Ault Town Board opposes uranium mining

The town of Ault joined the long list of opposition against a proposed uranium mine Tuesday.

At it's meeting Tuesday, Ault's town board passed a resolution opposing any uranium mining in northern Colorado.

Powertech Uranium Corp., a Canadian-based company, owns the mineral rights to more than 5,700 acres of land in Weld County near Nunn and wants to mine for the mineral.

Ault Mayor Brad Bayne said the board heard presentations Tuesday from Powertech and Coloradans Against Resource Destruction -- a group that opposes uranium mining in the area.

The goal of the resolution "is to show a good majority opposes uranium mining," said Bayne. "It shows where the town of Ault stands."

The resolution passed unanimously. As mayor, Bayne does not have a vote on board actions. Resolutions are not binding, and they have no legal clout.

Before the board took action, Bayne said he spoke with town residents to get their opinions on the subject.

"Some people are flat out against it, and others were not a fan of uranium but understand the need for alternative sources of energy," he said.

The resolution also encourages federal and local agencies to deny "any and all permit applications for in-situ uranium mining operations in the northern Colorado area."

Initially, the board considered a resolution that would have only supported legislation that increased regulation over uranium mining in the state, but Bayne said the board wanted to take a stronger stance against the mine.