Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 9:38 pm | Updated: 9:39 pm, Tue Jan 10, 2012.
By BEN DAVENPORT JR.
Since its founding in 1999, the Future of the Piedmont Foundation has been dedicated to the economic transformation and renewal of southern Virginia.
The foundation, made up of private sector leaders from the region, has played a key role in economic diversification, educational improvement, and workforce development.
The foundation has consistently put the shared interests of the region above those of any firm, institution, or individual.
Over the past decade, this region has looked at many economic opportunities. Any opportunity must be carefully considered in terms of who benefits and how, what are the likely costs and who will pay for them, and the implications of the opportunity for overall well-being of the region.
The proposed uranium mine and mill at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County is the subject of growing public debate, informed by a series of major studies conducted by respected independent research organizations.
Those reports, totaling a length of more than 1,000 pages, provide a wealth of information on the possible economic benefits and the reputational, environmental and human risks of uranium mining in Virginia.
The majority of these reports have been available only for a very brief period of time and have not been fully analyzed by the concerned public or our elected representatives.
The Future of the Piedmont Foundation is very concerned about the potential implications of this mine and mill for the future viability of this region.
We are also very concerned about the potential long-term capacity of the Commonwealth of Virginia to invest millions of dollars in the development and implementation of a regulatory regime that will protect the health and well-being of this region.
Therefore, we believe no action should be taken in 2012 to lift the current moratorium related to uranium mining.
Read more:
http://www.wpcva.com/opinion/article_80ce3718-3bfc-11e1-a5ef-0019bb2963f4.html
By BEN DAVENPORT JR.
Since its founding in 1999, the Future of the Piedmont Foundation has been dedicated to the economic transformation and renewal of southern Virginia.
The foundation, made up of private sector leaders from the region, has played a key role in economic diversification, educational improvement, and workforce development.
The foundation has consistently put the shared interests of the region above those of any firm, institution, or individual.
Over the past decade, this region has looked at many economic opportunities. Any opportunity must be carefully considered in terms of who benefits and how, what are the likely costs and who will pay for them, and the implications of the opportunity for overall well-being of the region.
The proposed uranium mine and mill at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County is the subject of growing public debate, informed by a series of major studies conducted by respected independent research organizations.
Those reports, totaling a length of more than 1,000 pages, provide a wealth of information on the possible economic benefits and the reputational, environmental and human risks of uranium mining in Virginia.
The majority of these reports have been available only for a very brief period of time and have not been fully analyzed by the concerned public or our elected representatives.
The Future of the Piedmont Foundation is very concerned about the potential implications of this mine and mill for the future viability of this region.
We are also very concerned about the potential long-term capacity of the Commonwealth of Virginia to invest millions of dollars in the development and implementation of a regulatory regime that will protect the health and well-being of this region.
Therefore, we believe no action should be taken in 2012 to lift the current moratorium related to uranium mining.
Read more:
http://www.wpcva.com/opinion/article_80ce3718-3bfc-11e1-a5ef-0019bb2963f4.html
