nuclear-news

Virginia’s uranium lobbyists should stop pressurising legislators

Uranium lobbyists need to back off  Star Tribune, Phillip Lovelace January 18, 2012 The National Academy of Sciences said Virginia faces steep hurdles. I say the uranium industry and the lobbyists they have hired should stop pressuring our legislators and go with the timeframe the National Academy of Sciences has contracted with the state of Virginia to do public education until May.
The National Academy of Sciences recommended site-specific studies.
There must be a hydrogeology study done of the Coles Hill site by an
independent vendor with hands off from the uranium industry which
could take several years.
J.P. Gannon’s conclusions from a small study he performed at Coles
Hill states: “It is clear from this study that a more detailed
hydrogeologic investigation surrounding the deposit is warranted in
order to make any conclusions about the effects of a potential mine.”
The moratorium needs to stay in place while all needed site-specific
studies are performed with no rushed time limits to give our
legislators and the public time to review all the study reports.
Remember , taxpayers of Virginia, regulatory framework could come at a
very high cost to the taxpayers, and we need to know what that cost
is.
Will it cost millions of dollars?
If the site-specific studies say it cannot be done safely without harm
to our water, health and environment, then our legislators should have
the opportunity without being pressured into making a bad decision by
the industry and its lobbyists, costing Virginians tax money for
unneeded regulations.
The unanswered questions concerning our risks and costs comes first
with all the site-specific studies needed, then regulatory framework
second. The National Research Council of the NAS report notes that the
state has essentially no experience in regulating uranium mining.
Why would our policymakers want to spend our hard-earned tax dollars
on regulations now, and we don’t know if we need regulations until the
site-specific studies are completed?
The regulations should be written from the results of the site-specific studies. http://www.wpcva.com/opinion/article_8c8f1e58-4216-11e1-9fa4-0019bb2963f4.html

January 19, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general, Uranium