nuclear-news

Indigenous resistance to uranium mining, as Fukushima news continues

before the first pounds of yellowcake are harvested from the tundra, a fearful word has entered the debate: Fukushima. …..Sandra Inutiq chairs a group called Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, which translates to “Nunavummiut can rise up” and she has opposed uranium development. In an interview, Ms. Inutiq warned that allowing uranium development will transform parts of Nunavut into “a wasteland of tailings.”….And, she added, Fukushima has raised the stakes, as Inuit contemplate the ethical implications of allowing uranium from their territory to be exported around the world –

Fukushima chills uranium development NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE, CALGARY— Globe and Mail , May. 19, 2011 It looked to be a nuclear renaissance set on Canada’s sub-Arctic plains.Over the past few years, a series of companies secured rights to remote stretches of Inuit land that hide rich troves of uranium. One project alone, the five mines that make up the Kiggavik proposal from French nuclear giant Areva, stands poised to increase Canada’s uranium output by 35 per cent.

But before the first pounds of yellowcake are harvested from the tundra, a fearful word has entered the debate: Fukushima. The Japanese nuclear plant, which melted down recently, has become synonymous with renewed worry about the safety and ethics of atomic energy. Indeed, even in the farthest stretches of the country, Fukushima is raising new questions for Inuit now considering whether to mine nuclear fuel from their soil. The renaissance is stumbling.

In Nunavut, two separate reviews, one by the territorial government and one by the organization that manages Inuit lands, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., are considering whether and how to proceed with uranium in development. In northern Labrador, the Inuit Nunatsiavut government stands ready to decide whether to renew a three-year moratorium on uranium mining that came up for review at the end of March.

The Fukushima disaster has unfolded in the midst of all three reviews.

….. The renewed worries about nuclear safety have arisen at a critical time for Canada’s Inuit, as they try to reconcile new gains from the mining industry with the impact of uranium mining on people and a fragile landscape……. Sandra Inutiq chairs a group called Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, which translates to “Nunavummiut can rise up” and she has opposed uranium development. In an interview, Ms. Inutiq warned that allowing uranium development will transform parts of Nunavut into “a wasteland of tailings.”

She believes the message has been widely received.

“My sense is that people aren’t for it.”

And, she added, Fukushima has raised the stakes, as Inuit contemplate the ethical implications of allowing uranium from their territory to be exported around the world –

….. “The nuclear disaster has brought about another facet to the discussion,” said Terry Audla, the chief executive officer of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. “It’s brought about awareness as to the end result of nuclear power and its possible consequences.”… http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/fukushima-chills-uranium-development/article2025353/

May 20, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, indigenous issues, Uranium