By: The Editorial Board | GoDanRiver.com
Published: December 22, 2011 Updated: December 22, 2011 - 6:00 AM
To the editor:
The Chmura and RTI International uranium mining studies convey the same message — Southside could possibly reap economic benefits fromuranium mining, but those benefits could come at the cost of environmental and economic degradation.
If mining were conducted in strict accordance with the non-existent mining regulations the General Assembly might come up with, and if the milling operation were conducted in strict keeping with NRC regulations governing that activity, all might end up very well.
They also claim that the “perception” of the mining and milling of uranium in Virginia, whether good or bad, would be dependent in large part on the willingness ofVUI to be forthcoming and “transparent” regarding its operations, in order to keep the public abreast of their activities and assured that all is well at Coles Hill.
Both of these reports tell us what we already knew, that no one can truly say what would happen in Southside if uranium mining and milling were allowed to go forth. They both say, in essence, “we have no idea howthis would really turn out. The only way to knowthat is to try it and see what happens.”
That is one side of the story.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has told us that there is no money in the state coffers for some of the most basic services the state once offered.Where would the money come fromto create a new regulatory agency for uranium mining? How much would that cost the taxpayers?
We also knowthat the current Congress is hard at work attempting to do away with or at least cripple the NRC, the EPA, and any other regulatory agency that they think might get in the way of “progress.” So the question remains, would uranium mining and milling really be regulated to the highest standards as stipulated by the study?
Probably not.
The issue of uranium industry “transparency” is another pipe dream. Mining companies have never felt the need to interact with the public at large. Why should they? They have much more to lose by an active interaction with the public than the have to gain by keeping their operations and motives to themselves.
Nothing they could say would be very comforting to people living close to such an operation, or to people who depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
In the end, who do you trust? Up to this point, I don’t trust any of the uranium prophets and its myriad corporate incarnations have obviously said whatever they felt needed saying at the moment in order to maintain the appearance of altruistic neighborliness, when in reality they are profit-driven just like any other speculative organization.
JESSE ANDREWS
Halifax
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/dec/22/do-not-heed-uranium-prophets-ar-1562470/
Published: December 22, 2011 Updated: December 22, 2011 - 6:00 AM
To the editor:
The Chmura and RTI International uranium mining studies convey the same message — Southside could possibly reap economic benefits fromuranium mining, but those benefits could come at the cost of environmental and economic degradation.
If mining were conducted in strict accordance with the non-existent mining regulations the General Assembly might come up with, and if the milling operation were conducted in strict keeping with NRC regulations governing that activity, all might end up very well.
They also claim that the “perception” of the mining and milling of uranium in Virginia, whether good or bad, would be dependent in large part on the willingness ofVUI to be forthcoming and “transparent” regarding its operations, in order to keep the public abreast of their activities and assured that all is well at Coles Hill.
Both of these reports tell us what we already knew, that no one can truly say what would happen in Southside if uranium mining and milling were allowed to go forth. They both say, in essence, “we have no idea howthis would really turn out. The only way to knowthat is to try it and see what happens.”
That is one side of the story.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has told us that there is no money in the state coffers for some of the most basic services the state once offered.Where would the money come fromto create a new regulatory agency for uranium mining? How much would that cost the taxpayers?
We also knowthat the current Congress is hard at work attempting to do away with or at least cripple the NRC, the EPA, and any other regulatory agency that they think might get in the way of “progress.” So the question remains, would uranium mining and milling really be regulated to the highest standards as stipulated by the study?
Probably not.
The issue of uranium industry “transparency” is another pipe dream. Mining companies have never felt the need to interact with the public at large. Why should they? They have much more to lose by an active interaction with the public than the have to gain by keeping their operations and motives to themselves.
Nothing they could say would be very comforting to people living close to such an operation, or to people who depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
In the end, who do you trust? Up to this point, I don’t trust any of the uranium prophets and its myriad corporate incarnations have obviously said whatever they felt needed saying at the moment in order to maintain the appearance of altruistic neighborliness, when in reality they are profit-driven just like any other speculative organization.
JESSE ANDREWS
Halifax
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/dec/22/do-not-heed-uranium-prophets-ar-1562470/
