Blubaugh accuses powertechexposed.com webmaster of intentionally disseminating false, misleading, or defamatory information
VP claims solution mining, permitting, and regulations are misunderstood
Posted August 12, 2007, Updated August 14, 2007
In a July 18 letter to me from Richard Blubaugh, Powertech's Vice-President of Environmental Health & Safety Resources, Mr. Blubaugh expresses his displeasure with the content of this website by accusing me of lying and defamation, and claiming I don't understand
in-situ leach mining and related regulations and permitting requirements. Below I address his charges:
Blubaugh: "It is clear from the
information published on www.powertechexposed.com that you may not know
or
may misunderstand many important facts related to ISR, its permitting
processes and the applicable regulatory
requirements."
JW: Mr. Blubaugh fails to mention which facts I may misunderstand, so I am unable to respond to his claim.
Blubaugh: "Intentionally disseminating false, misleading or defamatory information will accomplish nothing meaningful, and will only serve to undermine your credibility."
JW: Once again, Mr. Blubaugh does not specify which information on the site is false, misleading, or defamatory.
Blubaugh: "Powertech (USA) Inc. will address all continued inaccuracies swiftly and appropriately."
JW: If I have inaccurate information on the site, I welcome corrections from Mr. Blubaugh. He has had my email address and phone number since late May. Since no such corrections have been forthcoming, I must assume that my information is accurate or that Mr. Blubaugh is simply unwilling to engage in an honest discussion of the issues.
JULY 18, 2007 LETTER FROM RICHARD BLUBAUGH TO JIM WOODWARD:
POWERTECH (USA) INC.
Richard E. Blubaugh
Vice President Environmental
Health & Safety Resources
July 18, 2007
Jim Woodward
xxxxx Weld County Rd. 15
Wellington, CO 80549
E-mailed to jbw@frii.com
Dear Mr. Woodward:
As you are aware, Powertech (USA) Inc., the wholly owned subsidiary of
Powertech Uranium Corp., is in the
process of collecting preliminary environmental baseline data for its
proposed in-situ recovery (ISR) operation
in Weld County, Colorado. In fact, last month, the company received Colorado
Division of Reclamation and
Mining Safety approval to proceed with the drilling of 23 additional
monitoring wells for the Centennial Project.
Drilling commenced July 16, 2007.
Our Colorado-based team would like to personally
extend an invitation to you, to attend an open house to meet
the team, get factual details and information on ISR and ask questions. The
meeting will take place in the
Nunn Town Hall on Thursday, July 19, from 4:00 PM to 7:30PM. We believe the
information made available at
this meeting would be helpful to you and the community at large in
understanding accurately what the project
entails. It is clear from the information published on
www.powertechexposed.com. that you may not know or
may misunderstand many important facts related to ISR, its permitting
processes and the applicable regulatory
requirements. We hope and expect that this meeting will provide a base of
knowledge that will ensure the
availability and use of accurate information about the ISR project in the
future.
Powertech and its team will at all times strive
to provide relevant and accurate factual information in its public
meetings and on its Web site. We also have established a toll-free telephone
number to offer public information
and to respond to community questions In that context we encourage questions
from members of the
community to ensure they have the opportunity at all times to be well
informed and to receive accurate
information about the process (please see details below). In addition,
information generated by the company
will be closely examined by government regulators during the required public
permitting processes. Regulatory
agencies that require ISR permit applications include, among others, the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the
Colorado Department of Natural
Resources and the Weld County Commissioners and planning authorities.
Members of the public also will
have formal notice and comment opportunities as the process moves forward.
We recognize your individual rights to disagree
with Powertech's proposal and its plans for the ISR in Weld
County. We understand as well that there will be, as there should be,
continued open discussion on the topic
as Powertech's proposal moves toward its permitting phase. We welcome open
and accurate debate on the
matter but request at all times that any discussion in public, online and in
print remain factual and truthful.
Intentionally disseminating false, misleading or defamatory information will
accomplish nothing meaningful, and
will only serve to undermine your credibility.
Powertech (USA) Inc. will address all continued
inaccuracies swiftly and appropriately. In the interim, we look
forward to the July 19 open house and informational meeting in Nunn, and
hope to see you in person at that
time.
As always, if you have any questions or
comments, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Richard Blubaugh,
VP Environmental Health and Safety Resources
POWERTECH URANIUM CORPORATION
For more information on the company and its projects, please visit the
Powertech Web site at
www.powertechuranium.com. Questions may be directed to 303-898-4240 or toll
free 1-877-798-4240.
Messages left will receive a response within 24 hours, Monday-Friday between
8 a.m. and 5 p.m. MDT.
AUGUST 14, 2007 EMAIL FROM JIM WOODWARD TO RICHARD BLUBAUGH:
From: Jim Woodward
[mailto:jbw@frii.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:21 PM
To: 'Richard Blubaugh'
Cc: 'Kristy Bassuener'; 'Pete Webb'; 'Lane Douglas'
Subject: RE: Powertechexposed.com Information
August 14, 2007
Richard E. Blubaugh
Vice President - EH&S Resources
Powertech (USA) Inc.
6200 S. Troy Circle, Suite 150
Centennial, CO 80111
Subject: July 18 letter regarding powertechexposed.com website
Dear Mr. Blubaugh:
Thank you for your July 18 letter inviting me to the Nunn open house held by Powertech. You suggest in your letter that I have posted factually inaccurate information on my website. Would you please let me know which specific information is inaccurate? I would like to correct or delete any erroneous information, and I welcome your input.
Sincerely,
James B. Woodward
P.O. Box 599
Wellington, Colorado 80549
Phone: 970-897-3029
Fax: 970-897-3021
Email: jbw@frii.com
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