.
At the July 19, 2007 open house in Nunn, Powertech representatives suggested the company is considering an untested alternative to open-pit mining on the southern sections - flooding the area to saturate the shallow uranium deposits, followed by "modified" in situ leaching. Powertech officials admit that this flooding process has never been attempted.
The Canadian corporation, incorporated in 1984 as Ararat Oil & Minerals Inc., has for most of its existence been a manufacturer of boilers and water heaters. In May 2006, control of the publicly-traded shell corporation was transferred to the current goup of managers who announced that the company was now in the uranium mining business. However, Powertech has never mined uranium, has never realized revenue from mining uranium, and has never obtained a permit to conduct uranium mining.
It has, however, raised more than $23 million in Europe and Canada by promoting and selling penny stock to investors. The promotion of Powertech has been orchestrated from its head office in Centennial, Colorado and its corporate office in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Vancouver address has been shared by at least six other Canadian penny stock firms in the recent past.
Thanks to the friends, neighbors, public officials, anonymous sources, Powertech employees and contractors, and others who provide inspiration, ideas, and content for this site - your contributions are greatly appreciated.
Jim Woodward
Wellington, Colorado, USA