General Assembly to “wait and see” before deciding on uranium mining moratorium

Comment:  Canada is not a nice company when it comes to mining, do not let them or France invade Virginia for uranium!  Keep the uranium mining ban!

Daniel Carawan
Richmond Progressive Examiner
September 20, 2011

The Roanoke Times recently published an article claiming that a number of representatives in the VA General Assembly are waiting until the release of a National Academy of Science (NAS) study before taking a stance on the issue of uranium mining in southern Virginia. The report itself is due at the end of the year.

The NAS study was conducted as a result of one interest groups efforts to lift VA’s 30 year old moratorium on uranium mining. Before the start of the 2012 VA General Assembly, a proposal to lift the 3 decades long moratorium is expected.

Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI), a partly Canadian owned mining company based in VA, has spent close to $100,000 over the past 36 months to lobby members of the General Assembly to lift the moratorium on uranium mining.

Virginians shouldn’t be fooled by VUI’s rhetoric about the safety of uranium mining in Virginia or its lofty claims of job creation or communal responsibility.

We live in a capitalist society, one that gives companies like VUI little incentive to “clean up the mess” once one has been created.

Given the nature of uranium mining and the radioactive tailings that are left behind on the surface as a byproduct, there will almost certainly be a mess, one that could lead to very adverse human and environmental health problems.

VA should aim for energy independence in a safe and sustainable manner. Uranium mining in VA will only create more problems than it helps solve.

Read more:
http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-richmond/general-assembly-to-wait-and-see-before-deciding-on-uranium-mining-moratorium