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In Situ Leach Recovery FacilitiesIn situ leach (ISL) recovery is one of the two primary recovery methods that are currently used to extract uranium from underground. ISL facilities recover uranium from low-grade ores where other mining and milling methods may be too expensive or environmentally disruptive. This method uses the following process:
About 12 such ISL facilities exist in the United States. (For details, see Locations of Uranium Recovery Facilities.) Of these, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates four facilities in the Western States, and conducts routine annual inspections to ensure that they are safely operated. (These relatively infrequent inspections reflect the fact that these sites have experienced few safety violations, all of which have been relatively minor.) The remaining ISL facilities are licensed by Agreement States, which have entered into strict agreements with the NRC to exercise regulatory authority over such facilities and the materials they produce. |
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