Comments: Love the following comments, the uranium mining bunch says storms like the ones we are having will not happen again, not True: "Governor Cuomo is saying we seem to be getting 100-year storm every two years." Keep the Uranium Mining Ban!
Comments: Love the following comments, the uranium mining bunch says storms like the ones we are having will not happen again, not True: "Governor Cuomo is saying we seem to be getting 100-year storm every two years." Keep the Uranium Mining Ban!
The Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) expresses sympathy and concern for our fellow Americans who were in the path of Hurricane Sandy. In the past our region has felt the brunt of similar storms such as Fran and Camille resulting in widespread flooding, devastation and death. Brian Mosier, vice president of business development for Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, stated, "we dodged a bullet with this one." We are thankful but continue to be vigilant.
When a Hurricane Sandy type storm crosses this region, rivers, lakes, homes and lives will be at major risk, especially from any uranium mining and milling operations. This is why Roanoke River Basin Association, along with over 125 communities and groups in Virginia and North Carolina, do not believe that lifting the ban on uranium mining and milling is worth the risk.
"As we watch the devastation in New York and New Jersey, we are reminded again about the wisdom of Virginia legislators, who in 1982 passed a bill to ban uranium mining in the Commonwealth to prevent the risk of radioactive contamination of waterways in Virginia and neighboring North Carolina. Rainfall events like Hurricane Sandy are the number one reason why uranium mill tailings waste containments fail. Hurricanes are not rare events, they threaten our region every year," said Michael Pucci, the chair of the RRBA's North Carolina Coalition, a group formed by North Carolina homeowners, business owners and professionals to raise public awareness of risks associated with proposed uranium mining in the Roanoke's watershed.
The recently released National Academy of Sciences (NAS) technical report on uranium mining in Virginia, as well as the City of Virginia Beach-Baker study have validated this particular concern that severe weather events may overwhelm the uranium operations and result in long-term contamination of water supply for over 1.2 million people in Virginia and North Carolina. Specifically, the NAS report found that "significant potential environmental risks are associated with extreme natural events and failures in management practices. Extreme natural events (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, intense rainfall events, drought) have the potential to lead to the release of contaminants if facilities are not designed and constructed to withstand such an event, or fail to perform as designed." The City of Virginia Beach study concluded that in the event of a partial breach of the uranium mill tailings waste storage containment, the City may be forced to shut off its water supply from Lake Gaston for up to 18 months.
Virginia's climate presents obvious and significant challenges to successful operation of a uranium facility and radioactive waste storage in the Roanoke's watershed. Nevertheless, a uranium working group established by Virginia's governor has been actively engaged, at taxpayers' expense, in creating a regulatory framework for this potentially dangerous activity. So far Virginia's taxpayers have paid $1 million to an out-of-state consultants to find ways to persuade the public that uranium mining, processing and radioactive waste storage should be allowed in Virginia's unpredictable climate.
Regardless of the Virginia executive branch's wasteful efforts, the final decision on whether to keep Virginia's 30- year uranium ban rests with the state legislators. The Roanoke River Basin Association encourages all Virginians and North Carolinians to write to Virginia state house delegates and senators and tell them to keep the Ban on Uranium mining in the Commonwealth.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/156471587744090/permalink/437397579651488/#!/notes/roanoke-river-basin/devastation-caused-by-sandy-reminds-of-reasons-for-virginia-uranium-ban/506678302684757
It's Actually Catastrophic"; Mayor Bloomber Holds Storm Briefing
More info about 100 years floods hitting the East every 2 years:
When a Hurricane Sandy type storm crosses this region, rivers, lakes, homes and lives will be at major risk, especially from any uranium mining and milling operations. This is why Roanoke River Basin Association, along with over 125 communities and groups in Virginia and North Carolina, do not believe that lifting the ban on uranium mining and milling is worth the risk.
"As we watch the devastation in New York and New Jersey, we are reminded again about the wisdom of Virginia legislators, who in 1982 passed a bill to ban uranium mining in the Commonwealth to prevent the risk of radioactive contamination of waterways in Virginia and neighboring North Carolina. Rainfall events like Hurricane Sandy are the number one reason why uranium mill tailings waste containments fail. Hurricanes are not rare events, they threaten our region every year," said Michael Pucci, the chair of the RRBA's North Carolina Coalition, a group formed by North Carolina homeowners, business owners and professionals to raise public awareness of risks associated with proposed uranium mining in the Roanoke's watershed.
The recently released National Academy of Sciences (NAS) technical report on uranium mining in Virginia, as well as the City of Virginia Beach-Baker study have validated this particular concern that severe weather events may overwhelm the uranium operations and result in long-term contamination of water supply for over 1.2 million people in Virginia and North Carolina. Specifically, the NAS report found that "significant potential environmental risks are associated with extreme natural events and failures in management practices. Extreme natural events (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, intense rainfall events, drought) have the potential to lead to the release of contaminants if facilities are not designed and constructed to withstand such an event, or fail to perform as designed." The City of Virginia Beach study concluded that in the event of a partial breach of the uranium mill tailings waste storage containment, the City may be forced to shut off its water supply from Lake Gaston for up to 18 months.
Virginia's climate presents obvious and significant challenges to successful operation of a uranium facility and radioactive waste storage in the Roanoke's watershed. Nevertheless, a uranium working group established by Virginia's governor has been actively engaged, at taxpayers' expense, in creating a regulatory framework for this potentially dangerous activity. So far Virginia's taxpayers have paid $1 million to an out-of-state consultants to find ways to persuade the public that uranium mining, processing and radioactive waste storage should be allowed in Virginia's unpredictable climate.
Regardless of the Virginia executive branch's wasteful efforts, the final decision on whether to keep Virginia's 30- year uranium ban rests with the state legislators. The Roanoke River Basin Association encourages all Virginians and North Carolinians to write to Virginia state house delegates and senators and tell them to keep the Ban on Uranium mining in the Commonwealth.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/156471587744090/permalink/437397579651488/#!/notes/roanoke-river-basin/devastation-caused-by-sandy-reminds-of-reasons-for-virginia-uranium-ban/506678302684757
It's Actually Catastrophic"; Mayor Bloomber Holds Storm Briefing
More info about 100 years floods hitting the East every 2 years:
The following comments is so true:
COOPER: Amazing stuff, first, Irene, now Sandy. For two consecutive years, costly deadly hurricanes have hit the northeast. We're hearing a lot of people say if Irene was a wake-up call then Sandy is a bucket of water that should snap us all to attention. Let's listen to Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOVERNOR ANDREW COUMO (D), NEW YORK: There has been a series of extreme weather incidents. Anyone that is not a political statement that is not a factual statement, anyone who says there is not a dramatic change in weather patterns, I think is denying reality. And I would like to say that this is probably the last occurrence we will have. I don't believe that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Cuomo went on to say that New York seems now to get a 100- year flood every two years. Joining me now is Ben Strauss. He is the chief operating officer and director of the program on sea level rise at Climate Central.
Is this a sign of things to come? I mean, Governor Cuomo is saying we seem to be getting 100-year storm every two years.
BEN STRAUSS, CEO, CLIMATE CENTRAL: This was actually -- since 1900, three of the top ten highest flood levels have occurred in the last three years.
COOPER: That's not a coincidence.
STRAUSS: I don't believe it is. It makes me very suspicious that something else is at play here.
COOPER: And should officials have been better prepared for this?
STRAUSS: Well, there have been warnings for 10 years or more, reports that the scientific community has been issuing. New York is extremely vulnerable to storm surge, just from its geography.
A big part of what happened with Sandy is we got very unlucky. The wrong storm hit at the wrong angle and squeezed water up Long Island Sound and the New York Harbor. But climate change made it worse and it is continuing to make storms like this worse.
COOPER: If the water was cooler, the storm would not be as big.
STRAUSS: Well, that's one of the factors. So this summer we had record high temperatures, the sea surface temperature off the east coast of the United States, warm water feeds the energy of storms like Sandy.
And in fact research that came out just last month showed an association between warmer sea surface temperatures and higher storm surges, higher floods from hurricanes.
COOPER: We're also seeing larger and larger populations building along the coast. What kind of impact does that have?
STRAUSS: That has a huge impact. At this stage, it is a much bigger factor. If Manhattan was not populated, and the coasts of the Jersey Shore and Long Island weren't such very dense areas, we would have seen a lot human suffering, a lot less economic damage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOVERNOR ANDREW COUMO (D), NEW YORK: There has been a series of extreme weather incidents. Anyone that is not a political statement that is not a factual statement, anyone who says there is not a dramatic change in weather patterns, I think is denying reality. And I would like to say that this is probably the last occurrence we will have. I don't believe that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Cuomo went on to say that New York seems now to get a 100- year flood every two years. Joining me now is Ben Strauss. He is the chief operating officer and director of the program on sea level rise at Climate Central.
Is this a sign of things to come? I mean, Governor Cuomo is saying we seem to be getting 100-year storm every two years.
BEN STRAUSS, CEO, CLIMATE CENTRAL: This was actually -- since 1900, three of the top ten highest flood levels have occurred in the last three years.
COOPER: That's not a coincidence.
STRAUSS: I don't believe it is. It makes me very suspicious that something else is at play here.
COOPER: And should officials have been better prepared for this?
STRAUSS: Well, there have been warnings for 10 years or more, reports that the scientific community has been issuing. New York is extremely vulnerable to storm surge, just from its geography.
A big part of what happened with Sandy is we got very unlucky. The wrong storm hit at the wrong angle and squeezed water up Long Island Sound and the New York Harbor. But climate change made it worse and it is continuing to make storms like this worse.
COOPER: If the water was cooler, the storm would not be as big.
STRAUSS: Well, that's one of the factors. So this summer we had record high temperatures, the sea surface temperature off the east coast of the United States, warm water feeds the energy of storms like Sandy.
And in fact research that came out just last month showed an association between warmer sea surface temperatures and higher storm surges, higher floods from hurricanes.
COOPER: We're also seeing larger and larger populations building along the coast. What kind of impact does that have?
STRAUSS: That has a huge impact. At this stage, it is a much bigger factor. If Manhattan was not populated, and the coasts of the Jersey Shore and Long Island weren't such very dense areas, we would have seen a lot human suffering, a lot less economic damage.
