WASHINGTON — Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said Monday that the Bush administration has agreed to help seek an extra $1.4 million this year for work to remove uranium tailings that are leaching radioactive waste into the Colorado River.
He said the administration will seek that money through the supplemental defense appropriations bill.
Cannon said that would help speed an ordered study by the National Academy of Sciences about how to handle and remove the Atlas tailings near Moab. "These funds will allow us to plan an expedited cleanup process of the Atlas pile and safeguard the Colorado River," Cannon said. "This is another example of the president taking steps to protect the environment using sound science."
The bill would need to be passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law for the money to be appropriated.