By Published by The Editorial Board
Published: March 23, 2010
To the editor:
The only real public debate Virginia Uranium Inc. has hosted turned nasty for them because they found they could not satisfy the public’s questions about the safety of uranium mining. In their propaganda shows, they talk primarily about nuclear power plants and how they are “clean energy” producers. But nuclear power plants have as little to do with uranium mining as an oil well has to do with fuel efficient vehicles.
There really is no connection, but VUI has no real arguments to put forth concerning what they want to do, so they talk about something vaguely related in hopes of winning the hearts and minds of the public to their greedy aspirations.
We who would dare question the long-term logic of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County are portrayed as “tree hugging nutcakes.” Well, I for one would rather be derided now than be dying of cancer sometime in the future, because VUI was allowed to use us as their lab rats, which is exactly what we would all become.
We “nutcakes” have repeatedly asked VUI for evidence of even one uranium mine anywhere in the world that has not ruined the local environment and caused cancer rates and birth defects to spike in the local populations.
They have yet to cite that one mine and its record of safe operation, because it does not exist. That should be enough to end this debate, but now they have everyone fooled with their promise that the “study” will answer everyone’s questions about uranium mining.
And as Katie Whitehead pointed out in her recent opinion piece in the Register & Bee, that study will not put an end to the debate. It will be an opinion, formed by people who have nothing to lose if uranium is mined here, people who know very well who is funding their study.
JESSE PYRANT ANDREWS
Halifax, VA
Future Downwinders
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