Click here to read this story by Lara Gale of Moab Sun News
News Release by Living Rivers and Uranium Watch
December 5, 2016
Contact:
• Sarah Fields,
Uranium Watch:
435-260-8384
sarah@uraniumwatch.org
• John Weisheit, Living Rivers: 435-260-2590
john@livingrivers.org
Blue Castle Holdings Fails to Make First Water Rights Payment
Blue Castle Holdings Inc. (BCH) failed to make their First Pre-Operational Payments to the Kane County Water Conservancy District ($100,000) and San Juan County Water Conservancy District ($80,000) for the lease of water rights for the proposed Blue Castle Project nuclear reactor near Green River. The payments were due after the State Engineer’s authorization of the use of 53,600 acre-feet of Green River water for the reactor project became final. The authorization became final in September, when plaintiff’s did not appeal the Utah Court of Appeals’ decision—upholding the State Engineer’s decision—to the Utah Supreme Court. In addition to their failure to make the payments, BCH failed to even notify the Districts that they would not be making the First Pre-Operation Payments on time.
According to the KCWCD, they are renegotiating the lease with BCH. Plaintiffs Living Rivers, Uranium Watch, and HEAL Utah have asserted that BCH does not have the financial resources to move forward with the nuclear reactor project. Plaintiffs stated that they did not believe that BCH would have the financial resources to make the annual payments, which now has been shown to be the case. The last time BCH sent a letter to the NRC was in 2011. Since then there have been no letters to the NRC, pre-application meetings, or efforts to complete an Emergency Response Plan.
On December 20, 2016, Living Rivers, HEAL Utah, and Uranium Watch will participate in a hearing on the KCWCD request for an extension of time to show proof of beneficial use for the water rights leased to Blue Castle Holdings. The hearing will take place at the Green River City Office at 11:00 am.
Protesters to the KCWCD Request have asserted that there is no reasonable assurance that the water rights approved for the proposed reactor will ever be put to beneficial use. KCWCD and BCH have failed to show due diligence within the past 50 years to make use of the water water rights. “It is about time that the State Engineer demand financial and other documentation for the public record to demonstrate support the Water Conservancy District’s assertion that the water will be used for a nuclear reactor,” says Sarah Fields, Program Director of Uranium Watch.
Adds John Weisheit, Conservation Director of Living Rivers and Colorado Riverkeeper, “In 2013 we heard testimony under oath that Blue Castle Holdings' annual net investment income is 8 million dollars per year. It is not unreasonable to assume the financial viability of this company has changed and the administrative record should be updated before the State Engineer makes his decision."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
KCWCD Water Right documents:
http://waterrights.utah.gov/cblapps/wrprint.exe?wrnum=89-74
http://waterrights.utah.gov/cgi-bin/docview.exe?Folder=89-74
The Financial Woes of the Nuclear Power Industry
Click here to read this December 28, 2016 story by Mark Chediak of Bloomberg News called "Toshiba Corp Stock Plunges by Most on Record as Nuclear Renaissance Turns Into a Nightmare"
Click here to read this story in E & E by Kristi E. Swartz called "Toshiba' s Possible Westinghouse Sale Throws Regulators."
News: March 29, 2017
Westinghouse declares bankruptcy
News: April 24, 2017
Vendors Line Up to Demand Returns from Westinghouse
