Brief by Central Staff
Energy – January 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine
The front-page headline in the most recent edition of Rock Talk, published by the Colorado Geological Survey, proclaims “Uranium — It’s Hot!! And Back by Popular Demand.”
But it’s not so hot in Cañon City, where the Cotter uranium mill remains shut down, and will likely stay that way until uranium prices go even higher.
Currently, uranium is selling for $45 to $50 a pound, and Cotter says the price would have to get up to $60 to make the mill profitable. In 2006, the company closed several mines on the Western Slope in the Montrose area, and halted production at the mill, where employment dropped from 115 to 34.
The Fall, 2006, edition of Rock Talk offers some clear explanations of uranium deposits in Colorado, as well as a history of uranium exploration and development, starting with the 1920s when uranium alloys were used to color glass. It’s available for free from the CGS by phone request at 303-866-4762; by mail at 1313 Sherman St. Room 715, Denver CO 80203; or on-line at geosurvey.state.co.us
