WHO: State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Uranium Energy Corporation (UEC), and Stakeholders: Goliad County Judge, Commissioners, Ground Water Conservation District, other concerned Elected Officials, Fire Department, Business People, Civic and Religious Leaders, Landowners, Local organizations including Uranium Information at Goliad, and concerned residents of Goliad and surrounding Coastal Bend counties

WHAT: Preliminary Hearing to establish standing of parties and the schedule for a contested case hearing regarding Uranium Energy Corporation's permit application to TCEQ to mine uranium in the drinking water aquifer under Goliad County, Texas

WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, May 14, 2009

WHERE: Memorial Auditorium, 925 South U.S. Highway 183, Goliad, Texas Near the Mission Espiritu Santo and Presidio La Bahia in the historic garden spot of Goliad County

Opposition to uranium mining in Goliad County built to a fast simmer and has stayed just under a boil for the past couple of years. A company, Uranium Energy Corporation appears to have contaminated drinking water in the exploration process for a uranium mining permit requested from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

On January 24, 2008, over 500 people attended a public meeting held by TCEQ on this permit application and mining issues in Goliad. As many or more people could turn up on this coming Thursday, May 14 at Memorial Auditorium, 925 South U.S. Highway 183, in the historic mission district of Goliad.

Elected officials and citizens turned up the heat in this process on a weekday this Spring, February 25, 2009, when a busload of over 50 citizens from Goliad County traveled to Austin, Texas to ask the TCEQ to grant a contested case hearing concerning the permit application by UEC. The company wants to mine uranium in the drinking water aquifer under their County. TCEQ Commissioners -- who have historically aligned with applicants and tend to favor issuing permits-- have granted a list of approximately 54 parties as affected and granted the contested case hearing. This is a sign of encouragement and should motivate continued community involvement.

Any additional parties will be determined by the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Judge when the fight over uranium mining in Goliad County reaches a full boil on Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 a.m. in Goliad. SOAH will conduct the preliminary hearing in the contested case taking testimony from affected parties and determining standing of concerned citizens eligible to participate as parties in the hearing; SOAH will also consider possible alignment of parties and the schedule for proceeding with the contested case hearing.

The citizens' group Uranium Information at Goliad advises interested parties:

. If you have been named as an affected person, to be sure you maintain your standing, it is strongly recommended you attend this preliminary hearing.

If you are unable to attend, you should make arrangements for someone to represent you.

. If you believe you are an affected person and have not asked for a hearing, you may do so at this preliminary hearing. To request to be a party, you must attend the hearing and show you would be adversely affected by the application in a way not common to members of the general public.

. Any person may attend this hearing and request to be a party. Everyone is welcome to attend to audience the hearing. Your attendance at this preliminary hearing may have an impact on whether the contested case hearing will be held in Goliad or Austin.

. Please plan to attend - your support is appreciated.