Comment: Great Letter, Mr. Stanhope! Please read comments after the letter. The nukes are blogging our papers when we write letters against uranium mining! Joffan is a nuke; just go on web and google his name. This blog thinks it is amazing that the nuke bunch feels so threaten by everyday normal people who just want to protect our homes against huge uranium corporations and expose the liars they tell! The nuke bunch feels so threaten that they have huge conferences to teach other little nukes how to debunk the anti-nuke people! No to uranium mining, No to nuke plants!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 10:06 AM EST
Over the last 2 1/2 years I have been talking about the dust problem that would accompany the opening of an open-pit uranium mine in Pittsylvania County.
I have spoken about the low-level radioactive dust that would come with the blasting and the tailing piles.
(Low-level radiation accumulates in the body).
I have spoken to the supervisors probably a dozen times, with absolutely no results.
Phil Lovelace has spoken more often than I have about leakage of radioactive water from the holding ponds.
He also has received dumb looks from the supervisors.
In fact, one of them sometimes looks as if he is asleep.
In my opinion five of the supervisors have paid so little attention that it appears they work with Virginia Uranium.
On Sept. 25, 2009, Australian Broadcasting Corp. News ran a story on the dust problem that is now happening in South Australia.
From the area of and around the Olympic Dam Uranium Mine Site, dust is blowing for several hundred miles.
There is some low-level radioactive material in this dust.
If we allow a mine what will stop us from having the same problem?
On March 15, 2009, Northwest Territory Government (Australia) spoke to the mining company ERA about the contaminated water leaking from the Ranger Uranium Mine's tailing pond.
Here at the Ranger Mine we are talking about 100,000 liters a day.
I believe this comes to about 25,000 gallons of contaminated water a day.
These are basically new mines with the latest technology.
This is not something from the past; this is today's technology and today's problem.
Hopefully this information will help get the people of this county to become more aware of what is happening elsewhere and stop "our" mine before it happens here.
George Stanhope
Chatham, VA
Board of directors
Southside Concerned Citizens
Comments:
jp andrews
wrote on Nov 6, 2009 7:07 AM:
" apparently "joffan" is another nuke employee, towing the radioactive company line, trying to
discredit anyone who raises concerns about an industry which has had one of the most disgraceful safety and environmental records of any industry since time began.
"joffan and his nuke peers talk down to those of us who have legitimate concerns about the dangers of uranium mining (which are thoroughly documented)as if we are children afraid of the boogie man. well, go to colorado or new mexico and ask the people living near uranium mines about that boogie man.
We who have real, hard questions about this ridiculous idea are not paid for our time or our efforts to stop uranium mining in virginia. when the nuke lovers can show us even ONE uranium mine that has been operated without destroying the environment for miles around it and causing cancer rates to spike up
in that area, then i might begin to lend them some creedence.
otherwise i see them as people who are afraid to tell their real names and who are in the pocket of coles or areva or some other corporation who will reap billions in profits from coles hill. i could hide behind some made up name as well, but i am not afraid to say what i think and sign my name to it. "
MaxTheDog
wrote on Nov 6, 2009 1:32 AM:
" Well, there are problems in Australia (and American West) not only with Dust but leakage with tailings ponds which are listed below!
Also review the fines of uranium mining and watch the film, Hard Rain about uranium mining!
Uranium mining will ruin America!
Please review the list below:
Dust is a concern in Australia:
Uranium mine told to address dust risks
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696047.htm
Leakage in Australia uranium mines and other mines:
Mine spill sparks call for farm talks (Australia)
Probe into uranium mine leak continues
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/20/2719474.htm
Waste leak site clean: BHP Billiton,
BHP Billiton says it has cleaned up the site of a radioactive waste leak at its Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia.
Uranium mine water leak concerning, govt says
About 100,000 litres of contaminated water is seeping from a tailings dam at the mine every day: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/15/2516584.htm
Uranium mine water leaking into Kakadu
Tens of thousands of litres of contaminated water is leaking into Kakadu National Park every day from the Ranger Uranium Mine (AAP: Tara Ravens):http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/13/2515907.htm
Cloncurry creek 'caustic' after mine leak,
Residents of the north-west Queensland community of Cloncurry are being warned to stay clear of a creek running through the town which has been contaminated by mine water:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2576607.htm
Green group says Govt knew of radioactive leak:
Friends of the Earth says it has known about a radioactive leak at Olympic Dam for three months, but only released the information to the media yesterday:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/24/2524910.htm
Rio Tinto to be prosecuted for uranium disaster:http://www.minesandcommunities.org//article.php?a=7207&highlight=uranium,mining,fines
Environmental Problems and Violations Accumulate for Uranium Mining and Processing:
http://www.nunnglow.com/latest/violations-accumulate-for-uranium-isl-mining.html
Please watch the following film about the problems of uranium mining:
A Hard Rain (problems with nuclear power and uranium mining)
If you want vital and factual information to debate the issue intelligently and overthrow the myths that the nuclear and pro uranium mining lobby has so successfully implanted in the media:
http://www.frontlinefilms.com.au/videos/hardrain.htm "
Joffan
wrote on Nov 5, 2009 12:58 PM:
" Dear Mr Stanhope
I applaud your willingness to keep citizen's oversight on industrial projects, but a number of your concerns about uranium mining are misplaced or just flat-out wrong.
Dust is an issue that needs control at any open-cast mining, but the radioactivity from a uranium mine is negligible, and your simple assertion that low-level radiation accumulates in the body is wrong.
Similarly tailing ponds need to be carefully controlled and maintained, but the concerns are general to all mines, with no special radioactive threat from uranium mines, despite the noises from anti-nuclear-power groups.
Your mention of dust storms in South Australia is a piece of deception. These are nothing to do with mining activity, at Olympic Dam or elsewhere. http://www.ga.gov.au/remote-sensing/basics/gallery/natural-disasters/dust-east-australia-2009.jsp
The characterization of Ranger is also disingenuous; the "leakage" is into the underlying rock, which is more of an exchange process, and the geophysics surveys determined that any contamination will remain localized.
Olympic Dam, principally a copper mine, opened in 1987. Ranger opened in 1980. While they use modern technology, I would not call either of them "new".
with regards. "
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/11/06/chatham/opinion/opinion02.txt
