Latest news with #Tuddenham
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration expedites permitting for Utah uranium mine to a two-week process
Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum participates in a swearing-in ceremony of state lawmakers on Dec. 2, 2024, in Bismarck, North Dakota, shortly before completing his term as governor. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Permitting reviews for major mining projects may take years to complete, usually gathering input from the community and vital information on the natural and cultural characteristics of the sites. However, the Trump administration announced on Monday that, under newly established emergency procedures, a uranium mining project in Utah would have a completion timeline of just 14 days. After a portion of it was already mined, the Velvet-Wood mine located in San Juan County is set to be reopened by Anfield Energy, a Canadian energy development company, according to an economic analysis of the project. The project is expected to yield significant results, since the Velvet mine has already produced 400,000 tons of ore containing 4.2 million pounds of uranium, often used as fuel at nuclear power plants, and 4.8 million pounds of vanadium, which is used in steel production and energy storage. But, environmental advocates worry that accelerating the approval process for this project would set a dangerous precedent for the country and may cause harm to the already scarce water resources in the area. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'These processes, which are enshrined under one of our bedrock environmental laws, the National Environmental Policy Act, are really fundamental to being able to do an objective, well-thought out assessment of what the potential harms of a project like this might be,' Lexi Tuddenham, executive director of the environmental nonprofit HEAL Utah, said. 'And they also, under the normal process, give the opportunity for public comment.' The project sits in a Utah area that has seen the boom and bust of uranium mining over time, leaving abandoned mines without any cleanup plans, Tuddenham said. It is also near the Navajo Nation, which has been affected by uranium mining and processing throughout history. In such a rushed process, it would be extremely difficult to consider public comments from tribes. By shortening the process to just two weeks, there's essentially not an opportunity for the people who may know the landscape best to provide important information on the site's characteristics. 'One of the things being said about this mine is that it would only require about three acres of surface disturbance, but that's not accounting for the underground disturbance that happens as part of the mining process,' Tuddenham said. 'There's really complex hydrology, like aquifers and just different water tables throughout our landscape, and when you mine into them, sometimes you permanently alter them.' When the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the permitting review would be expedited to 14 days, it cited the national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. 'America is facing an alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration's Climate Extremist policies. President Trump and his administration are responding with speed and strength to solve this crisis,' Doug Burgum, secretary of the Interior, said in a statement in a news release. 'The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future.' The department added in the release that the U.S. 'is dangerously reliant on foreign imports to meet its demand' to fuel nuclear reactors. However, at the same time, a court battle is ongoing over the Trump order that allowed the process to be fast-tracked. Fifteen blue states are suing the federal government for issuing an energy emergency declaration without an actual emergency. 'The Executive Order is unlawful, and its commands that federal agencies disregard the law and in many cases their own regulations to fast-track extensive categories of activities will result in damage to waters, wetlands, critical habitat, historic and cultural resources, endangered species, and the people and wildlife that rely on these precious resources,' attorneys general for the states wrote in the suit. While Tuddenham believes there may be ways to make it easier for the public to engage in the process, expediting the years-long timelines, making substantial mistakes at the beginning of the permitting analysis would make wait times even longer and put a bigger burden on taxpayers. 'If you really skip around and skip around this bedrock environmental law and try to basically do it wrong, you're, quite frankly, opening yourself up to a lot more litigation and red tape,' she said. 'So going faster at the start doesn't mean going faster overall. It's sort of a performative thing.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
South Wales Argus
30-04-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Soil Association welcomes Welsh Government food strategy
The strategy aims to improve access to local, healthy, and sustainable food for everyone in Wales. Soil Association head of policy Wales, Andrew Tuddenham, said: "There is an urgent need for the Welsh Government to use this strategy to help build a food system that prioritises healthy, nature-friendly and home-grown foods. "And with this, they have an opportunity to show true leadership with the food system in Wales – an approach which other governments can learn from." Mr Tuddenham highlighted the risks posed to the food supply by climate change and international conflict. He said local food production benefits the economy and helps people avoid ultra-processed foods, which are contributing to a health crisis in Wales. Mr Tuddenham urged the government to act quickly within this Senedd term. He said key priorities should include delivering planning guidance to support new horticultural growers, and expanding the provision of nutritious school meals through a whole-school approach. He added that farmers must be reassured with long-term support to adopt sustainable practices and through the development of strong local supply chains. Mr Tuddenham said he hopes the strategy identifies a role for the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Body found in search for missing 91-year-old man
Police searching for a 91-year-old man who went missing two months ago have recovered a body. Fraser Tuddenham, from the Huntington area of York, had not been seen since he was believed to have gone out for a walk on 14 February. A dog walker found a body at Strensall Common nature reserve on Saturday, where the majority of search activity had been focused. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: "This is a very sad development, and our thoughts are with Mr Tuddenham's family and friends at this difficult time. We are grateful to everyone who assisted in the search." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North North Yorkshire Police
BBC News
14-04-2025
- BBC News
Body found in York search for missing 91-year-old man
Police searching for a 91-year-old man who went missing two months ago have recovered a Tuddenham, from the Huntington area of York, had not been seen since he was believed to have gone out for a walk on 14 February.A dog walker found a body at Strensall Common nature reserve on Saturday, where the majority of search activity had been focused.A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: "This is a very sad development, and our thoughts are with Mr Tuddenham's family and friends at this difficult time. We are grateful to everyone who assisted in the search." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
21-02-2025
- BBC News
Extensive police searches under way for missing York man
Extensive police searches are under way for a 91-year-old man who went missing from York a week Tuddenham, from the Huntington area, has not been seen since he is believed to have gone out for a walk on 14 Yorkshire Police said his Peugeot 208 car had been found in Strensall Common car park, which had been the main focus for search force said "extensive resources" had been used including the police helicopter, underwater search teams and Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue. Insp Ben Hutchinson said his family were "extremely concerned for his welfare" and appealed for anyone with information to report it to Tuddenham is understood to have taken his walking stick and was wearing a dark hat and is described as having white hair, of light build and about 5ft 8in tall. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
