Comment: A great Letter, Keep the Ban!
By NATHAN LOTT, NAOMI HODGE-MUSE
Published: March 06, 2011
Contrary to the views expressed in a Commentary column last week, the thousands of Virginians who are troubled by proposals to lift a long-standing ban on uranium mining and milling in Virginia are hardly "radical environmentalists." We are farmers, bass fishermen, teachers, nurses and pastors.
We worry that a leak or spill at a proposed Pittsylvania County uranium mine could contaminate drinking water, risking lives and wrecking local economies. A recent engineering study commissioned by Virginia Beach found those fears warranted. We are not interested in theoretical safety.
Last year, tragic explosions in a Massey Energy-owned coal mine and aboard BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform underscored the fact that energy recovery is a dangerous enterprise.
We are right to ask: If Virginia's statewide moratorium on uranium mining is lifted, who will enforce regulations to protect workers and the public — and are they up to the job?
The not-for-profit members of Virginia Conservation Network are working with churches and community groups to help Virginians understand the science and navigate the state's decision-making process. There is no shortage of misinformation about this complex topic.
* * * * *
One myth concerns national security. The suggestion that America is hostage to Russia in order to keep U.S. reactors running is a gross misrepresentation. Much of the uranium imported from the former Soviet republics is a product of the "Megatons to Megawatts" program, which has decommissioned 16,000 Soviet warheads and reprocessed the uranium for civilian use — effectively keeping those nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.
This program is far from the primary source of yellowcake. Uranium is a global commodity, mined in huge quantities by U.S. allies such as Canada and Australia.
Any uranium mined in Virginia would have to be transported out of state for enrichment. There is simply no guarantee that ore mined in Virginia would be used to produce energy for the commonwealth or the U.S.
Another myth involves economics. Uranium mining and milling has historically been a bad communities. In Colorado, Utah and other Western states, mining towns were exposed to dangerous levels of radon and contaminated water. By the time uranium extraction was definitively linked to cancer, kidney disease and other ailments, the companies responsible had folded, driven into bankruptcy by volatility in the market for yellowcake. The burden of cleanup was left to taxpayers.
Proponents of mining and milling would have us believe that boom-and-bust economics is just a relic of uranium's past.
But in 2009, just two years after yellowcake hit an all-time high, the price of uranium plummeted so steeply that the only operating U.S. mill, in White Mesa, Utah, halted production for more than six months. It simply couldn't compete with overseas mills. If anything, the safety precautions dictated by Virginia's climate would suggest even higher production costs here.
* * * * *
Debunking myths about energy and economics is necessary — but not very satisfactory for the people whose health and property might be at risk if the statewide moratorium on uranium mining is lifted. As they await the findings of a National Academy of Sciences study and several others, these Virginians want to know that their concerns are being heard in Richmond.
Scientists and engineers can gauge risks and offer precautions about how to mine and mill uranium more safely. But they cannot tell us that uranium will be mined safely in Virginia. Economists can recommend for or against purchasing uranium mining stock, but few would dare predict a company's viability over the 30- or 40-year life of a mine.
The questions that lie at the heart of this matter are:
•What is the acceptable level of risk?
•Who makes that decision?
Many hardworking Virginians (most of whom are not affiliated with the Sierra Club or any other environmental group) are worried that corporations, and not communities, will have the final say. At a recent National Academy town hall in Richmond, opponents of mining ranged from the NAACP to the tea party. What these speakers have in common is a genuine worry that their fate rests with a government deaf to their concerns.
It is up to lawmakers — who will ultimately decide whether or not to keep the ban — to prove them wrong.
Nathan Lott is executive director of the Virginia Conservation Network. Naomi Hodge-Muse is president of the Martinsville NAACP and chair of Sierra Club Martinsville Group. They welcome reader comments to Nathan@vcvna.org
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/mar/06/TDCOMM03-uranium-mining-and-milling-is-risky-busin-ar-884244/
