NRC Chairman Jackson to Hold News Briefing in Moab Following Visit to Atlas Uranium Mill Site

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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011
	CONTACT:	Breck Henderson (817) 860-8128/e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov

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RIV: 98-44

December 14, 1998

NRC CHAIRMAN JACKSON TO HOLD NEWS BRIEFING
IN MOAB FOLLOWING VISIT TO ATLAS URANIUM MILL SITE

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield, will hold a news briefing in Moab, Utah, following their visit to the site of Atlas Corporation's Moab Mill, a closed uranium mill, on Thursday, December 17.

The news briefing will be begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Grand County Council Chambers at 125 E. Center Street, Moab.

The NRC is considering a proposal by the Atlas Corporation to reclaim tailings from the operation of Moab Mill at their current location on the mill site, near the Colorado River three miles north of Moab. Chairman Jackson and Commissioner Merrifield are touring the site to get a first-hand perspective on the issue and to confer with officials of Atlas, Grand County and the State of Utah.

Dr. Jackson was appointed to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Clinton in May 1995, and became chairman in July of that year. She holds a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Jackson regularly visits nuclear power plants and other facilities regulated by the NRC.

Mr. Merrifield, the newest member of the Commission, was sworn in as a Commissioner on October 23, 1998. Prior to assuming that post, he served as a senior counsel and legislative assistant to two United States Senators and as a Washington, D.C. attorney, specializing in environmental and regulatory issues. He holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Georgetown University Law Center.