New Brunswick will look at a "number of options" to balance the rights of property owners and uranium exploration, Premier Shawn Graham said Friday.

"We recognize as well, today, that landowners have raised concerns. Our government is listening to those concerns," Graham told journalists in Fredericton.

"We feel that we can achieve a more balanced approach to this issue. That's why we're looking at a number of options now that will be coming before cabinet and also before caucus to review."

Graham would not elaborate, but said he doesn't want to mimic Nova Scotia's uranium prospecting regulations, which have stood in the way of efforts to find other deposits such as gold and copper. Nova Scotia's rules force resource companies to shut down operations if they come across uranium in the course of mining any other metal.

Graham said it was important to note that there are no uranium mines operating in the province, and no applications filed to open a mine. Uranium exploration is underway south and west of Moncton, and smaller companies are also looking for other deposits in the province.

Prospectors have, however, begun to stake claims for uranium, and many landowners have said that they were not notified of claims on their land. Hundreds of people expressed their anger this week during government information sessions in Fredericton and Moncton.

Graham acknowledged that New Brunswickers' concerns are legitimate, but said "we feel we can achieve a balance" between landowners' needs and mining revenue. He said prospecting is important, but certain rules must be enforced.

"The mines and minerals sector today provides vital jobs and revenues to the economy of New Brunswick," he added, explaining that the province's mineral base generates more than a billion dollars in economic activity.

Graham also noted that uranium mining is critical for providing nuclear medicine for Canadians with health problems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through nuclear energy.

Conservatives call for more details

Conservative Claude Williams blasted the government Friday, saying the premier must provide New Brunswickers with more details about uranium mining and exploration in the province.

"If the premier, this government, is talking about additional measures, well, they should be coming up forward and telling New Brunswickers what they're all about," he said.

"The only thing that was clear by the premier this morning is that this government is supporting exploration of uranium in New Brunswick."

Williams said the government must enforce the Mining Act, which requires prospectors to notify landowners when a claim is staked.

The Conservative opposition has called for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in the province, while environmental groups and Moncton's city council have called for a ban.

There is concern that uranium mining could affect watersheds and that its long-term impacts would outweigh any short-term economic gain.