4 GOP leaders warn of uranium mine sale
By Eli Lake - The Washington Times - Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Four leading House Republicans, citing national security concerns, are urging Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to block the sale of a Wyoming-based uranium mine to an arm of the
Russian government’s main nuclear agency.
The lawmakers are raising alarm over the proposed sale of a Powder River Basin, Wyoming-based uranium processing facility operated by
Uranium One USA, a Canadian-based company, to Atomredmetzoloto, a subsidiary of the
Russian government agency Rosatom, according to a letter obtained Tuesday by The Washington Times.
The sale was first announced on Aug. 31, and the lawmakers claim that it could give Moscow control of up to 20 percent of the
U.S. national uranium extraction capability and a controlling interest in one of the country’s largest uranium mining sites.
The GOP opposition to the business deal is the first major political clash over foreign investment in a sensitive
U.S.industry since the fight over Dubai Ports World in 2006. In that clash, bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill erupted when the George W. Bush administration tentatively approved the purchase of contracts to manage six major
U.S. seaports by the company based in the United Arab Emirates.
This time, the proposed sale presents a test for President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of their hopes to “reset” relations with
Russia on a wide range of fronts.
On one key issue, Rose Gottemoeller, the State Department’s assistant secretary in charge of arms control issues, confirmed in remarks to reporters in New York on Monday that the administration is pushing for ratification of a major new strategic arms pact with
Russia in the Senate lame-duck session expected after the midterm vote.