Uranium tests may be opportunity for county

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Landowners in Mississippi County should look at offers to survey for uranium as an opportunity, according to Commissioner Martin Lucas.

During the regular county commission meeting Thursday, Lucas voiced his support for the efforts to determine how much uranium is within the county.

"A lot of people don't like to see change," Lucas said. But changes are often for the better, he said, offering as examples the construction of the Southeast Correctional Center near Charleston and all the crops that have been grown in the county over the years.

Lucas said Mississippi County could end up being one of the nation's most important uranium sources because those seeking the metal believe it is closer to the surface in Mississippi County than in other areas and thus less expensive to extract.

"If it is, that would be one good opportunity for the county," he said. "That's employment, revenue."

Lucas said the interested party is offering $5 per acre for exploratory leases in conjunction with commitment leases allowing them to install wells for the recovery operation if uranium concentrations are high enough.

Landowners are not asked to invest any of their money for the exploratory wells, which cost $30,000 to $40,000 each, Lucas said.

"Nobody has to put any money up," Lucas said. "There's no way to lose." Lucas said the landowners even get to pick where the exploratory wells are built.

Only one landowner has accepted the offer so far, according to Lucas, with an exploratory lease on 1,000 acres. "I don't understand it," he said. "They all pretty well know about it."

Land that is selected for mining the uranium could bring in $2,000 to $3,000 per acre, Lucas said.

He said even if there is no significant uranium deposits found, the landowner will at least be getting a complete geological survey at no cost.

If it is determined the land has significant amounts of uranium, the metal would be removed by solution mining. The process pumps a solution into the deposit and then pumps the dissolved ore to the surface to be processed. The ore is then extracted from the water using what Lucas described as essentially "a big water softener."

Uranium ore would be processed in the county to make "yellowcake," which would then be transported to Paducah, Ky., for further processing.

As government regulations are strict, it would be 10 years before any mining operation would begin, Lucas said.