US Circuit Court Dismisses Appeal
Strata Energy, Inc. is pleased to announce that a US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the previous decision by the Atomic Safety Licensing Board (ASLB) to dismiss the remaining contentions against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) issuance of a Source and Byproduct Materials License for Strata’s Ross Project near Oshoto, Wyoming.
The US Circuit Court of Appeals opinion issued January 18, 2018 reaffirmed the ASLB’s 2015 decision stating that the Powder River Basin Resource Council (PRBRC) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (together, the Joint Intervenors) failed to identify “any substantive flaws in the Commission’s decisions.”
In January 2015, the ASLB determined that the contentions raised by the Joint Intervenors the were not supported by the evidence presented. The ASLB found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission adequately considered the project’s environmental impacts, and further rejected arguments raised by the Joint Intervenors that the NRC engaged in a flawed review process.
The Ross Project has been fully licensed since the issuance of its Source and Byproduct Materials License by the NRC in April 2014. The Project commenced licensed production activities in December 2015.
Ralph Knode, Strata CEO, commented:
“Of course we are pleased that the Court of Appeals has reaffirmed the ASLB’s previous decision dismissing all contentions against the licensing actions related to Strata’s Ross ISR uranium project. While we were confident that the matter would be resolved in Strata’s favor, we respect the process that gives the public, represented in this case by the PRBRC and NRDC, a voice in shaping and enforcing environmental protections.
This dismissal is a credit to the diligent efforts of our technical team in planning and permitting this project to the highest standards in the industry. We’re happy to have this matter behind us and we look ahead to continuing to go about the business of safely producing uranium, diversifying America’s energy supply, and putting people to work in Crook County, Wyoming.”