By The Editorial Board
Published: March 23, 2011
It will take years to learn the lessons being taught by the problems at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
But the world is watching Fukushima Daiichi, and not just because of the immediate concerns for human health and safety in the area around the plant.
Fukushima Daiichi could eventually lead to the cancellation of other proposed nuclear power plants, both in this country and around the world. That kind of reaction happened after Chernobyl and Three Mile Island; it could happen again.
Given the uncertainly about Fukushima Daiichi and what could happen to the future demand for new nuclear power plants, the opponents of Virginia Uranium Inc.’s proposed mine and mill in Pittsylvania County want the National Academy of Sciences to consider how Fukushima Daiichi could depress the future worldwide demand for uranium.
It’s a good question to be asking right now.
“Who deals with the situation if the uranium company starts mining and milling, becomes unprofitable, and abandons the site?” mining opponent Deborah Lovelace said in a statement. “What will happen to our farming and water while waiting for clean-up? Who pays for any contamination?”
Any business is only as strong as the demand for its product. A uranium mining operation in Canada, Australia or six miles from downtown Chatham has to have buyers for its product.
We’ve all seen local industries idled by slack demand.
What would the Virginia Uranium site look like if the mine and mill shut down for a few years because of a drop in worldwide demand for uranium?
That’s a legitimate issue, and it’s one the National Academy of Sciences should consider in its study of uranium mining and milling in Virginia.
That said, it’s important to remember that while nuclear power-generating plants are the end-user of Virginia Uranium Inc.’s products, the health and safety issues surrounding a nuclear power plant are nothing like those faced by a uranium mine and mill.
Our interest is what happens at a uranium mine and mill, which is why we should all be concerned about how the law of supply and demand could affect the future of Virginia Uranium’s proposed project.
It may be too soon to tell what’s going to happen at Fukushima Daiichi, but it’s never too soon to be asking questions about VUI.
Read more:
http://webmaila.netzero.net/webmail/new/7?count=1301012772&randid=957348481
