by Roanoke River Basin on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 7:59pm
Danville, VA - On February 7, 2011, members and officers of the Roanoke River Basin
Association (RRBA) and Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) attended a public
briefing by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the findings of its recently
released technical report on uranium mining. By holding the public meeting in Danville,
VA, the NAS has launched a five-month public outreach, as required under the NAS
agreement with Virginia Tech, the official sponsor of the uranium mining study.
The National Academy of Sciences report on uranium mining, released on December 19,
2011, has validated all of the concerns raised by the two associations and put Virginia’s
legislators on notice of risks and uncertainties associated with allowing uranium mining
and milling in Virginia’s unpredictable climate and of the inability of the modern day
technology to eliminate all of those risks. The report also highlighted the lack of
expertise and experience at both the state and federal levels to regulate and enforce
regulations for uranium mining in Virginia's climate.
In their efforts to prevent uranium mining in the basin’s watershed, the RRBA and
DRBA have been joined by over 100 organizations and localities in Virginia and North
Carolina that have expressed their support for the uranium mining ban. Despite the
general consensus among Virginia citizens and legislators that year 2012 should be
devoted to conducting public meetings to educate the public on the findings of numerous
uranium mining studies released late last year, the Governor of Virginia issued an
executive order directing the development of statutory and administrative regulations for
uranium mining and milling, thereby sidestepping the legislative process established by
the Virginia law.
"We believe that before any taxpayer funds are diverted from education and
transportation needs and spent on developing regulations for the industry that is currently
banned in Virginia, the public, legislators, and elected officials should educate
themselves about the NAS report findings. Virginia citizens should use this opportunity
before rushing into a decision that has the potential of changing the Commonwealth's
image forever," said Tiffany Haworth, DRBA's executive director.
"The takeaway from this meeting is very simple - the NAS report concluded that no
technology currently exists capable of eliminating all of the risks and uncertainties
associated with uranium mining, processing and waste storage. No regulations, no matter
how stringent, would be able to compensate for the lack of the right technology to make
the uranium operations disaster proof over the long term in Virginia's unpredictable
climate,” said Gene Addesso, the RRBA acting president. “The prudent course of action
for our elected officials is to keep the ban in place until the industry can demonstrate
beyond a reasonable doubt that the level of technology has caught up with the modern
society's expectation of complete safety.”
https://www.facebook.com/notes/roanoke-river-basin/water-groups-welcome-launch-of-5-month-public-outreach-by-national-academies-ura/358204260865496
Association (RRBA) and Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) attended a public
briefing by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the findings of its recently
released technical report on uranium mining. By holding the public meeting in Danville,
VA, the NAS has launched a five-month public outreach, as required under the NAS
agreement with Virginia Tech, the official sponsor of the uranium mining study.
The National Academy of Sciences report on uranium mining, released on December 19,
2011, has validated all of the concerns raised by the two associations and put Virginia’s
legislators on notice of risks and uncertainties associated with allowing uranium mining
and milling in Virginia’s unpredictable climate and of the inability of the modern day
technology to eliminate all of those risks. The report also highlighted the lack of
expertise and experience at both the state and federal levels to regulate and enforce
regulations for uranium mining in Virginia's climate.
In their efforts to prevent uranium mining in the basin’s watershed, the RRBA and
DRBA have been joined by over 100 organizations and localities in Virginia and North
Carolina that have expressed their support for the uranium mining ban. Despite the
general consensus among Virginia citizens and legislators that year 2012 should be
devoted to conducting public meetings to educate the public on the findings of numerous
uranium mining studies released late last year, the Governor of Virginia issued an
executive order directing the development of statutory and administrative regulations for
uranium mining and milling, thereby sidestepping the legislative process established by
the Virginia law.
"We believe that before any taxpayer funds are diverted from education and
transportation needs and spent on developing regulations for the industry that is currently
banned in Virginia, the public, legislators, and elected officials should educate
themselves about the NAS report findings. Virginia citizens should use this opportunity
before rushing into a decision that has the potential of changing the Commonwealth's
image forever," said Tiffany Haworth, DRBA's executive director.
"The takeaway from this meeting is very simple - the NAS report concluded that no
technology currently exists capable of eliminating all of the risks and uncertainties
associated with uranium mining, processing and waste storage. No regulations, no matter
how stringent, would be able to compensate for the lack of the right technology to make
the uranium operations disaster proof over the long term in Virginia's unpredictable
climate,” said Gene Addesso, the RRBA acting president. “The prudent course of action
for our elected officials is to keep the ban in place until the industry can demonstrate
beyond a reasonable doubt that the level of technology has caught up with the modern
society's expectation of complete safety.”
https://www.facebook.com/notes/roanoke-river-basin/water-groups-welcome-launch-of-5-month-public-outreach-by-national-academies-ura/358204260865496
