Rebecca R. Leas, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Clarion
University of Pennsylvania, Health Education Specialist; she writes from
Rapid City, The author Rebecca R. Leas, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Clarion University of
Pennsylvania, Health Education Specialist; she writes from Rapid City
What are you willing to pay for your water?
Rates are doubling and tripling as water wars rage between ranchers/farmers and those who frack
for gas, oil or uranium. The farmers are losing.
Ranchers have been stewards of the land for generations and now are going belly up because
outsiders are coming in and stealing their water.
The Canadian company Powertech plans to mine uranium in Custer and Fall
River County. They will use a minimum of 4,000 to possibly 8,000 gallons
of water per minute from the Madison Aquifer. That comes to 5,760,000 to
11,520,000 gallons per day.
This could dry up water sources for the ranchers and the towns of
Edgemont and Hot Springs.
What are legislators and commissioners doing about water security?
Without water, the economy will wither and the profits gained by
Powertech will go to Canada. I wonder why they don’t have to pay for
water like we do. Why are foreign companies allowed to rob of us of our
most valuable resource?
South Dakota legislators foolishly passed SB158 in 2011 stripping the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources of its regulatory and
protective services for “in situ leach” uranium mining (fracking) for the
citizens of South Dakota. Sen. Bruce Rampelberg and Reps. David Lust,
Brian Gosch, Lance Russell and Mike Verchio all co-sponsored that bill,
essentially giving away our water.
Last year, a citizens’ and bi-partisan effort to rescind this bill
occurred, but they fought against that, too. Why would they do that?
Even worse, none of the many Rapid City legislators attempted to help or
stand up for our water. Rapid City stands in peril because SB 158 now
opens the doors for more uranium mining and milling both in the Northern
and Southern Hills, greatly endangering the Madison Aquifer.
Additionally, this company plans to mill the uranium into yellowcake,
which is another national security and public health problem for our
region.
Uranium mining is bad business. Disease, economic downturn and water
problems follow.
Scientific studies show women’s disease and mortality are 50 percent higher than men’s for the same radiation exposure.
The EPA has just admitted that fires, such as prairie fires, are a risk to human
health when burning over the uranium exploratory holes and the uranium
mining operation. This proposed uranium mine is in prime prairie fire
area.
The United States has enough stored uranium for 200 years. This uranium
would be sold to foreigners. Providing uranium to others is a national
security risk.
It sure would be nice if our legislators looked out for our water and the
best interests of the people. Powertech lobbyists have inundated and
flooded Pierre with their food and goodies. Sufficient and safe healthy
water is way more important than any uranium.
Citizens, the public health sector and the medical community all need to
weigh in on this very important issue or we, too, shall be victims of the
water wars.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_0b178a2c-c7f4-5885-bde0-67ef5d7822eb.html
