"Growth Prospects for Uranium Stir Concerns"

"HOBSON, Texas -- At the back of a South Texas uranium processing facility, a few dozen black container drums stood outside, waiting to be shipped. Each was filled with about $50,000 worth of yellowcake, a powdery substance created from raw uranium."

"'That's pretty close to a Lexus in every drum,' said Gregory Kroll, the superintendent of the site, which is run by the Uranium Energy Corporation, based in Corpus Christi. The company mines the uranium in Duval County and brings it here for processing, before sending it on to a plant in Illinois, where it is further refined.

Company officials hope that the Hobson plant will increase its yellowcake production, now at 200,000 to 250,000 pounds per year, far below the plant's capacity. Uranium has been mined in Texas for decades, but companies see a potential hike in demand for their product. They are ramping up for a new push, despite concerns from environmental groups that past operations have not been sufficiently cleaned up and pose a threat to aquifers that people drink from."

Kate Galbraith reports for the Texas Tribune April 14, 2012.