by Alec Cowan
For 50 years Uravan, Colorado, was a uranium hub of America. Mining “yellowcake” was at the center of everyday life, where kids played on radioactive tailings and residents used mine waste for garden beds. Then residents started getting sick. Through interviews with historians, health experts, environmentalists, and uranium workers past and present, local documentarian Alec Cowan explores how uranium transformed the American West. As nuclear energy revives the controversial industry today, will the scars of uranium’s past influence the future? Or are some things best left underground?
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🇺🇲
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7/1/2024
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August 12, 2024
<p>With the promise of nuclear energy on the horizon, the demand for uranium is reviving a once-dormant industry. After a trip to a nearby uranium mine, it’s clear the region sees this development as a kind of deja vu. Residents are optimistic their prized industry can return. But can uranium mining be safer than it once was? Dedicated opponents upriver, and a decade of legal battles, may say otherwise.</p> <p><br></p> <p><em>Find transcripts, references, and photos for the series at </em><a href="www.aleccowan.com/boomtown" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><em>www.aleccowan.com/boomtown</em></a></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>George Glasier</strong>, President and CEO of Western Uranium & Vanadium</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Mike Rutter</strong>, Chief Operating Officer for Western Uranium & Vanadium</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Wendy Puderbaugh</strong>, Western Uranium & Vanadium</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Steve Puderbaugh,</strong> Superintendent at Western Uranium & Vanadium</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Bruce Norquist</strong>, General Manager of Mining Operations for Western Uranium & Vanadium</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Jennifer Thurston</strong>, Executive Director for INFORM, the Information Network for Responsible Mining</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Ann Maest</strong>, aqueous geochemist and scientist at Buka Environmental</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Rodney Ewing,</strong> Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Frank Stanton Professor in Nuclear Security, Professor of Geological Sciences, Co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (Stanford University)</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Sara Woods</strong>, physical scientist for the Department of Energy in Grand Junction, CO</p>
August 5, 2024
<p>After Uravan closed and was set for demolition, its residents were forced to scatter elsewhere. Today, its nearby baseball park hosts an annual picnic for former townies who refuse to let the last memories of Uravan die out. In an interview with EPA superfund officials, we learn the philosophy of cleanup that led to the remediation of Uravan and its current status. Close by, a new uranium boom refuses to let the dust settle for long.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Find transcripts, references, and photos for the series at </em><a href="www.aleccowan.com/boomtown" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><em>www.aleccowan.com/boomtown</em></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Jane Thompson</strong>, president and historian with the Rimrocker Historical Society in Nucla, CO</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Frances Costanzi and Angela Zachman</strong>, Superfund Remedial Project Managers at the Environmental Protection Agency</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Don Colcord,</strong> pharmacist and former resident of Uravan, CO</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Emily, Joe, and Cindy Latimer</strong>, former residents of Uravan, CO</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Bette Nickell and Jean Nyland</strong>, sisters and former residents of Uravan, CO</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dr. John Boice</strong>, radiation epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Michael Amundson,</strong> professor of history at Northern Arizona University</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>George Glasier,</strong> president and CEO of Western Uranium and Vanadium</p> <p><br></p>
July 30, 2024
<p>Far away from the mines of the Colorado Plateau, the first nuclear reactor in the world was built in Washington State. Here, uranium was used to create plutonium at Hanford, transmuting from a helpful ore to a nagging waste. As more atomic veterans died from radiation exposure, their families sought to hold someone accountable — and though it would come back to uranium country eventually, those outside of Colorado would be the first to blaze the trail. </p> <p><em>Find transcripts, references, and photos for the series at </em><a href="www.aleccowan.com/boomtown" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><em>www.aleccowan.com/boomtown</em></a></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Docents </strong>at the Manhattan Project B Reactor Historic Landmark in Hanford, Washington. <strong>John Findlay,</strong> professor emeritus at the University of Washington and author of "Atomic Frontier Days: Hanford and the American West." <strong>Bob Ince,</strong> one-time uranium miner from Gateway, Colorado. <strong>Trisha Pritikin, </strong>personal injury plaintiff in Hanford downwinder litigation (oral history interview). <strong>Michele Gerber, </strong>Hanford site historian (oral history interview). <strong>Veronica Taylor,</strong> a member and elder of the Nez Perce Tribe (oral history interview). <strong>Kirk Gladwin, </strong>president of the National Cancer Benefits Center.</p> <p><br></p>
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