Lawmaker says uranium a fire concern
By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 18, 2008 at 12:58 p.m.
Updated June 18, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.
A southeast Colorado lawmaker Wednesday said he has evidence of uranium in Pinon Canyon, the vast Fort Carson training area where a wildfire is burning.
Rep. Wes McKinley, D- Walsh, said at a news conference he collected seven soil, water and plant samples during a tour of the area conducted by the Army in May 2007 and had them analyzed by an independent lab.
The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, a Boulder pacifist group, posted on its Web site an analysis of those samples by Olsen's Agricultural Laboratory in McCook, Neb.
McKinley said he's concerned because a 48,000-acre wildfire is burning on the training site. It wasn't clear whether the fire, which was 85 percent contained Wednesday, was burning in areas where the uranium was found.
McKinley said uranium in the soil could be absorbed by plants and become airborne when the plants burn.
An expert at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment who reviewed the one- page report said the amounts were not high. For example, the amount of uranium in a spring water sample was 4.31 micrograms per liter. State and federal standards are 30 micrograms per liter, said Steve Tarlton, unit leader of the health department's radiation unit.
Uranium levels in soil samples were also "not particularly exciting," Tarlton said.
Uranium occurs naturally in Colorado, he said.
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June 18, 2008
3:02 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
Wow! Sort of like finding a rock! Or a tree branch.
Since Colorado is the largest uranium producing state in the nation, it's pretty pathetic that a Dingbatocrat politician wouldn't know that uranium exists in Colorado.
June 18, 2008
3:11 p.m.
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squartiero writes:
Or, maybe rickg19611 and MarineGrunt need to get their facts straight. Uranium doesn't just lie around on top of the soil naturally in high quantities. AND Colorado's normal background radiation level is 5 to 6 parts per million. The samples taken from the Pinon Canyon Maneuver site were as high as 60 parts per million. Colorado State Regulations require a clean up if Uranium levels are above 20 parts per million. So....now that you are educated on the facts, how does that sound to you??
The Department of Defense gets away with this kind of thing all over America and IT IS NOT OKAY. This can seep into the water supply etc. How you would feel about that if it were your water supply? Feel like being radioactive?
And MarineGrunt, timing is everything, something you obviously know nothing about when trying to win a battle.
June 18, 2008
3:16 p.m.
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ItsJustme writes:
My guess - either natural in situ uranium or depleted uranium used in anti-armored vehicle munitions. He should look to see if there's evidence of lead in the ground samples. We all know how dangerous lead is in our environment.
Get a life and a new agenda, representative!
June 18, 2008
3:59 p.m.
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squartiero writes:
Hope you feel better Marinegrunt. But you threw sticks and stones without all the facts...and are still throwing them. Come on down to Walsenburg and meet me face to face if you wish....you'll be in for a surprise.
And really, I am sorry if you feel like I took a "pot shot" at you, but isn't it the responsibility of all of us to protect those that are trying to help us. I am very protective of Rep McKinley and a few more like him. I happen to be a landowner in the "area of interest" and have been through many of the lies that the Army has told the public about the current PCMS site. Rep McKinley just found some good proof of something that has been rumored for a long time. I applaud his efforts. I also applaud your efforts if you are in fact a Marine. I have nothing against our men and women in uniform who fight to keep America free. But are we really free when the gov't can come in and take your land for no explainable reason? Please take a step back and look at our website www.pinoncanyon.com It might help you understand where I am coming from. And son, throw as many insults at me as you wish....I'm fighting the Pentagon, you really don't concern me.
June 18, 2008
4:07 p.m.
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WarrenJimmyBuffett writes:
Rep. Wes McKinley, wasn't there an above ground nuclear test in Nevada conducted in the 50s? You don't want your Nevada or California citizens out there living if it's dangerous. Better relocate those citizens to safer places.
June 18, 2008
5:36 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
"Uranium doesn't just lie around on top of the soil naturally in high quantities. "
HIGH quantities? Did the idiot politician claim he found a ton of it?
Get your excuses straight... and then you won't need to make lame excuses for an idiot politician by trying to spin the story as requiring HIGH quantities.
June 18, 2008
5:40 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
WTF?????
"McKinley said he has not shared the lab report with either the Army or the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, which monitors toxic materials. He said the lab report will be posted this afternoon on the Web site of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, a Boulder pacifist group."
The idiot politician contacts a leftwing kook outfit BEFORE he contacts the Army or Colorado Department of Health and Environment?
PROOF that he is more interested in political spin than in addressing the issue.
And PROOF that anyone defending such an idiot politician deserves to look like fools, since they're supporting a con man playing political games.
June 18, 2008
6:17 p.m.
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squartiero writes:
And since this is a free country, we are all entitled to our own opinion.
Hope you all have a great evening.
June 18, 2008
10:40 p.m.
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Retread writes:
If you lived downstream of this area you would all be very interested in the exact nature of these soil samples. NO, to Pinon canyon expansion, they have plenty of contaminated land down the the road, it is called White sands...
June 19, 2008
9:01 a.m.
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squartiero writes:
Acutally, you have all been very entertaining! For the record, boys, squartiero is a girl. So your "insults" have brought me quite a few grins. And since, MarineGrunt, you chose to leave Walsenburg and your family is here, didn't you just insult yourself? I chose to live here for a variety of reasons....most of them you will never understand and that's okay.
Have a great life. I am. Hope you find a way to shed all of that hostility....'cause like you said, your bravery is because of distance....I doubt that you would behave this way face to face.