Monitor ordered for Labrador uranium drill

An energy company has been given approval to test-drill for uranium in a Labrador lake, but will need to have an environmental monitor in place.

Aurora Energy Resources plans to start its winter drilling program through ice at Melody Lake on March 15.

'We'd like to see[independent monitoring] made mandatory for all exploration in the Labrador Inuit settlement area.' Terry Rice, resident

Previously, the Newfoundland and Labrador government had ruled that third-party monitoring at Melody Lake was not necessary.

Residents of nearby communities, as well as the watchdog group Mining Watch, had appealed for independent monitoring at the exploration site.

Terry Rice, a Makkovik resident who chairs a committee with the Inuit community's government, said people are relieved by the government's change of heart.

"We are thankful the minister realized the need for an independent third party on site to monitor the drilling program," Rice said.

"We'd like to see this made mandatory for all exploration in the Labrador Inuit settlement area."

Aurora Energy, which is attempting to determine whether there is a commercially significant uranium deposit at the Melody Lake site, has been aggressively exploring for uranium in Labrador for years.

In a statement last week, Vancouver-based Aurora said independent estimates at its wholly owned Michelin and Jacques Lake deposits in coastal Labrador showed a measured resource of about 58 millionpounds or about 26.3 million kilograms of uranium.

The company claims that, if developed, the Michelin Lake deposit alone contains enough uranium to provide power to more than one million homes for 67 years.