Thursday, April 25, 2013

U news: APRIL 27, 2013: Annual Meeting of the Roanoke River Basin / Back to Earth on uranium, Joe





REMINDER: PRESS ADVISORY
APRIL 27, 2013: Annual Meeting of the Roanoke River Basin Association’s
Advisory Board of Directors
On April 27, 2013, the Roanoke River Basin Association will hold its annual board of directors meeting at the Kerr Dam Visitor Center, 1930 Mays Chapel Rd, Boydton, VA 23917.
The meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public. The meeting will begin with honoring the Association's president Harold Carawan for his service, followed by uranium mining presentations. At the close of the meeting, the board members and guests will be invited to tour an easy access kayak launch, the Roanoke River Basin Association’s Upper Reach initiative to provide handicapped outdoors enthusiasts with equal access to paddling on the beautiful Roanoke .
The meeting agenda will include the following presentations by the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic headed by Clinical Professor of Law and Clinic Director, Ryke Longest.
1. Water impacts of uranium exploratory activities and regulatory weaknesses of Virginia’s current uranium exploration program.
2. Long-term impacts of the proposed uranium mining project on the local laborshed in Southside Virginia .
3. The economic viability of the proposed uranium mining project at Coles Hill, VA: recent trends in the price, and supply and demand of uranium on the global market; projections of future growth in supply and demand; cost advantages in other uranium-producing regions.
Contact: Andrew Lester, Executive Director, (434) 250-1185

 
 
  
 
Posted: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 9:00 am

To the editor,The April 17 letter to the editor, “Back to Earth on Uranium,” by Virginia Uranium Inc.’s chief geologist, Joe Aylor, contained an odd assortment of thoughts masquerading as facts.
One of the most bizarre statements was that “one cannot use lessons learned in one discipline to apply to another.”

Responsible scientists acknowledge the importance of credible research, data collecting and sharing of information, which includes successes and failures. Innovations occur when scientific disciplines communicate and collaborate.

Mr. Aylor states that uranium is the most heavily regulated industry in the U.S. Uranium is not an industry. It is an element.

It is unclear whether he is referring to uranium mining, milling, radioactive waste disposal or nuclear energy.

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission representative, whom I questioned regarding Aylor’s statement, was unaware of documentation supporting any one of these industries as being the most heavily regulated in the U.S.

Aylor appears to confuse science with scientific method. His hypothesis is that uranium mining, milling and radioactive waste disposal can be safely conducted at Coles Hill and Virginia.

His hypothesis may be proven, debunked or altered only after the 35 years of blasting, mining, stockpiling, storing and processing radioactive uranium ore in an uncontrolled environment.

No doubt, there will be further hypothesis regarding how to dispose and contain the radioactive, hazardous wastes for the next few thousand years.

Virginia Uranium, its supporters and investors will use Virginia as its laboratory for testing these hypotheses.

This is not ethical science.

Recent reports, resulting from modern peer-reviewed research, have identified real and potential risks that Virginia will encounter regarding mining, milling and radioactive waste disposal if Virginia legislators lift the moratorium.

Reports also acknowledge unknowns.

It is Virginia Uranium’s responsibility to scientifically prove (or disprove) that uranium can be mined safely in Virginia.

So far, all they’ve done is demand and/or fund reports (which they ignore if they disagree) and lobby legislators to lift the moratorium.

There is no scientific evidence available supporting uranium can be safely mined and milled and resulting radioactive, hazardous wastes safely stored in Virginia.

Karen Maute
Danville

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