EPA Issues Draft Permits for Dewey Burdock Project EPA Issues Draft Permits for Dewey Burdock Project
08:13 EST Tuesday, Mar 07, 2017
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLORADO--(Marketwired - March 7, 2017) - AZARGA URANIUM CORP.'S (TSX:AZZ)(FRANKFURT:P8AA)(OTC PINK:PWURF) ("Azarga Uranium" or the "Company") wholly owned subsidiary, Powertech (USA) Inc. ("Powertech"), has received notice that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") has issued two draft permits for the Dewey Burdock Uranium Project (the "Project"). The issuance of the draft permits represents the completion of a major regulatory milestone for the Company and the Project. The draft EPA permits pertain to the Company's planned Class III and Class V Underground Injection Control ("UIC") activities and address all outstanding permit applications filed with the EPA for the Project.
"The EPA issuance of the draft Class III and Class V UIC permits represents a key risk reduction event for the Company and a significant step towards another major federal regulatory approval for the Project. The Company submitted applications for these permits as early as December 2008 and receipt of these draft permits is a substantial milestone for the Company, which moves the Dewey Burdock Uranium Project closer to development. The decision of the EPA to issue these draft permits further confirms the technical merits of the Project and establishes a path forward towards receipt of the final permits," said Blake Steele, President of the Company.
The draft Class III and Class V UIC permits represent one of three major regulatory agency approvals required for the Project. The Company has previously received a Source and Byproduct Materials License from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") for the Project. In addition, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources staff has recommended approval of the major state permits; however, the hearings to finalize the state permitting process have been put on hold until the federal permits, namely those pertaining to the NRC and EPA, are issued. Once the Company receives its final Class III and Class V UIC permits, it will be able to resume the formal hearings to complete the state permitting process.
According to the EPA's public notice, the draft permits will be made available for public review and comment until 19 May 2017. The EPA's final permit decision will evaluate all public comments pertaining to the draft permits.
About Azarga Uranium Corp.
Azarga Uranium is a mineral development company that controls six uranium projects, deposits and prospects in the United States of America (South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado) and the Kyrgyz Republic. The Dewey Burdock Uranium Project in South Dakota (the "Project"), which is the Company's initial development priority, has received its Nuclear Regulatory Commission License and the Company is in the process of completing other major regulatory permit approvals necessary for development of the Project, including those from the Environmental Protection Agency.