Sunday, May 19, 2013

Keep the Ban Letter: about The May 22, 2013 editorial,: / Uranium supporters gaining strength /Candidates seeking GOP nod spar at forum/ Uranium Prices Slip /Getting answers on uranium





 

Keep the Ban Letter:  about The May 22, 2013 editorial

Comments from KM:  This LTE (below) has been submitted to the Chatham Star Tribune:
The May 22, 2013 editorial, Uranium supporters gain strength by Lillian Gillespie, chairperson People for Economic Prosperity (PEP), is an artfully executed advertising ploy designed to sell the public on mining, milling and radioactive waste disposal. Don't buy it.

The December 2012 press release announcing formation of People for EconomicProsperity was issued by Julie Rautio.Rautio is a lobbyist for Virginia Uranium, Inc. (VUI).She is also founder of a Capital Results, a powerful public relations firm, and is reported to handle public affairs for Virginia Uranium.VUI's website links to the PEP website.

Capital Results' website boasts, "Perception is our reality. Everyday, Capital Results reinvents the art of building and mobilizing effective third party support for public policy issues". It appears Capital Results' public relations campaign strategy includes Gillespie and VUI selling the "perception" that the uranium industry is safe and good business for Virginia.

None of the relevant, current, science-based reports support claims that uranium mining, milling and radioactive waste disposal can be done safely in Virginia.

An aggressive public relations campaign aimed at altering the public perception is all VUI and PEP have to counter the reports which urge caution regarding the issue.

Altering public perception cannot erase the reality of risks and negative impacts associated with uranium mining, milling and radioactive/hazardous waste disposal.

Float Fisherman of Virginia,  Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce support a ban on uranium mining plus numerous towns, counties, people of Virginia and North Carolina.

Each recognizes the very real threat that uranium mining and milling pose to water resources, human health, agriculture and Virginia's future economic development as revealed in the reports.

The numerous municipalities and organizations opposing the lifting of the ban and can be found at http://keeptheban.org
 
 
Comments from KM:  The editorial below ran in this weeks Chatham Star Tribune. VUI and PEP are joined at the hip.






 


Posted: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 9:00 am 
By LILLIAN GILLESPIE
Chatham Star Tribune

As the immediate past Mayor of the Town of Hurt for six and a half years and as a proud resident of Pittsylvania County for more than 30 years, I have watched in dismay as thousands of jobs in tobacco, textiles and furniture manufacturing have disappeared before our very eyes and devastated the hopes of our region.

For the last five years, the issue of uranium mining has dominated the political discussion in our community. During those five years, a small but vocal opposition and some in the media have portrayed the false narrative of a community united against uranium mining. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The real truth is that a large part of this community, perhaps the majority, supports uranium mining. But for too long we have remained on the sidelines and only quietly expressed our support to friends and elected officials in the hopes that they would respect our views and do the right thing for our community.
Yet uranium mining opponents have not sat on the sidelines. Instead they have loudly broadcast their opposition, misinformed the public and pressured our leaders by creating the false perception that a majority of this community opposes uranium mining.
As a result, a complacent media and our elected leaders have ignored our views and the aspirations we have for our community.
Those of us who support uranium mining will no longer sit quietly on the sidelines and allow opponents to dominate this debate. That is why we have formed the People for Economic Prosperity (PEP) as an organization dedicated to supporting the Coles Hill project.
Over just the last few months we have gained more than 2,600 members and expect thousands more to join in the months ahead. The people in this community are tired of business as usual and missed opportunities; they are tired of jobs leaving; they are tired of decline; and they are eager for opportunity.
In the months and years to come, the media and our elected leaders will hear from the People for Economic Prosperity. They will see us at community events and public meetings, and they will hear from us at the ballot box.
To my friends and neighbors who have shied away from publicly supporting this project out of fear of intimidation by opponents, I ask you to fear no longer. There is a community of thousands who are prepared to stand behind you as you join this fight.
People for Economic Prosperity recognizes the importance of being conscientious stewards of our environment. After reviewing all of the scientific studies on uranium mining in Virginia, we are more than confident it can be done safely, responsibly and in an environmentally conscious way.
We reject the pessimism and fear that stands in the way of progress. Instead, we embrace the can-do optimism that made America the greatest economic power in the world and that once made Southside one of the most prosperous regions in Virginia.
As the People for Economic Prosperity enters this debate with renewed commitment, we know that mining opponents will question our motivations and our legitimacy, as they have done in the past. We are prepared for this but we do not intend to reply in kind. We are confident in the rightness of our cause and know that we are working for the best interest of our community. We are not interested in petty name-calling; we are only interested in bringing about the economic revitalization of our community.
We are excited about engaging in a more robust debate about uranium mining in Pittsylvania County, and we look forward to the support of our community in bringing this golden opportunity to reality.

 
 
Candidates seeking GOP nod spar at forum
 
KM comments:  The article re: tonight's debate seems accurate. However, Bowman did say he wants to see a regulatory framework.
CHATHAM — The two candidates sparring for the Republican nomination to replace Delegate Don Merricks went face-to-face on uranium mining, jobs, the role of government and other issues during a forum Thursday night.

 Former Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Ken Bowman and Chatham attorney Les Adams are running to replace Merricks.

 Adams and Bowman will compete in the Republican primary June 11.

Thursday’s forum — sponsored by the Pittsylvania County Republican Committee — took place in the General District Courtroom in Chatham. The candidates responded to questions from Danville Register & Bee staff writer Mary Beth Jackson and Chuck Vipperman from WBTM.

The candidates were given one minute to answer each of the 10 questions and three minutes for opening and closing remarks.

Bowman pointed to his years as a York County supervisor and his tenure as Pittsylvania County’s economic development director as reasons he should be elected.
“I have a proven track record,” Bowman told forum attendees.

Adams touted his experience as a partner at the law firm Adams, Elmore and Fisk, PLC in Chatham, and as a prosecutor for the Pittsylvania County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Adams said he would provide “principled conservative leadership” in the General Assembly.
“I’m a consistent conservative who can be trusted to stand for our shared values,” Adams said.

Both candidates said they were against lifting the 31-year-old, statewide moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia.

Despite suspicions of mining opponents, Bowman said he would not vote to lift the moratorium. Bowman said his biggest concerns are protecting the environment and water and containing mill tailings.

For Adams, private property rights are “essential for our form of government.” However, when use of those rights poses a risk to others who have no say-so in the matter, government must step in, he said.

 
 Keep the Ban Letter:  about The May 22, 2013 editorial,:  / Uranium supporters gaining strength  /Candidates seeking GOP nod spar at forum/  Uranium Prices Slip /Getting answers  on uranium

Uranium Prices Slip




Uranium Prices Slip, Market Optimism Holds Steady
 
4Uranium spot prices were down slightly last week, dropping $0.20, to $40.50 per pound U3O8, with only three trades recorded.
 
The uranium price could potentially be stuck between $40 and $41 per pound for the next few weeks as buyers seem to be quite few and far between for the number of sellers,
 




 
Getting answers  on uranium
  
The next governor is likely to be under pressure to end a moratorium on mining the radioactive ore.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013


Foes of uranium mining in Virginia say they’ve met with Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the party’s presumed gubernatorial candidate, who has assured them he opposes it — though his campaign says his position hasn’t changed.

In the past, he has said he would “need to be certain” it could “be done safely and cleaned up completely” before a state moratorium could be lifted, and “So far I have not seen that.”
Opponents of lifting a 31-year moratorium are wise to try to nail down McAuliffe and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican nominee, on the issue. The ban puts a rich uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County off-limits for development, and pressure to end it will continue as long as the stakes are high.

The General Assembly refused this year.

But whoever is elected governor in November could improve Virginia Uranium Inc.’s prospects for ending the moratorium, and tapping uranium ore deposits  valued as high as $7 billion. (really only $4 Billion because of uranium)

In February, just days after withdrawing a uranium mining bill in the state Senate for lack of support,

Sen. John Watkins said he would ask Gov. Bob McDonnell to direct state agencies to draft regulations anyway, so that skeptics might be assured it can be done safely in Virginia. McDonnell has not said whether or not he will do so before his term ends.

He should not. And if he does not, the pressure likely will fall on his successor, whomever he may be.

The executive director of the Roanoke River Basin Association said mining opponents met with McAuliffe several weeks ago in Danville. They told The Associated Press they have yet to arrange a meeting with Cuccinelli, who in the past has indicated that developing regulations would be an appropriate step.

In March, his office issued a statement saying, “This would clarify what would be involved and would eliminate any uncertainty prior to the General Assembly’s decision.”

Hardly. A 2011 National Academy of Sciences study was not reassuring when it noted that Virginia would have to overcome “steep hurdles” before allowing uranium mining and milling in a wet climate and in an area near enough to the East Cost to be affected by hurricanes and tropical storms.

Proponents argue that, with industry advances, these things can be done safely with the proper regulatory controls. Write the regulations, they urge, and assuage critics’ fears.

The state’s anti-regulatory history offers scant comfort.