| Once the proud center of the Uranium Universe, | | | | confident the entire community would welcome |
| and until recently the world's largest uranium | | | | uranium miners back. |
| producer, the city of Grants (New Mexico) nearly | | | | Grants City Manager Bob Horacek worked in a |
| collapsed in the 1980s as uranium prices sank into | | | | uranium mill, as a college student twenty five |
| a twenty-year depression. Five thousand uranium | | | | years ago, and remembered it was a nice source |
| miners lost their jobs, and the city elders | | | | of income to help him pay tuition. "We are |
| panicked, searching for an industry with which to | | | | obviously looking for jobs," he told us. "It's a pro, |
| replace mining. "Uranium companies helped build | | | | and economically we could use the higher paying |
| our hospital, our school and most of our major | | | | jobs." Asked about one company, which |
| infrastructure," Star Gonzales, Cibola County's | | | | announced it may build a mill, possibly in Cibola |
| Head of Economic Development, told "We are a | | | | County, Horacek quickly responded, "I'd like to |
| mining community and know it is beneficial." | | | | visit with them." State Senator Joseph A Fidel, a |
| Grants is a sleepy town of less than 10,000, north | | | | Democrat representing District 30, which includes |
| of Interstate 40, off exit 85, and about an hour's | | | | Cibola and Socorro counties, perked up during our |
| west of Albuquerque. This past November, we | | | | interview, when we talked about uranium in his |
| toured the town's Mining Museum, which boasts of | | | | county, "I would be happy to have mining come |
| having the only underground uranium mining | | | | back. It would be very positive economically." |
| museum. Grants is now a "prison town," and | | | | We talked about environmental activists. Senator |
| instead of mining uranium, the town runs most of | | | | Fidel explained, "If there are protests, they will |
| the state's prison system. The times are changing | | | | come from outsiders, from Taos or other parts |
| again, though. Along with the recent $45.50/pound | | | | of the country." Ms. Gonzales agreed, "There will |
| spot uranium price, revival of uranium mining in | | | | be no protests from the local community. The |
| Grants is all but a done deal. Several uranium | | | | mining spirit still lives today in this town." These |
| companies have taken their first steps into Cibola | | | | echoed State Senator Leavell's remarks, in part |
| County. As with the state of Wyoming, more will | | | | two of this series, "Most of the protestors have |
| follow them. | | | | come from San Francisco, DC and Santa Fe." Fidel |
| IS URANIUM MINING AGAIN WELCOME IN | | | | concluded, 'The community will be very supportive |
| GRANTS? | | | | of uranium mining. People will be cooperative and |
| We wondered what the political pulse on uranium | | | | will react positively, when the time comes." |
| mining would be like in Grants. So we talked to | | | | Each of the politicians interviewed were cautious, |
| several representatives on the city, county and | | | | but optimistic. Grants, New Mexico was hard hit. |
| state level. Fasten your seatbelts, and move over | | | | As with the Governor of Wyoming, who basically |
| Wyoming. Grants, New Mexico is making a public | | | | told uranium companies to put up or shut up, New |
| invitation to all uranium mining companies. "We will | | | | Mexican decision makers are waiting to hear |
| greet them with open arms!" Star Gonzales | | | | directly from uranium companies. Are they |
| shouted into her phone. "We are very mining | | | | serious? Fidel pointed out, "I believe it will |
| friendly in this community." That's an | | | | materialize into something serious." After all, the |
| understatement. Grants Mayor Joe Murrietta | | | | county may be sitting on hundreds of millions of |
| returned from Vietnam after being wounded on | | | | pounds of unrecovered uranium. More than 340 |
| the Fourth of July 1968 with a Purple Heart and | | | | million pounds, possibly a great deal more, of |
| began working at Anaconda's uranium mill in | | | | uranium was produced before mining came to a |
| Grants, New Mexico. He worked for Anaconda | | | | standstill during the twenty-year drought. "We |
| and ARCO for fifteen years before the uranium | | | | have a lot of uranium," said Senator Fidel. "The |
| boom in his town ended. "We can handle the | | | | county has good potential." |
| mining industry, and we are looking forward to | | | | COPYRIGHT © 2007 by StockInterview, Inc. |
| having it back," Murrietta told us. The mayor is | | | | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |