To the editor:
The National Academy of Sciences said Virginia faces steep hurdles. I say the uranium industry and the lobbyists they have hired should stop pressuring our legislators and go with the time frame the National Academy of Sciences has contracted with the commonwealth to do public education until May 2012.
The National Academy of Sciences also recommended site-specific studies. First, there must be a hydrogeology study done of the Coles Hill site by an independent vendor with a hands-off from the uranium industry, which could take several years. J.P. Gannon’s conclusions from a small study he performed at Coles Hill states, "It is clear from this study that a more detailed hydrogeologic investigation surrounding the deposit is warranted in order to make any conclusions about the effects of a potential mine."
The moratorium needs to stay in place while all of the needed site-specific studies are performed with no rushed time limits to give our legislators and the public time to review all the study reports. Remember, taxpayers of Virginia, the regulatory framework could come at a very high cost to the taxpayers, and we need to know what those costs are. Will it costs millions of dollars? If the site-specific studies say it cannot be done safely without harm to our water, health and environment, then our legislators should have the opportunity without being pressured into making a bad decision by the industry and its lobbyist costing Virginians tax money for unneeded regulations.
The unanswered questions about the risks and costs are first answered with the site-specific studies then the regulatory framework.
The NAS study notes that the state has essentially no experience in regulating uranium mining. Why would our policy makers want to spend our hard-earned tax dollars on regulations now and we don’t know if we need regulations until the site specific studies are completed? The regulations should be written from the results of the site-specific studies.
PHILLIP LOVELACE
Gretna
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/jan/17/vui-call-lobbyist-attack-dogs-ar-1615792/
The National Academy of Sciences said Virginia faces steep hurdles. I say the uranium industry and the lobbyists they have hired should stop pressuring our legislators and go with the time frame the National Academy of Sciences has contracted with the commonwealth to do public education until May 2012.
The National Academy of Sciences also recommended site-specific studies. First, there must be a hydrogeology study done of the Coles Hill site by an independent vendor with a hands-off from the uranium industry, which could take several years. J.P. Gannon’s conclusions from a small study he performed at Coles Hill states, "It is clear from this study that a more detailed hydrogeologic investigation surrounding the deposit is warranted in order to make any conclusions about the effects of a potential mine."
The moratorium needs to stay in place while all of the needed site-specific studies are performed with no rushed time limits to give our legislators and the public time to review all the study reports. Remember, taxpayers of Virginia, the regulatory framework could come at a very high cost to the taxpayers, and we need to know what those costs are. Will it costs millions of dollars? If the site-specific studies say it cannot be done safely without harm to our water, health and environment, then our legislators should have the opportunity without being pressured into making a bad decision by the industry and its lobbyist costing Virginians tax money for unneeded regulations.
The unanswered questions about the risks and costs are first answered with the site-specific studies then the regulatory framework.
The NAS study notes that the state has essentially no experience in regulating uranium mining. Why would our policy makers want to spend our hard-earned tax dollars on regulations now and we don’t know if we need regulations until the site specific studies are completed? The regulations should be written from the results of the site-specific studies.
PHILLIP LOVELACE
Gretna
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/jan/17/vui-call-lobbyist-attack-dogs-ar-1615792/
