Comments: Thanks Mr. FERRUCCIO, RTD is a paper for all industries, remember VA Power, former Massey Energy is located in Ricmond! Keep the Ban in VA
Posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 8:21 am | Updated: 8:22 am, Wed Jun 27, 2012.
I stated my opposition to mining uranium in Chatham, Va., at a press conference held there by the Virginia Uranium Working Group on June 18. I stated that the uranium proposal is informed by a rationale for selective regional sacrifice under the guise of science and technology and that it’s not too soon to begin organizing resistance to the intention to lift the ban.
Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Rex Springston in a follow-up conversation off camera wanted me to be more specific concerning what the nature of the resistance might include. My response was a clear and unambiguous example: folks lying down in front of trucks such as during the PCB demonstrations of 1982 in Warren County. In his June 19 article titled, “Activists vow to prevent uranium mining in Pittsylvania,” instead of including my example, Mr. Springston wrote,
“Ken Ferruccio of Warren County, N.C., even indicated some activists might resort to illegal ‘monkey wrenching,’ such as damaging construction equipment.”: Activists vow to prevent uranium mining in Pittsylvania(http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/jun/19/tdmet01-activists-vow-to-prevent-uranium-mining-in-ar-1997047/)
Notice that the phrase “such as damaging construction equipment” is not put in quotation marks in the article because I never made the statement. Notice, too, that damaging construction equipment is not attributed to me but to some activists. Notice the adjective “illegal” is not put in quotation marks because I did not use the word. Notice that “monkey wrenching” is put in quotation marks not specifically attributed to me, but to signal its use in a special sense, and seemingly for a specific purpose: to associate me with eco-terrorism. The generalizations include loaded language and ambiguity and are not supported by the specific example I gave. The passage is based on the reporter’s subjective inferences instead of on objective, factual statements.
Perhaps Mr. Springston chose to emphasize potential illegal and disruptive resistance to throw the public off of the critical issues that need to be squarely addressed, namely, that the consensus of the scientific community is that the containment principle doesn’t work. “Best practice” engineering designs, regulatory frameworks, waste management laws, and monitoring procedures cannot prevent contamination; in fact, they will facilitate it, both in the short run and in the long-run - for thousands of years.
In 1982, I stood by that commitment, and I will continue to do so concerning the proposal to mine uranium in Virginia. (For more information concerning my commitment to nonviolence, see ncpcbarchives.com).
KEN FERRUCCIO
Norlina
http://www.vancnews.com/the_warren_record/opinion/article_9bae0010-c052-11e1-ac93-0019bb2963f4.html
Activists vow to prevent uranium mining in Pittsylvania
By: | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: June 19, 2012
Comments:
KM · Top Commenter · Plymouth High
A
majority of attendees were from within the 50 mile radius that the Uranium
Working Group said would typically be of concern for exposure during the
operations of a mine and mill at Coles Hill. Others were from the Roanoke River
Basin Watershed which includes parts of both NC and VA. Mining and milling at
Coles Hill will have impacts (either minimal or catastrophic according to the
state sanctioned Chmura reprort). We also learned that their may be other viable
deposits in VA. Perhaps you may have a mill in your municipality one day. If
that occurs, the fine folks of Pittsylvania County would be glad to help you
understand the issues and impacts associated with it.
It is odd that one would consider the mining, milling and disposal of radioactive wastes "cheap energy". The UWG could not even employ SWAG (scientific wild a...$$ guess) as to the cost to taxpayers regarding the Coles Hill project. It is safe to say that, even though we do not have a statute which allows uranium mining, the Governor and the Coal and Energy Commission have already spent over 1M dollars. Imagine the cost of a "robust regulatory framework" and its enforcement...forever. Cha-ching.
Also unknow is the number of business that will relocate or never consider locating in a region where an above average risks of water pollution or subsidence exists. Agriculture if the regions largest industry. Is it fair to compromise an entire ecomomy for a few dozen jobs?
I was disappointed that the article chose to fixate on one person's comments...I guess that sells papers. It's a shame the RTD chose not to report on the many pertinent comments and questions of the citizenry. Why the use of the Richmond protest picture. It in no way reflects the gathering last night. Shame on the RTD.
It is odd that one would consider the mining, milling and disposal of radioactive wastes "cheap energy". The UWG could not even employ SWAG (scientific wild a...$$ guess) as to the cost to taxpayers regarding the Coles Hill project. It is safe to say that, even though we do not have a statute which allows uranium mining, the Governor and the Coal and Energy Commission have already spent over 1M dollars. Imagine the cost of a "robust regulatory framework" and its enforcement...forever. Cha-ching.
Also unknow is the number of business that will relocate or never consider locating in a region where an above average risks of water pollution or subsidence exists. Agriculture if the regions largest industry. Is it fair to compromise an entire ecomomy for a few dozen jobs?
I was disappointed that the article chose to fixate on one person's comments...I guess that sells papers. It's a shame the RTD chose not to report on the many pertinent comments and questions of the citizenry. Why the use of the Richmond protest picture. It in no way reflects the gathering last night. Shame on the RTD.
William
The real problem is that no matter what the studies show
about safety of the mining, if an unexpected disaster occurs, there is no amount
of money or work that can reverse the damage to our water supplies--for
thousands of YEARS! I'm sure that New Orleans never expected the level of
destruction of Katrina, nor the Japanese the devastation of the earthquake and
tsunami, but if something happens like that here, and the uranium waste washes
into the Roanoke River basin, our fresh water supplies for Southeast Virginia
and Northern North Carolina are compromised for generations to come.The other
simple fact is without fresh water, life cannot exist.Is it really worth taking
that enormous a chance? Not for the number of lives that would be forever
changed.
Anne
You make it sound like there were only a few supporters of
keeping the ban at this event. You did not accurately report that the vast
majority of the people filling the auditorium were in favor of keeping the ban.
Inaccurate false reporting. This would equal hundreds of people not just "25
activists." I also have a label you can apply to pro uranium mining Virginia
Uranium people....Mining barons looking for corporate welfare. If this project
goes through I don't see the state asking for the money up front in a surety
bond to safeguard the radioactive toxic wastes for at least 80 thousand years.
Heck if they did that there'd be no profits for the economic elites. Instead
they want to ram this through so that we get to bear the costs of safeguarding
the toxic wastes......so they can take the money and run.
Why is the state paying for another study and directing that the study NOT answer the question is it safe to mine uranium in VA. That is exactly the study we need to have done. I have a feeling the economic elites don't want that study because we already know that answer,....it's NOT safe to mine uranium.
Why is the state paying for another study and directing that the study NOT answer the question is it safe to mine uranium in VA. That is exactly the study we need to have done. I have a feeling the economic elites don't want that study because we already know that answer,....it's NOT safe to mine uranium.
Olga Kolotushkina · Legislative and Regulatory Adviser, Executive Committee at Roanoke River Basin Association (volunteer adviser)
Yep, Rex did a lousy job with that article.
Kay
Hey! What out of town troublemakers? Were you there? I am a
resident of Pittsy and live less than 5 miles from the proposed mine. There is
no prospect of me or the other folks in the so-called by VUI's own reports
"sacrifice zone", gaining a job, just getting a well full of heavy metals and
other crap. Those out-of town troublemakers were others that have Lake Gaston as
their water supply, making them what I would call "other interested parties".
Get it straight, if you have a genuine interest in this matter, come on down and
have your say, VUI had the predominance of out-of towners, investors that will
receive dividends, not poisoned wells.
Anne
The "out ot town troublemakers" would be better described as
"out of country"---the Canadian mining company and their shareholders!!!
Kay
I was there and I am not sure that "protesters" would be the
word I would use to describe the people at the press conference before hand.
Most were from the Chatham/Gretna area like myself, and there is a new
contingency from NC that live in the area supplied by Lake Gaston. A few folks
from as far away as VA Beach and Halifax & Floyd County were there to speak
against uranium mining.
Of the "We Dig U-Mining" crowd, aside from the company employees, there was a DC lady from "Fuel Cycle Weekly", a fellow from Campbell Co. that has a nuclear related business and is a pro-nuke blogger.
I didn't have the chance to chat up everyone, but I did not see anyone that looked Californian there, (although if you didn't know them personally, Floyd County folks look kind of Californian) since there were about 400 attendees.
Too bad you couldn't make it, VUI was handing out hot dogs, potato chips and cookies. Not being there in support of uranium mining, I was not offered refreshments.
Any other questions?????
Of the "We Dig U-Mining" crowd, aside from the company employees, there was a DC lady from "Fuel Cycle Weekly", a fellow from Campbell Co. that has a nuclear related business and is a pro-nuke blogger.
I didn't have the chance to chat up everyone, but I did not see anyone that looked Californian there, (although if you didn't know them personally, Floyd County folks look kind of Californian) since there were about 400 attendees.
Too bad you couldn't make it, VUI was handing out hot dogs, potato chips and cookies. Not being there in support of uranium mining, I was not offered refreshments.
Any other questions?????
Anne
...and that's not counting the Canadians who are heavily
invested in "Virginia Uranium." But the pro mining folks want to stir up
anything they can to keep the attention off of the safety issue and the fact
that Virginians are going to be stuck with the bill to contain this toxic
radioactive waste for at least 80 thousand years......plus when disaster
occurs....(how long before a hurricane, tornado, or flood occurs in the FEMA
Flood Zone they want to mine in)...then Virginia will become one big sacrifice
zone. The biggest nuclear disaster in America was not Three Mile Island it was a
uranium mill in Church Rock, NM in 1979....and the river in that desert like
region is STILL contaminated and unable to be cleaned up.....The uranium mill at
Church Rock was promoted as "state of the art" technology. Doesn't that sound
familiar? So once the genie is out of the bottle here we are done for.....it
can't be cleaned up.
