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Moratorium on uranium development in Quebec

“It’s a little bit like asbestos — people have come to the conclusion that there are certain minerals that are so dangerous that they’re not worth mining, they’re better to leave underground,” Edwards said. “One is asbestos, and one is uranium

Quebec imposes moratorium on uranium development, Montreal Gazette, By Kevin Dougherty and Monique Beaudin, March 28, 2013
QUEBEC — No permits for the exploration or mining of uranium in Quebec will be issued until an independent study on the environmental impact and social acceptance of extracting uranium has been completed, Environment Minister Yves-François Blanchet announced Thursday.

Blanchet has asked Quebec’s Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement to examine the issue of uranium development and uranium waste in general, with hearings throughout the province……Blanchet said he realizes the northern Quebec Crees of Eeyou Istchee have called for a permanent moratorium on uranium development and he hopes the Crees and other aboriginals participate in the process.

In a statement, the Crees welcomed the “moratorium,” while expressing reserves……..

Christian Simard, of the environmental groups Nature Québec and Québec meilleure mine, applauded Blanchet’s announcement, while adding that environmentalists wanted a complete halt to uranium exploration.

But Simard noted uranium prices are very low and the number of active exploration sites in Quebec now stands at about 10.

He is concerned about preliminary exploration, which can involve drilling, saying the cleanup of sites “is not always done properly.”

“De facto it will stop for a time,” Simard said, predicting the BAPE study can only conclude that Quebec should not allow uranium extraction, and noting that no effective way has been found to deal with nuclear waste, which remains dangerous for 1,600 years.

“I am confident at the end of this process there will be a consensus in Quebec society to say that uranium is not a mineral like the others,” Simard said. “It’s radioactive, there are problems with radioactivity in the very long term.”

Simard suggested Quebec follow the example of Virginia, which recently ordered a study to determine whether to lift its moratorium on uranium, only to conclude, based on scientific evidence, that the moratorium should remain permanent……

Blanchet’s announcement came after years of lobbying by environmental groups and communities across Quebec. More than 300 communities have passed resolutions calling for a uranium moratorium. In 2009, more than 20 doctors in Sept-Îles threatened to quit their jobs and leave Quebec unless a moratorium was put in place.

There are so many concerns about uranium that Quebec should enact a permanent moratorium, said Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.

“It’s a little bit like asbestos — people have come to the conclusion that there are certain minerals that are so dangerous that they’re not worth mining, they’re better to leave underground,” Edwards said. “One is asbestos, and one is uranium

http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Quebec+imposes+moratorium+uranium+development/8165239/story.html#ixzz2OyNBPe5Y

March 29, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, Uranium