ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2012
Douglass to Host Ban Uranium Mining Summit in Chatham on Monday
WHAT: Ban Uranium Mining Summit
WHO: John Douglass, Congressional Challenger 5th District; Tom Leahy, Virginia Beach Public Utilities; Sarah Epps, Construction Business Manager; along with Leading Community Representatives in Farming and Public Safety
WHEN: Monday, September 17, 2012 at 6:00 PM
WHERE: Chatham Community Center, 115 South Main Street, Chatham, VA 24531
Please join Congressional Challenger Gen. John Douglass for a Ban Uranium Mining Summit, featuring a discussion about the dangerous impact of uranium mining with leading experts in farming, public safety and energy this Monday in Chatham. Prior to the Bi-State Roanoke River Basin Commission’s resolution in opposition to mining, Douglass, a small family farmer himself, called for a federal ban near residential communities. His opponent Corporate Congressman Robert Hurt would rather allow the legislature to lift the 30-year ban, claiming it is “entirely a state issue.”
Having voted to block safeguards against radioactive uranium dust, Congressman Hurt stands to gain politically and personally by putting the 5th District at risk -- uranium executives fund his campaign and his family owns a stake in the mining site itself. Even one natural disaster could disturb huge amounts of radioactive waste that could take decades to clean up, according Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Peter DeFur. Canonsburg, Pa is already called the "most radioactive town in America" since uranium waste contaminated buildings and soil, costing taxpayers $48 million for the clean-up.
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Sources:
For more information or to request an interview, email press@
Bi-State River Commission Wants Uranium Ban.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_
Douglass Calls For A Federal Ban of Uranium Mining Near Residential Communities.
http://www.
Hurt Claim It’s “Entirely a State Issue.”
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/
Virginia Legislature is Soon Expected to Consider Lifting the Ban.
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/
Hurt Votes Against Farm Dust Amendment Including Uranium Mining in the Clean Air Act.
H.AMDT.905 Amendment (A005) offered by Mr. Waxman. (consideration: CR H8286-8287, H8292-8293; text: CR H8286)
Amendment sought to require that particulate pollution produced from mining activities is not defined as nuisance dust and remains subject to the Clean Air Act.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
Hurt Stands to Gain Personally and Politically from Uranium Mining in the District.
http://www.roanoke.com/
Hurricanes and Earthquakes Make Uranium Tailing Storage Risky.
In an exhaustive study of uranium mining released in December, the National Academy of Sciences raised some red flags... In its report, the academy said Virginia would face "steep hurdles" in protecting the health of its people and environment if the moratorium was lifted... His concerns, [Peter DeFur, a research associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University] said, are based in part on recent natural disasters in Virginia — an earthquake, tornadoes, a derecho — and how they might disturb huge amounts of radioactive waste that would be left behind at the mining operation for decades.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_
Douglass Calls For A Federal Ban of Uranium Mining Near Residential Communities.
http://www.
Hurt Claim It’s “Entirely a State Issue.”
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/
Virginia Legislature is Soon Expected to Consider Lifting the Ban.
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/
Hurt Votes Against Farm Dust Amendment Including Uranium Mining in the Clean Air Act.
H.AMDT.905 Amendment (A005) offered by Mr. Waxman. (consideration: CR H8286-8287, H8292-8293; text: CR H8286)
Amendment sought to require that particulate pollution produced from mining activities is not defined as nuisance dust and remains subject to the Clean Air Act.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
Hurt Stands to Gain Personally and Politically from Uranium Mining in the District.
http://www.roanoke.com/
Hurricanes and Earthquakes Make Uranium Tailing Storage Risky.
In an exhaustive study of uranium mining released in December, the National Academy of Sciences raised some red flags... In its report, the academy said Virginia would face "steep hurdles" in protecting the health of its people and environment if the moratorium was lifted... His concerns, [Peter DeFur, a research associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University] said, are based in part on recent natural disasters in Virginia — an earthquake, tornadoes, a derecho — and how they might disturb huge amounts of radioactive waste that would be left behind at the mining operation for decades.
http://m.roanoke.com/mapp/
Transportation Risks of Uranium Mining.
Like coal produced in Southwest Virginia, the uranium mined in Pittsylvania County needs to be transported through populated areas to fuel nuclear power generation plants, the ultimate purpose of uranium mining. While transporting coal through populated areas may be low-risk or risk-free, transporting radioactive material via Interstate 81 and other major highways, or perhaps via railroad, will be a rather high-risk operation
http://m.roanoke.com/mapp/
The Most Radioactive Town in America
The Canonsburg mill site was designated in the 1978 Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act as eligible for federal funds for clean up. It was the only uranium mill east of the Mississippi River to receive funds. In a $48 million cleanup project, the mill site and 163 nearby properties in Canonsburg were remediated. Residual radioactivity was consolidated into a covered, clay-lined cell at the Canonsburg mill site, which is fenced and posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Transportation Risks of Uranium Mining.
Like coal produced in Southwest Virginia, the uranium mined in Pittsylvania County needs to be transported through populated areas to fuel nuclear power generation plants, the ultimate purpose of uranium mining. While transporting coal through populated areas may be low-risk or risk-free, transporting radioactive material via Interstate 81 and other major highways, or perhaps via railroad, will be a rather high-risk operation
http://m.roanoke.com/mapp/
The Most Radioactive Town in America
The Canonsburg mill site was designated in the 1978 Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act as eligible for federal funds for clean up. It was the only uranium mill east of the Mississippi River to receive funds. In a $48 million cleanup project, the mill site and 163 nearby properties in Canonsburg were remediated. Residual radioactivity was consolidated into a covered, clay-lined cell at the Canonsburg mill site, which is fenced and posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Gen. John Douglass is running for Congress in the 5th District to help Virginia families get a fair chance at a better future after serving our country on President Reagan’s National Security Council and then as President Clinton’s Assistant Secretary of the Navy, before going on to promote air and space policies that grow our economy by creating manufacturing jobs and keeping our skies safe.![]()
