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Regulatory Regimes

Cameco works in a highly regulated industry and is subject to a complex set of international, national and provincial laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern the licensing of our sites, environmental performance standards, decommissioning standards and activities, and the transportation and sale of our products.

International

Internationally, Cameco’s activities, primarily the sale of our product, are governed by The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is an international treaty that was established in 1970. It has three objectives:

  • to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology
  • to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy
  • to further the goal of achieving general and complete disarmament.

The NPT establishes a safeguards system under the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Almost all countries are signatories to the NPT, including Canada, the US, the United Kingdom and France. We are, therefore, subject to the NPT and comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s requirements.

Canada

In Canada, our operations are primarily regulated by four main agencies:

  • the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)
  • Environment Canada
  • the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment
  • the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

These agencies are responsible for a number of acts and regulations that regulate our operations and activities.

The Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NCSA) is the primary federal legislation that governs our operations. The NCSA authorizes the CNSC to grant licences for nuclear facilities and to make regulations governing all aspects of the development and application of nuclear energy, including uranium mining, milling, conversion, fuel fabrication and transportation. Regulations under the NSCA regulate environmental performance, transportation and packaging, safety, security, decommissioning and radiation protection.

The NSCA emphasizes the importance of environmental protection as well as requiring licensees to make adequate provision for the health and safety of people. As such, the CNSC, through its Radiation Protection Regulations, is the lead Canadian regulator when it comes to ensuring licensees maintain robust radiation protection programs to ensure radiation exposures remain as low as reasonably achievable, social and economic factors taken into account (the ALARA principle).

While the NCSA is the primary federal legislation that regulates Cameco activities, there are also a number of other federal acts that we must comply with, including, but not limited to:

  • the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
  • the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
  • the Fisheries Act

Other federal legislation governs activities such as health and safety of workers, transportation of our products and the protection of species at risk.

In both Ontario and Saskatchewan, Cameco’s operations are also subject to provincial legislation. Like their federal counterparts, these acts and regulations govern everything from environmental performance, reporting, mine safety, environmental assessments, reclamation, decommissioning requirements and worker safety.

United States

Our U.S. operations must meet federal, state and local regulations governing air emissions, water discharges, handling and disposal of hazardous materials and site reclamation, among other things.

Mining activities are subject to comprehensive environmental regulations issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies. The process of obtaining mine permits and licences generally takes several years and involves environmental assessment reports, public hearings and comment periods.

At the federal level, our US operations are primarily regulated by the NRC according to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The main purpose of this act is to ensure people and the environment are protected from radioactive materials and to regulate most aspects of the uranium recovery process. The NRC also regulates uranium exports from the US and the transport of nuclear materials within the US. Safety is regulated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Our operations in Wyoming are regulated by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division according to the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act (WEQA) and the Land Quality Division Non-Coal Rules and Regulations under the WEQA. The state also administers a number of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

In Nebraska, the uranium recovery industry is regulated by the NRC and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality according to the Nebraska Environmental Protection Act.

Restoration of our Crow Butte well fields is regulated by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the NRC. Restoration of our Smith Ranch-Highland well fields is regulated by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the NRC.

Kazakhstan

In its resource use contract with the Kazakhstan government, Inkai committed to conducting its operations according to good international mining practices. It complies with the environmental requirements of Kazakhstan legislation, and, as an industrial company, it must also reduce, control or eliminate various kinds of pollution and protect natural resources. Inkai is required to submit annual reports on pollution levels to the Kazakhstan environmental, tax and statistics authorities. The authorities conduct tests to validate Inkai’s results.

Environmental protection legislation in Kazakhstan has evolved rapidly, especially in recent years. As the subsoil use sector has evolved, there has been a trend towards greater regulation, heightened enforcement and greater liability for non-compliance. The most significant development was the adoption of the Ecological Code, dated January 9, 2007, and in effect as of February 3, 2007. This code replaced the three main laws that had related to environmental protection. Amendments were made to the code in December 2011 that include more stringent environmental protection regulations, particularly relating to the control of greenhouse gas emissions, obtaining environmental permits, state monitoring requirements and other similar matters.

Inkai is required to comply with environmental requirements during all stages of the project, and must develop an environmental impact assessment for examination by a state environmental expert before making any legal, organizational or economic decisions that could have an effect on the environment and public health. Plans to double production at blocks 1 and 2 and to develop block 3 are subject to this environmental impact assessment process. As a result, a preliminary environmental impact assessment was developed and agreed upon with the relevant government authority.

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