Edmunds, Ruff pass on VUI trip to France

By Eva Cassada
SoVaNow.com / June 20, 2011

Local legislators say they will not be among those flying to France this week courtesy of Virginia Uranium Inc. More than a dozen legislators are taking the five-day trip, costing an estimated $10,000 per person, to see a reclaimed uranium mine in France and spend three work-free days in Paris.

Del. James Edmunds of Halifax said he was “absolutely not” packing his bags.

State Sen. Frank Ruff of Clarksville said he wouldn’t want to waste Virginia Uranium’s money.

“I can imagine a trip, a free trip, would be very exciting under the guise of looking at a uranium mine,” said Edmunds, but he suspects it carries the expectation of “look my way” when it comes time for lawmakers to decide whether the company may mine uranium in Pittsylvania County.

“The reality of it is it’s a trip to France,” said Edmunds, a first-term delegate. “What does it sound like to you? A business trip?”

He said it’s insulting to constituents to assume a legislator could be objective about the issues when he returned.

Ruff, who opposes the mine, said that if he went he’d be wasting Virginia Uranium’s money “and I think that’s ethically wrong.” If he changed his position, “I’d look like I got paid off.

“I’ve seen nothing, and I don’t expect to see anything, to change my position,” said Ruff, calling the invitation “a no-win situation for them and me.”

Other Southside legislators, including Del. Danny Marshall of Danville, Del. Don Merricks of Pittsylvania County, State Sen. Roscoe Reynolds of Martinsville and Del. Charles Poindexter and State Sen. Bill Stanley, both of Franklin County, told the Danville Register & Bee they will not go, either.

But among those making the trip is state Sen. Louise Lucas, a Portsmouth Democrat who formerly represented Halifax County and parts of Mecklenburg County during a previous district configuration.

The free trip marks the second time that Virginia Uranium has taken legislators to France in an attempt to persuade the General Assembly to overturn a ban on mining uranium in Virginia. The trips are legal as long as legislators report them.

According to The Post, already in France are Lucas; state Sen. Mamie E. Locke, Democrat of Hampton; Dels. William R. Janis, Republican of Goochland; John A. Cosgrove, Republican of Chesapeake; and Mamye E. BaCote, Democrat of Newport News. Headed to France on Tuesday are Dels. David L. Englin, Democrat of Alexandria; Barry D. Knight, Republican of Virginia Beach; L. Scott Lingamfelter, Republican of Prince William; James P. Massie III, Republican of Henrico; Kenneth R. Plum, Democrat of Fairfax; Lionell Spruill Sr., Democrat of Chesapeake and Roslyn Tyler, Democrat of Greensville.

Opponents say uranium mining in a damp climate is dangerous to people and the environment.

Read more:
http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/news/article/edmunds_ruff_pass_on_vui_trip_to_france/

Solar panels OK at uranium waste site: There is not much else that would be compatible with the site,

Comment:  So the uranium mill has ruin this area except to to place solar panels on the land, look at this comment:  "There is not much else that would be compatible with the site, Shaw said!"
Maybe the VA leaders should visit this place instead of being bribe by the French uranium group with their fairy tells that uranium mining and milling is great as cotton candy!  Demand the leaders of VA to keep The Ban on uranium mining! 

Feds say Bodo Canyon project viable
By Dale Rodebaugh Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: Friday, June 24, 2011 8:25pm

A U.S. Department of Energy study finds there would be no significant environmental impact from installing photovoltaic collectors where 2.5 million cubic yards of radioactive mill tailings are buried in Bodo Canyon.

The department issued its decision– a final environmental assessment – Friday.

Maximum development of a solar-energy system would encompass 21 acres of a site southwest of Durango where waste from a mill that processed uranium in Durango is buried.

The mill operated for all but three years from 1942 to 1963.

A photovoltaic solar-energy system would generate 4.5 megawatts or more of electrical power, the agency said.

A 4.5-megawatt system would supply power for about 300 average homes.

Mark Schwantes, manager of corporate services at La Plata Electric Association, said in a statement:

“We have been following the effort since its inception and are in support of a community solar garden at the old tailings site.

“We have heard of interest from local solar installers and entrepreneurs who might take the lead on the project,” Schwantes said.

There is not much else that would be compatible with the site, Shaw said.

The Bodo Canyon site is located 3.5 miles southwest of Durango. It covers 120 acres, 42 acres of which constitute the burial cell.

The burial cell is 2,400 feet long and 1,300 feet wide. It’s covered with 7 feet of layered protective materials, including a radon membrane, a sand-filter drain, clay mat, rocks to protect against the invasion of vegetation and a rock/soil cap.

Construction was completed in 1991.

The Department of Energy intends to award a 20-year lease with one five-year option to a qualified lessee, the agency statement said.

daler@durangoherald.com
Read more:
http://durangoherald.com/article/20110625/NEWS01/706259958/-1/s

AN Open Letter to Virginia Activists on Keep the Uranium Ban in VA

Comment:  Please vote to keep the Ban in VA plus write the leaders of VA and tell them to keep the ban too!

Greetings

We need everyone's participation to prevail against the imminent threat of uranium mining in Virginia.

Lifting the moratorium would open the floodgates to numerous mining opportunists throughout Virginia and with questionable safety nets and oversight. If mining happens then Virginia will become environmentally defiled forever. Contaminated water sources would bring a blight upon Virginia and compromise the health of its citizens for many generations. Watershed left in the wake of mining would stand as a ready vehicle to deliver contaminants of mining wastes as containment structures fail in future years. It is a set up for perpetual if not immediate disaster. The nightmare of "dead zones" and "sacrificial area" is but a vote away. Virginians are largely unaware of the environmental implications associated with uranium mining. The bulk of information presented by the media has been paid for by VUI (Virginia Uranium Incorporated). We need to change that.

We are asking for your help in this grass roots effort to keep the ban on mining Virginia intact.
We are asking you to spread the word, to call your state representatives and implore them to "keep the ban".
We are asking you to write letters to the editor stating your concerns.
-call and write your representatives
-lobby them
-Bring the message to church, business,schools
-Visit your town council, board of supervisors, etc. Ask for and expect a resolution condemning the mining of Virginia
-Organize a local chapter to stand united.
-Do what you can to bring this subject out of the closet and fully exposed as the pestilent folly for which it is.

The mining proponents are hoping that we will apathetically sleep through this corporate rollover. But we are waking up. We realize the value of our water and air. We feel the potential and power within ourselves to stand firm and protect this land as inheritors of a sacred place. A victory in " keeping the ban" will bolster our efforts on every environmental front. The unity we will achieve will strengthen all of our environmental efforts to keep Virginia clean and its citizens healthy.

Thank You
Friend of the Keep the Ban

I include here links pertaining to this issue:
http://keeptheban.org/
http://keeptheban.org/?page_id=237
 (Please note that there is a statewide petition which you can sign online at this site.)

The Endangered Roanoke River Needs Your Help!
https://secure3.convio.net/citnet/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=603
Informative Blogs:

http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,391,0,44,html/Uranium
http://www.southernenvironment.org/virginia/uranium_mining_in_virginia/
http://lifeincva.blogspot.com/
http://uraniumfreevirginia.blogspot.com/
http://virginiaagainsturanium.blogspot.com/
http://prideva.blogspot.com/
http://wise-uranium.org/
http://dls.state.va.us/groups/cec/Uranium/meetings.htm
http://danvilleregionalfoundation.org/news/2010/20100618-UraniumStudyProposals.php
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2010/apr/01/virginia_beach_outlines_uranium_concerns-ar-270571/

http://www.earthworksaction.org/pubs/ComparisonsReportFinal.pdf
Comparison of Predicted and Actual Water Quality at Hardrock Mines

http://204.12.38.203/archives/34/lewis.pdf
Keeping Agriculture Alive in the Shadow of a Uranium Mine: Potential Effects and Regulatory Solutions for Virginia

Kolotushkina: Clearing up some misconceptions of uranium mining study

By OLGA KOLOTUSHKINA
Published: June 17, 2011

Certain misconceptions about the National Academy of Sciences study of uranium mining currently under way require clarification.

First, the NAS study is simply not designed to give a definite answer to the crucial question of whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia. Instead, the scope of the NAS study calls for secondary research, a review of the literature and experiences with uranium mining elsewhere. The statement of work explicitly states that "the study will not make recommendations about whether or not uranium mining should be permitted nor will the study include site-specific assessments."

This is not a reflection on the National Academy of Sciences or on the qualifications of individual members on the uranium mining panel. In most cases, NAS studies are designed to provide definite answers to questions posed by study sponsors. For example, the National Academy of Sciences' 2005 study of Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation resulted in a very definite conclusion that even very low doses of radiation can cause cancer, and that 1 in 100 people will get cancer if exposed to the allowable "safe" dose set for the general public under current federal regulations. Another related study under way at the NAS is expected to propose in December a specific methodology for quantifying cancer risks in populations living around nuclear facilities.

Whether or not an NAS study results in a definite answer to specific questions depends on the scope of work; and the scope of work is proposed by a study sponsor. The official sponsor of the uranium mining study is Virginia Tech, which is paid $300,000 by Virginia Uranium Inc. as compensation for funneling $1.4 million to the NAS to cover the study expenses, since the National Academy's Academ policy does not favor funding from for-profit entities. It is Virginia Tech that took the lead in developing the scope of work for the ongoing uranium mining study and managed to get most of its nominees appointed to the uranium panel.

The question is: Why doesn't the NAS study's scope of work ask for a definite answer to the only question that really matters — whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in Virginia? Maybe because the answer to this question would be too simple, as uranium mining has consistently resulted in irreparable damage to the environment, local economy and communities.

As a result of this omission in the study scope, instead of concentrating on the crucial question of safety, the NAS uranium mining panel spent a whole day during its last public meeting in Canada listening to presentations by two giants of the uranium mining industry, Areva and Cameco. A world-renowned expert in nuclear and radioactive materials proposed as a speaker for that meeting by citizen groups representing hundreds of citizens, businesses and municipalities was rejected by the NAS, leaving the communities that will be most affected by proposed uranium mining without any representation at the meeting a thousand miles away.

It is important to remember that the livelihood of proponents of uranium mining depends on the ability to mine uranium at Coles Hill and many other locations in the commonwealth. This is where we differ: The livelihood of the communities that rely on the Roanoke River Basin for their water needs depends on the availability of clean water and the projected image of a healthy, friendly and attractive place to live and do business. Uranium mining will tarnish the image of the region as a tourist and recreational destination. It will put the quality of our agricultural products in question. And it will destroy our chances to attract new businesses, as no company would want to relocate next to piles of radioactive waste.

The Roanoke River Basin communities that went on record in opposition to proposed uranium mining are especially concerned about devastating consequences of a potential uranium mill waste impoundment failure, as evaluated in the Virginia Beach study. That study was criticized by uranium mining proponents as based on an extremely unlikely event.

I can't help wondering if the people of Japan would be in such a predicament now if their leadership had taken time to evaluate the worst-case scenario before permitting the construction of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Olga Kolotushkina is the regulatory and legislative adviser for the Roanoke River Basin Association, and spokesperson for the Dan River Basin Association's Uranium Mining Task Force. Find out more at www.rrba.org.

Read more:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/oped/2011/jun/17/TDOPIN02-kolotushkina-clearing-up-some-misconcepti-ar-1113721/

One dies in Kayelekera fatal accident

By Nyasa Times


A Tanzanian national, a driver, died at a fatal accident which occurred at Malawi’s uranium mine, Kayelekera in Karonga, police and Paladin have confirmed.

According to eye witnesses working on Saturday, the truck caught fire with the impact but was extinguished with water from the 1 million litre water tank which it hit.
Paladin’s General Manager-International Affairs – Greg Walker, confirmed to Nyasa Times about the accident.

“A truck delivering sulphur to Kayelekera Mine was involved in a single vehicle accident shortly after 8am this morning,” Paladin’s boss told Nyasa Times.

“The driver lost control of the vehicle as it descended a hill. The truck impacted a water tank, rupturing the tank. Regrettably, the driver was killed on impact. No-one else was involved in the accident,” Walker added.

According to workers at the mine, the tank is very vital to the operations for the process plant which needs a lot of water and sulphuric acid to dissolve uranium ore.

Walker explained that Kayelekera Mine emergency services secured the scene, which was attended by Traffic Police from Karonga.

Read more:
http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/one-dies-in-kayelekera-mine-fatal-accident.html

Uranium mining showdown on the horizon

Comment:  Keep the Uranium Mining!

17 June 2011 | 11:59 AM

A legislative battle over whether to lift a nearly three decade ban on uranium mining in Virginia looms large even though the next regular session of the General Assembly is months away.

One reminder of that reality came this week when the Virginia League of Conservation Voters' political action committee Wednesday sent a blast e-mail urging recipients to join their campaign in support of keeping the ban.

That same day, Virginia Beach Republican Sen. Frank Wagner returned from a Canadian exploratory trip to observe mining operations with the National Academy of Sciences, which is compiling a report on the issue expected to be completed in December.

As he was arriving back in the states, several other legislators were departing for a trip to France to visit a decommissioned mine and see how it's been integrated into the surrounding environs.

Their travel is sponsored by Virginia Uranium Inc., a firm that controls a 3,500 acre tract in Pittsylvania County with an estimated 119 million pounds of uranium and wants state clearance to mine the substance.

That deposit -- it's located on the Coles Hill family farm near the town of Chatham -- is believed to be one of the largest in the world and the company wants the moratorium nixed so it can harvest and process the radioactive resource that could provide years of fuel for nuclear power plants.

But environmental groups worry about potential contamination of drinking water, ecological harms and adverse affects on human health.

It's also a concern for Virginia Beach, which commissioned its own study of how a mining disaster would affect the city's water supply from Lake Gaston. Study results suggest that significant flooding near the proposed mine could cause contamination.

(The Washington Post reported Friday that several locals legislators are among those making the overseas journey: Sens. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton; and Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth; and Dels. Mayme BaCote, D-Newport News; John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake; Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach; and Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake.)

Last year, Wagner and two other lawmakers -- Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan County; and Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke -- took the trip.

The uranium debate has the potential to be a divisive election year issue.

Virginia Uranium Inc. has given more than $55,000 to Republicans and Democrats since 2008, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Lisa Guthrie of the League of Conservation Voters said preserving the ban is a "top priority," noting her group will support candidates who oppose lifting it.

Read more:
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/06/uranium-mining-showdown-horizon

$10,000 Trips to France, Free for Virginia Delegates & Senators?

 

 

 

Comment: Please write this group of so call "VA Leaders" to tell them to keep the Uranium Ban and we are watching you, strange, none of this group are from the areas that will be blown up for uranium!

As the Washington Post reported late last week, several Virginia Delegates and Senators have accepted an all-expenses-paid trip to France, compliments of Virginia Uranium Inc. The company, which reportedly invited all 140 members of the General Assembly to take the trip, is hoping to persuade state elected officials to lift the Commonwealth's long-standing ban on uranium mining during the upcoming legislative session.

The visit is being billed as a 'fact-finding' trip, but will include enough time for the elected officials to spend three days in Paris. The rest of the itinerary is not clear.

Since the news came out, both the Washington Post, The Virginia-Pilot and the Roanoke Times have editorialized against the appearance that this kind of trip, legal in Virginia, but unacceptable at the federal level, presents. The scary truth is, Virginia law permits companies to make unlimited gifts to legislators so long as the gifts are reported (gifts are not campaign contributions, they are for personal use). In 2010 Virginia Uranium was the second most generous company, spending $27,000 on just four legislators.


Tell Your Legislators that Votes Shouldn't Be Bought
Send an email letting your Delegate and Senator know that you'll be watching the uranium mining issue closely over the next year.

Click here to tell the so called  "VA Leaders" vote to keep the ban:

http://pec.citizen-networks.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pec_home

Uranium Lobby Pushes Forward Without Evidence

The National Academy of Sciences is currently preparing a report for the Governor and General Assembly examining the scientific, technical, environmental, human health and safety and regulatory aspects of uranium mining and milling. The report, due in December, may provide a framework for a more detailed debate. By flying legislators to France this now, it is clear that Virginia Uranium and its friends in Richmond are attempting to exert an undue influence.

While our legislators are in France we doubt they will be meeting with the Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity ("CRIIRAD") which has prepared a report on the devastating legacy of uranium mining in France. In the United States the legacy of uranium mining has left a path of destruction among the Navajo in the southwest, including the 1979 collapse of a dam holding back uranium waste. Just this past February, a report commission by Virginia Beach showed that if radioactive waste were to escape containment in a catastrophic failure (like what happened in New Mexico) and get into Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston it could contaminate Virginia Beach drinking water for up to two years.

What risk to human health, the economy and the environment do Virginia legislators find acceptable? Please take a minute to write to your state elected officials today.

Sincerely,

Dan Holmes
Director of State Policy
Piedmont Environmental Council
dholmes@pecva.org

Click here to read:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-lawmakers-flying-to-france-as-part-of-lobbying-push-for-uranium-mining/2011/06/15/AG0BDxXH_story.html

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/06/finding-facts-western-france

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/290615

http://www.pecva.org/anx/ass/library/335/radiological_hazards_uranium_mining.pdf

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/feb/01/worst-case-spill-study-released-virginia-beach-ar-814166/




 

Sign me up to stop uranium mining

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:55 AM EDT

Just moved here, and not surprisingly, the real estate guy neglected to mention this house is like five miles from North America's largest uranium deposit.

This wouldn't even be a concern if it wasn't going to be mined.
We moved here from stinky, noisy Richmond, and sit out on the front porch and can't get over how peaceful and lovely it is here; as close to heaven as you can get.

I can even drink the tap water.

We would sure hate to have a stinky, noisy mine screwing up our heaven, especially a radioactive one.

Guess there would be all kinds of trucks on Route 40 pinging uranium pebbles on our windshields and belching clouds of unstable isotopes across the county.

I was especially discomforted by some expert that claimed that this stuff is harmless unless breathed in or ingested.

Hate to have to stop breathing or eating for my own safety.

Hate to be a NIMBY, but it's not just for me, but the cute little deer and turkeys I love to watch, and the cows across the street that might be my dinner one day.

I bet those Hungarians swallowed up in toxic sludge wish they had stopped that mine from bringing jobs and prosperity to their area.

Sign me up to do anything possible to stop this from happening.

Kay Patrick
Gretna, VA

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/06/15/chatham/opinion/opinion14.txt

Atomic Annie Bites The Uranium Dust

Politics / Nuclear Power
Jun 18, 2011 - 11:22 AM
By: Andrew_McKillop


Anne Lauvergeon, nicknamed 'Atomic Annie' and CEO of France's murky Areva nuclear corporation with activities ranging from uranium mining ventures - and adventures in Africa - to building the world's slowest and most expensive reactor, a French EPR in Finland, was officially ousted by Nicolas Sarkozy on June 16 and will quit Areva by June 29.

The decision was in fact long-expected by nuclear business watchers, but the final trigger was her handling of the blow-back in France from the Japanese Fukushima disaster, adding to Areva's near-bankruptcy.

Read more:
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article28767.html

 

Virginia Uranium seeks to pay its way into lifting the uranium mining ban

June 20, 2011 7:51 am ET .
Daniel Carawan Richmond Progressive Examiner...


In what amounts to a paid vacation for 14 of Virginia’s state legislators, Virginia Uranium Inc. has reportedly financed a trip for the 5 legislators to visit a closed mine in western France.

According to the Washington Post, the closed mine in western France was mined for 50 years until the late 1990s.

The 5 legislators arrived in Paris on Wednesday and will soon be followed by 9 more this coming Tuesday.

The Post reports that the 5-day trip is expected to cost $10,000 per person, including a number of days in Paris.

Virginia Uranium is interested in ending the 1982 ban in Virginia on uranium mining and the General Assembly can do just that.

Aside from the fact that western France does not share the same ecological conditions as southern Virginia and cannot therefore be fruitfully compared with a high degree of validity, the trip appears to be more than a fact-finding mission by Virginia’s state legislators.

Indeed, the days spent in Paris appear to be an unethical way for Virginia Uranium to court the favor of the legislators in question, regardless of the similarities and supposed safety of the uranium mine in western France.

If Virginia’s legislators truly care about the interests of Virginians and the perceptions of their constituents, they will reject the offer to stay in Paris on the dime of a special interest whose goals are not in line with those of the rest of Virginia.

But we’re only talking about the welfare of thousands of Virginians, right? No big deal.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Virginia Uranium seeks to pay its way into lifting the uranium mining ban - Richmond Progressive | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-richmond/virginia-uranium-seeks-to-pay-its-way-into-lifting-the-uranium-mining-ban#ixzz1Psa2FBVc

Coles Hill residents want water tested - Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, 7 PM

Coles Hill residents want water tested - Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, 7 PM

By GoDanRiver Staff
Published: June 20, 2011

A proposal asking the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to request that Virginia Uranium Inc. test well water at Coles Hill is among items on the board’s agenda for tonight’s meeting.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. in Chatham on Tuesday, June21.

Staunton River Supervisor Marshall Ecker has asked that the board consider the request from citizens in the Coles Hill area, where VUI hopes to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit.

The test would set up a standard before further drilling in the area.

Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jun/20/coles-hill-residents-want-water-tested-ar-1121883/

Happy Father's Day

DADS

Delightful and loving,

Loved and admired,

Dad, you're my hero,

My life you've inspired. And when all my blessings

Are counted each day,

I thank God in heaven

For Dad when I pray. Dad thanks for your presence

Throughout thick and thin;

You're more than a parent,

You're my wonderful friend.

By Ken Brown

Accident at Karonga uranium mine, one seriously injured

By Nyasa Times
Published: June 10, 2011

An accident occurred at Paladin’s Kayerekela uranium mine in Karonga on Thursday when a Yahama 4×4 Gamma Radiation Rigger driven by a Pit Technician, Maurice Dzinyemba, overturned in the slippery road to the mine commonly known as the pit seriously injuring the worker.

Eye witnesses told Nyasa Times that Dzinyemba sustained a serious open fracture around the ankle and the leg was almost severed.

One of the accidents at Kayelekela mine

He was airlifted in a Paladin chartered plane called from Lilongwe to a hospital in Blantyre with a possibility of being taken to South Africa.

Paladin’s General Manager-International Affairs – Greg Walker, confirmed to Nyasa Times about the accident.

“A Yahama Rhino all terrain vehicle being driven by a Malawian employee overturned on the Kayelekera mine-site yesterday afternoon. The driver, who was the sole occupant, suffered a fractured leg,” he said in an email response to a questionnaire.

“He was stabilized at the site clinic and then transferred by site ambulance to Karonga. The Company arranged evacuation by air charter to Blantyre, where the employee was admitted to hospital last night,” he added.

Walker said the victim was “in stable and comfortable condition” on Friday.

He said “an investigation into the circumstances of the incident has been launched onsite.”

In an effort to reduce hazardous radioactive ore dust, Paladin Africa Limited embarks on a dust suppression system which includes watering all the earth roads around the mine commonly known as the pit and Dzinyemba was driving his rigger down the watered slippery road which is a sole reason for the accident.

Last year a Mota-Engil Tipper overturned in the same conditions but the driver escaped unhurt.

In December 2009, a Mota-Engil construction dumper operator was instantly killed when the loaded dumper overturned. Mota-Engil was contracted by Paladin to do mining and earth construction.

In October 2009, one person was killed and many more injured when a minus bus lost its breaks down slope and overturned.

On 22nd March 2010, a Senior Geologist Alexander Kathewera and two other passengers were killed in a terrible accident involving a Paladin Mini Bus at Bwengu in Rumphi District.

There were also two mysterious deaths in February 2010 involving two workers working lime sections and one of them was Edward Mwafongo.

Read more:
http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/accident-at-karonga-uranium-mine.html

Senator for sale: Uranium companies buying our VA Leaders

By TOM McLAUGHLIN
SoVaNow.com / June 08, 2011

The discussion centered on Virginia Beach State Senator Frank Wagner, who in a recent talk to students offered a rather frank assessment of just how the General Assembly works:

"In giving a brief update of his re-election campaign, Wagner told the students, 'If this guy gives me money and that one doesn’t, who do you think I’m going to talk to? Who am I going to listen to?

'One cared enough to be engaged and the other didn’t. I don’t care what the one thinks or wants who didn’t give me money. I’ll represent him, but I won’t talk to him or listen to him.'

"He explained like politicians and used car salesmen are about the same. 'So I’m turning my hat around and now I’m a used car salesman. I have two cars to sell. One is a red convertible and the other is a green sedan.

'That’s the way it works in politics'…"

Upon reading this, my first thought was that Senator Wagner owes an apology to used car salesmen for having the gall to equate his evident lack of integrity to their own.

Used car salesmen are in the honest business of selling cars.

What is Wagner selling? Access? Favorable treatment? His vote?

Normally, we might be able to write off the not-so-good senator as just another hack whose presence in the legislature we’d have to suffer for lack of the ability to change.

However, there’s a problem with this: Frank Wagner is one of the leading proponents in the General Assembly of uranium mining in Virginia. In other words, he’s a Problem Too Big To Ignore.

In a perfect world, people like Senator Wagner would never be allowed anywhere near the levers of power, and companies like Virginia Uranium wouldn’t be able to get their way simply by spreading dirty money around.

But since we don’t live in that perfect world, we face the unenviable task of constantly having to push back against jokers like Wagner.

Wagner’s statements, however noxious, do serve to underscore the fact that it’s a fool’s errand trying to beat back uranium mining by playing the inside game in Richmond.

Opponents of mining will never be able to marshal the money and the lobbyists to offset the resources that the other side brings to the debate.

But fortunately, there is one thing that politicians respect (and fear) even more than money: backlash. Wagner may be a lost cause, but I’d be willing to bet that many others in the General Assembly, especially on the Senate side, are willing to heed public sentiment when it comes to an issue as dicey as digging up radioactive ore in a population zone.

Senator Wagner notwithstanding, Virginia Beach has been Southside’s best ally in challenging mining upstream in Pittsylvania County.

The city’s study suggesting a tailings breach could contaminate drinking water supplies — including Buggs Island Lake and Lake Gaston — for years and years has dramatically altered the tenor of statewide debate. But we’ve still got our own work to do in making sure the politicians fully understand the unacceptability of handing over Southside’s environment and economy to outside mining interests.

As it happens, a key race for control of the State Senate (now in Democratic hands, by a 22-18 majority) is taking place in the newly redrawn 20th Senate District, which includes the western half of Halifax County and other Southside areas north and west. Two incumbents — Martinsville Democrat Roscoe Reynolds and Franklin County Republican Bill Stanley, formerly of the 19th district — are battling it out to hold the seat for their respective parties.

This would be a useful race, and a useful place, to insist on a firm stance on uranium mining.

Do the candidates belong to the “we’ll do it as long as the science is sound” cop-out camp?

Or do they evince a proper degree of skepticism towards mining that one would expect from any rational person with an appreciation for the uncertainties of science, not to mention recent history that suggests these types of ventures can go very, very wrong?

What say ye, Senators?

***

Read more:
http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/opinion/article/senator_for_sale/

Port Hope Contaminated Homes: A Tough sell (Uranium)

Comment:  No to any form of Uranium mining, milling, processing, not needed, not wanted!

Raveena Aulakh, Toronto Star, Staff reporter,
June 10, 2011

Christine Ball's plans to sell her house at Harcourt St. in Port Hope were thwarted by the discovery it contains low-level radioactive waste. Even if it sells after being cleaned up, she's been told she's ineligible to receive property value compensation under a federal plan.

PORT HOPE—Buying or selling a house is stressful during the best of times, in the best of places.

Christine Ball knew that.

What she didn’t know was that there was low-level radioactive waste all over her house, which would thwart its sale. She also didn’t know that a federal program to compensate homeowners suffering the stigma of being part of the biggest radioactive waste cleanup in Canadian history would deem her ineligible.

“It’s been a nightmare,” says Ball, sitting on the couch in her three-bedroom Harcourt St. home, a 10-minute walk from the town’s charming downtown, with her beagle mix Lucy perched next to her.

“What am I supposed to do now?” she asks, with a wan smile. “I can’t sell my house and the government says I can’t even apply for the property value protection program.”

The unique program, known as PVP, was introduced in 2001, when Ottawa decided to clean up the town. Homeowners who sell for considerably less than the appraised value can get the difference from the government.

At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.

But some residents, victims of the town’s peculiar atomic history, say they’re not being given access because they don’t fit the highly specific criteria.

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI), the federal agency in charge of the big cleanup, says the rules were decided a decade ago in a signed agreement between the federal government and the municipality of Port Hope. Politicians, including Mayor Linda Thompson, are toeing the line, saying the process is still unfolding.

The result, on the eve of the cleanup, has been a year’s worth of angry emails and acrimonious meetings between homeowners and PHAI, on top of the rancour that has enveloped the town over differing views on the contamination and its solution.

Port Hope is riddled with low-level radioactive waste, the result of 50 years of radium and uranium refining at the Cameco refinery, formerly the Crown corporation Eldorado Nuclear Ltd., from the 1930s to the 1980s. It’s strewn all over town — around homes, in parks, office buildings, even under the asphalt.
 
Read more:
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1006749--tough-sell
 

RESOLUTION: SUPPORTING THE MORATORIUM ON URANIUM MINING IN VIRGINIA

RESOLUTION:  SUPPORTING THE MORATORIUM ON URANIUM MINING IN VIRGINIA

Dan River Basin Association

WHEREAS, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) recognizes that a sustainable environment is important to the citizens, the economy and the need for supply of clean water in the Dan River Basin region in Virginia and North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the DRBA, a 501 c (3) organization, is to preserve and promote the natural and cultural resources of the Dan River Basin through stewardship, recreation and education; and

WHEREAS, there is a proposed uranium mining and milling operation at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County, VA, which would require lifting the current ban on such operations in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in 1983, in response to proposals to mine uranium in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the General Assembly enacted a legislative moratorium on the mining of uranium in Virginia, which remains in effect today; and

WHEREAS, a company known as Virginia Uranium, Inc. has proposed to establish one of the largest uranium mining operations in North America in Pittsylvania County and has stated to its investors, that it will seek legislation to repeal the moratorium in the 2012 session of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, other localities in Virginia, including but not limited to the counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Floyd, Madison, Orange and Patrick have all been identified as potential sites for additional uranium mining, thereby extending the potential effects of such mining far beyond Pittsylvania County, and

WHEREAS, the best available scientific information indicates that the social, environmental, health and economic impacts of proposed uranium mining and milling in the Basin outweigh expected benefits to residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, on February 1, 2011, the City of Virginia Beach released the findings of its study of impacts of proposed uranium mining and milling on its water supply and concluded that in the event of a mill tailing confinement cell failure, the tailings will be washed downstream and will significantly impact water quality in Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston resulting in radiation levels in the water 10-20 times above the Safe Water Drinking Act levels; and

WHEREAS, because the Basin serves as a drinking water source for over one million people which could face increased risks associated with uranium mining, milling, and storage of radioactive waste; and

WHEREAS, the Dan River Basin Association is convinced that the social and psychological effect of uranium mining will be unquestionably negative, without regard to the assurances in any study of the safety of uranium mining, and will result in business, industry and population deciding to locate in areas other than those in proximity to uranium mining; and

WHEREAS, such decisions by prospective business, industry and residents will diminish, and potentially destroy, the economic development efforts of our entire region, and will sacrifice our economic future, including business recruitment, real estate values and retention of youth in our communities, with all the social stresses and ills attendant upon such economic decline, merely for the sake of the limited number of jobs directly created by uranium mining; and

WHEREAS, such destructive effects upon the efforts to improve the economy of this region will result in additional strain upon the financial resources of local, state and federal governments, through increased expenditures on social services programs, financial assistance, and subsidies, and will render the millions already spent in economic development ineffective; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Dan River Basin Association supports the continuation of the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia and believes that uranium mining in Southern Virginia would be destructive to its people and economy, and detrimental to the people and economy of Virginia and North Carolina as a whole.

BE IT KNOWN that the Dan River Basin Association Board of Directors present at a meeting held on June 8, 2011 duly adopted this Resolution; and that said Resolution has been duly recorded in the Association minutes and is in full force and effect.
____________________ ____________________ __________________
Wayne Kirkpatrick, T Butler, Mark Bishopric,President Secretary Treasurer

Read more:
http://www.facebook.com/DanRiverBasinAssoc

Resolution: OPPOSING LIFTING THE BAN ON URANIUM

CITY OF CREEDMOOR

Apr 11, 2011 ... RESOLUTION OPPOSING LIFTING THE BAN ON URANIUM ... WHEREAS, the City of Creedmoor recognizes that a healthy and sustainable environment is ...


Click here to read resolution:
http://www.cityofcreedmoor.org/vertical/Sites/%7B5DDB58B2-9084-4EC6-99DD-B01786475046%7D/uploads/%7B358E34D4-AE2E-43F7-8657-1A7853EE12FC%7D.PDF

Critics blast report on G. Canyon uranium mining

Comment:  City Council of Danville, VA and Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, protect us from uranium mining, never been safely in the world, the rest of VA and NC are requesting that VA to keep the uranium ban, so:  KEEP THE BAN!  NO TO URANIUM MINING AND MILLING!
Published 05:25 p.m., Sunday, May 15, 2011

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Conservation groups and officials in a northern Arizona county say there are serious flaws in a new federal analysis of the risks and benefits of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors questioned the report's conclusion that mining will employ hundreds of people and support thousands indirectly. The Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council and the Grand Canyon Trust agree.

The conservationists also worry that water quality could be affected.

These groups all support putting federal land bordering the Grand Canyon off-limits to new uranium mines for 20 years. That would still allow perhaps 11 existing mines but end new exploration that could permit more than 700 sites to be explored.

Their opinions were contained in responses to an environmental study obtained by the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff.

These questions have growing significance because a 2-year-old moratorium on new uranium mining issued by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expires in mid-July, opening the door for mining exploration to resume across about 1 million acres.

An Interior spokeswoman said she did not know when Salazar might make a decision on the issue.

Representatives from the mining industry also say it would have little environmental impact.

The conservation groups disagree.

"The problem with this area is that there are more unknowns than knowns -- especially north of the canyon, there is a huge area where the science has not been done to determine how groundwater is moving," said Alicyn Gitlin, of the Sierra Club.

She cited the drinking water for the Grand Canyon, which is supplied by a spring on the northern side of the canyon.

When snow melts on the North Rim most years, the water quality in the springs gets cloudy, raising an evident connection between events on the surface and water quality.

"... inaccuracies in modeling the economic impact of the withdrawal ... cause us to seriously question the veracity of the final conclusions ..." Merritt wrote.

Federal agencies also didn't adequately weigh the risks of lasting aquifer contamination related to uranium mining, the four conservation groups wrote.

"(The analysis) avoids discussion of the monumental tasks and hundreds of millions or billions of dollars required to clean up deep aquifer contamination, assuming it is even possible. Commenting organizations raised this issue in scoping. Neither the federal government nor industry can guarantee that uranium mining would not deplete or contaminate aquifers," they stated.

In an April letter, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors asked that a lot of federal land in Coconino County be put off-limits to uranium mining. They raised concerns about the impacts to tourism and questions about cleanup in case of an ore truck overturning.

The county cited "hot spots" of radioactivity at former mines.

The board contended that uranium jobs were possibly counted multiple times, but that tourism revenues might be undercounted, and raised complaints that monitoring for radioactive materials along haul routes into Fredonia, Flagstaff, Page and Cameron wouldn't be adequate.

"There is entirely too much risk, too many unknowns and too many identified impacts to justify threatening one of the most important U.S. landmarks and one of the most world-renowned national parks to justify the relatively small economic benefit associated with mining of uranium in the Grand Canyon region," the supervisors stated.

Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/default/article/Critics-blast-report-on-G-Canyon-uranium-mining-1380673.php#ixzz1MZqfofKy

Meeting: PRIDE

Meeting:  EPA, Marcos Aquino

Time and Date:    June 13, 6:00-8:00 PM 

Danville Public Library, 511 Patton Street, Danville, VA

Subject:  EPA's role in uranium mining, milling and tailings storage, Questions to follow

Presented by:   Piedmont Residents in Defense of the Environment (PRIDE)

(PRIDE supports continuing and strengthening the ban on uranium mining and milling in Virginia)

Is the NAS uranium mining hearing an Areva 'love-in'?

By The Editorial Board
Published: June 07, 2011
To the editor:

When the National Academy of Science announced the committee to study "uranium mining in Virginia," there was opportunity for public comment. Some comments expressed concern that Henry Schnell of Areva may have a conflict of interest when serving on the committee. But, the NAS chose to allow him to remain, stating they were "unable to find another individual with the equivalent experience and technical expertise as Mr. Schnell who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable."

The agenda for the sixth and final meeting of the National Academy of Science regarding uranium mining in Virginia was scheduled for June 6-9 in Saskatoon, Canada. Three of the five presenters on the agenda for June 9’s session work for Areva Resources Canada Inc. Apparently, Schnell needed back-up.

Ray Ganthner, a former Areva vice president from Lynchburg, recently placed an op-ed in local newspapers asking us to "await the results of the NAS study, rather than rushing to a hasty prejudgment based on our own opinions."

Ganthner is chairman of the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance and states the Alliance’s "full confidence in the NAS to conduct a thorough, independent, unbiased and scientifically based assessment."

Among VEIA’s corporate sponsors are AREVA and Virginia Uranium Inc. Ganthner further states, "I encourage opponents, and all Virginians, to fully engage in the NAS process, rather than prejudging its conclusions."

That’s difficult to do when meetings are 2,000 miles from home. With all the Areva folks presenting at this NAS meeting, perhaps it should have been held in Lynchburg. That would increase the chances of those of us who will be directly affected by uranium mining, milling and tailings storage in Virginia to more "fully engage."

Ganthner went on to state, "It is not right to say that we know better than the experts at the NAS about whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia." Are all the experts from Areva?
Areva’s prominent presence in the sixth and final NAS meeting should be noted.

This week NAS seems to stand for "Now Areva Speaks."

KAREN MAUTE
Mount Cross

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jun/07/mining-hearing-areva-love--ar-1089406/

Meeting: Roanoke River Basin

 

Roanoke River Basin
 

The spring meeting of the Roanoke River Basin Association Board of Directors and Executive

Committee will be held on June 11, 2011

at the H. Leslie Perry Library, Henderson, NC.

We will meet in the Farm Bureau Room.

The Board of Directors meeting is at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

.

 Open to the public

Parking is available on both sides of th
We will have "RRBA Event" signs outsidee building

EPA official to speak to PRIDE

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 8:49 AM EDT

DANVILLE - Marcos Aquino, regional radiation program manager with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Voluntary Air Programs' Air Protection Division, speak at the June 13 meeting of Piedmont Residents in Defense of the Environment (PRIDE).

Aquino will discuss EPA's role in uranium mining, milling and tailings storage.
He will take questions following the presentation.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Danville Public Library on Patton Street.

PRIDE supports continuing and strengthening the ban on uranium mining and milling in Virginia and is a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.


http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/06/07/chatham/news/news31.txt

NAS mining study flawed

By The Editorial Board

Published: June 06, 2011

To the editor:

In response to “Let’s wait on study before deciding” (May 29, page A11), I would like to take exception to the author’s claims of the qualities of the National Academy of Sciences.

I, too, shared the view of the NAS prior to its acceptance of $1.4 million fromVirginia Tech so that this “study” would fit the parameters of their mandates prohibiting funding from private corporations or individuals. In addition, the “study commission,” as you well know, is made up of mining and nuclear industry executives, and they are hardly representative of what anyonewould call “impartial panelists.”

In addition, the author wrote at some length to the existence of modern mining and waste management techniques in the uranium mining industry. Everyone studying the problem is privy to the same information. What that data says is that everywhere uranium has been mined— all over the planet— lives, health and livelihoods have been devastated by the pollution caused by mining uranium.

The NAS study will not state whether or not it is going to be safe to mine and mill uranium in Virginia. The scope of their study is clearly one of recommending a safe management system, i.e., how to go about this project with the least damage to health and the environment. As a result, VUI seems to be awaiting the results of the study before they publish a plan of action.

As for criticism of Mary Rafferty of the Sierra Club and her charges of negotiations “behind closed doors,” what do you expect when VUI has spent money with lobbyists to sway the General Assembly to lift the existing moratorium? To many of us, these charges are valid.

HUNTER AUSTIN
Hurt

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jun/06/nas-mining-study-fatally-flawed-ar-1088470/

Meeting: NAS Uranium Mining Study

Comment:  The NAS refused a fair and balance panel and rejected someone that was requested to be a presentor.  The NAS is paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc, most of the panel is related to uranium mining or nuclear power related.  A very bias, paid for study!  Keep the Uranium Ban!


RICHMOND, Va. — A National Academy of Sciences panel studying uranium mining in Virginia is traveling to Canada to visit a mining and milling site.

The Committee on Uranium Mining in Virginia is headed to Saskatchewan, where it will tour the Rabbit Lake uranium facility. Panel members also will hear later this week from Canadian mines and public health officials.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/532f945bbefa45f1a19e7e52e47d079d/VA--Uranium-Mining/

Stand and defend heaven's gifts

Michael Kovick

Kovick, a musical instrument builder and repairman in Floyd, is a member of the uranium-ban citizens group UBAN of Floyd.

Call me an ordinary citizen concerned about the dangers of mining uranium in Virginia.

I was informed of an opportunity to meet with and ask questions of U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith at a Floyd luncheon.

I preceded my questions with: "Virginia Beach recently received a commissioned environmental impact study done by a well- respected scientific research group. The $400,000-plus study anticipates possible environmental scenarios should there be a tailings containment failure in the uranium mining process.

This report clearly shows that mining uranium with all the waste associated with it could be extremely detrimental to the health of Virginia citizens.

My question: Are you willing to stand up and fight for Virginia?

Are you going to fight to keep our natural resources clean?

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/286691

Resolution: Board backs continued ban on Va. mining (Uranium)

Monday, 02 May 2011 19:31

Halifax County commissioners today voted to support the continued ban on uranium mining in Virginia because of its possible affects on water supply in the Roanoke River and the two lakes in the Roanoke River Low Country.

Manning said another problem is because the county sells water, it would have to pay for any cleanup. "We would have to pay for someone else's mistake."

Board Chair James Pierce said Norfolk and Virginia Beach have a vested interest in protecting the water supply here since they draw from Lake Gaston.

The resolution supporting continuing the ban says a Virginia Beach study concludes cell failure in mining operations would be washed downstream and affect water quality in the Kerr Lake Reservoir and Lake Gaston, "Resulting in radiation levels in the water 10 to 20 times above the Safe Drinking Water Act levels."

While the event in the Virginia Beach model is rare, the resolution notes, "The magnitude of potential impacts on the basin's eco-system and the communities is too great to leave it to chance."

The basin, the resolution says, "Serves as a drinking water source for over one million people who could face increased risks associated with uranium mining, milling and storage of radioactive waste."

Read more:
http://rrspin.com/News-from-Roanoke-Rapids-Weldon-and-Halifax-County/Board-backs-continued-ban-on-Va.-mining.html

In Uranium fight, SMA notches a victory

Denver judge allows legal challenge to move forward
By Katie Klingsporn
Associate Editor
Published: Friday, May 27, 2011 6:13 AM CDT

Telluride’s Sheep Mountain Alliance notched a small victory in its fight against the proposed Piñon Ridge uranium mill on Wednesday when a judge in Denver District court ruled that its legal challenge against the mill’s approval can move forward.

In early February, SMA filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in the wake of the agency’s decision to grant a radioactive materials permit to Canadian company Energy Fuels.

The suit argued that Colorado regulators violated state and federal laws when they issued the license, which allows Energy Fuels to move forward on plans to build and operate a uranium mill in the remote and beautiful Paradox Valley near the Utah border.

Read more:
http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2011/05/27/news/doc4ddf063bc9de1073101883.txt

NAS Meeting: Uranium Mining in Virginia - 06/06/2011

Comment:  As you notice that this meeting is happening in Canada, the NAS study is paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc has Canadian connections. The whole meeting is full of Pro Uranium Companies like Cameco, Areva, and the Canadian govt with their so call environmental laws. We requested a certain person to the NAS and they refused the person! We want a fair and balance presence but all the NAS cares about is touring the uranium mines and mills in Canada and writing regulations.  So the next time someone says, "Wait for the NAS Uranium Study, look at them and say why, the study is pro uranium paid for by uranium corporations! Canadian Greens please attend this meeting and have your important the poisons that Canadian Mining companies have spread throughout the world! No to uranium mining and milling!

Meeting Information
Project Title: Uranium Mining in Virginia
PIN: DELS-BESR-09-06
Major Unit: Division on Earth and Life Studies
Sub Unit: Board on Earth Sciences & Resources
Water Science and Technology Board
RSO:  Feary, David
Subject/Focus Area: Earth Sciences

Uranium Mining in Virginia
June 6, 2011 - June 9, 2011
Radisson Hotel, 405 Twentieth Street East, Saskatoon

If you would like to attend the sessions of this meeting that are open
to the public or need more information please contact:
Contact Name: Courtney Gibbs
Email: cgibbs@nas.edu
Phone: 202-334-2744
Fax: 202-334-1377

Agenda:
Registration Required for all open sessions.

Monday June 6th
OPEN SESSION - Mine Tour: Rabbit Lake Mine and Processing Facilities
Tuesday June 7th
OPEN SESSION - Mine Tour: McLean Lake Mine and Processing Facilities
Wednesday June 8th
CLOSED SESSION
8.00am-12.30am

OPEN SESSION
12.30pm-1.00pm: Hugh Miller, Colorado School of Mines – uranium mining practices
1.00pm-1.30pm: Dirk van Zyl, University of British Columbia – uranium tailings impoundment practices
1.30pm-2.30pm: Kevin Scissons, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – “Regulating Mines and Mills in Canada”
2.30pm-3.00pm: Gary Delaney, Saskatchewan Chief Geologist and/or Cory Hughes, Saskatchewan Director of Mineral Policy – broad/high level overview of Saskatchewan geology and the regulatory environment
3.00pm-3.30pm: Break
3.30pm-4.00pm: Neil Crocker, Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety –Radiation Safety with respect to mine operations
4.00pm-4.30pm: Tim Moulding, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment – provincial environmental regulation affecting mining
4.30pm-5.00pm: Dr. James Irvine, (Medical Health Officer, Population Health Unit, Athabasca Health Authority, Keewatin Yatthe and Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region) – role of the public health department in assessment/monitoring of uranium development

Thursday June 9th
OPEN SESSION
8.30am-9.00am: Theresa McClenaghan, Canadian Environmental Law Association - strengths and weaknesses of Canada’s uranium mining/processing regulatory environment
9.00am-9.30am: Richard Gladue, AREVA Resources Canada Inc. VP Corporate Social Responsibility – corporate social responsibility
9.30am-10.00am: BREAK
10.00am-10.30am: Dale Huffman, AREVA Resources Canada Inc. – safety, health, environment and quality
10.30am-11.00pm: Wayne Summach, Cameco Corporation; Program Manager, Emergency Preparedness – transportation of uranium products and the precautions built into that system
11.00am-11.30pm: Dave Hiller AREVA Resources Canada Inc. Saskatchewan approach to decommissioning, with particular reference to Cluff Lake mine decommissioning
11.30am-12.00pm: Public Comment period

CLOSED SESSION
12.00pm-5.30pm

‘Eighty people killed’ by Porgera mine operations in Papua New Guinea

Comment:  So sad, that countries and America thinks uranium is more important than people!May 11, 2011 · 6:11 am

Twenty-one people have been confirmed shot dead by Porgera mine security guards while another 59 people have been killed as a result of mine activities, according to a report presented at an international convention in Canada.
The report was presented at the convention by the Porgera Landowners Association chairman Mark Tony Ekepa.

The report, says The National newspaper, claims 80 people, including children, have died while 68 more people have been injured as a result of mine activities.

The report also records environmental damage and health impacts. The Anjolek and Anawe dumps are reported to have caused massive destruction as the mine discharge “created mud floods, causing numerous deaths” and health defects were high because of the unclean environment, air pollution and waste disposal.

Ekepa says 21 deaths were caused by PJV gun shots, 24 injuries from gun shots, 24 deaths from drowning caused by the Anawe and Anjolek dumps, 33 deaths caused by other mining-related activities, four deaths by torture, 44 injuries by torture and 14 rapes by mine guards.
 Ekepa says the way to address the mine-related deaths “is to permanently resettle the landowners from the special mine lease area”.


He says if the government and the developer continued to ignore the call for the relocation of the 10,000 people, “more lives will be lost as the people have no choice but to go look for something to eat after their traditional food gardens have been destroyed”.
He is calling on the government and its agencies and departments to immediately address the landowner grievances and not to continue to allow investors to overexploit the resources and people.

Read more:
http://ramumine.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/eighty-people-killed-by-porgera-mine-operations-in-papua-new-guinea/

VUI is on more radar screens/Let's wait on study before deciding (paid for VUI, not fair and balance study, right?)

Comment: No to uranium mining, the NAS studies are paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc., so when someone tells us to wait for the NAS study, it means they are for uranium mining, the nukes always push the NAS study because NAS are nuke friendly! The NAS town hall meetings are mostly about uranium mining and milling regulations! However, the article by the Nuke is best described as the following: "Ganthner states, "It is right and proper for members of this community to express their concerns about protecting our environment and our health. But it is not right to say that we know better than the experts at the NAS about whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia." He knows that the NAS study is not designed to determine whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia." Ganthner often seems to speaks in favor of uranium mining.So, does Ganthner mean, "It is right and proper for members of this community to express their concerns about protecting our environment and our health. But it is not right to say that we know better than the experts at the NAS about whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia unless we are pro-mining."???by KM

VUI is on more radar screens

By The Editorial Board

Published: May 22, 2011

It’s been a tough 10 days for Virginia Uranium, the company that wants to mine and mill a massive uranium ore deposit in Pittsylvania County.

On May 12, a group called the Keep the Ban Coalition announced that 41 localities and organizations have joined in opposition to Virginia Uranium’s proposed project.

"Mining proponents think this issue will be won behind closed doors in Richmond, but the people of Virginia are demanding it be debated in town halls and on front porches," said Mary Rafferty, grassroots organizing manager for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Just a few days later, on May 17, the national water conservation group American Rivers placed the Roanoke (Staunton) River on its annual list of "America’s Most Endangered Rivers" because of the possibility that the Coles Hill site could mined.

The Keep the Ban Coalition, the American Rivers designation and the possibility of a North Carolina study all point to the same thing — growing opposition to Virginia Uranium’s plans from outside the Dan River Region.

The growing number of voices that are concerned about uranium mining and milling at Coles Hill will make it tougher for the company to advance its agenda.

More opponents mean more obstacles for Virginia Uranium. The landscape is starting to change, and the company now faces what looks more and more like an uphill fight.

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/may/22/vui-more-radar-screens-ar-1054002/

Let's wait on study before deciding

By Ray Ganthner (Nuke Pusher)

Published: May 29, 2011

The Register & Bee’s recent editorial, "VUI is on more radar screens" (May 22, 2011), regrettably presents a one-sided view that ignores the fact that there are many people in this community and across the state who would like to see the results of the National Academy of Science (NAS) study before taking a position on the Coles Hill uranium mining project.

I serve as chairman of the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance.

It is right and proper for members of this community to express their concerns about protecting our environment and our health. But it is not right to say that we know better than the experts at the NAS about whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia.

I take particular exception to the recent curious assertion by Mary Rafferty of the Sierra Club that uranium mining policy is being made "behind closed doors in Richmond."

Ganthner, of Lynchburg, is chairman of Virginia Energy Independence Alliance (www.VirginiaEnergy.org). Corporate sponsors of the organization are Alpha Natural Resources, Areva, Astrum Solar, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, Atlantic Wind Energy and Virginia Uranium.

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/may/29/lets-wait-study-deciding-ar-1069973/