Thus, I would say that the public hearing was an exercise in futility for those of us who sought to join in the making of the decision through our participatory democracy. Since the Board members decided to ignore the obvious sentiments of the people, that leaves us with one avenue still afforded us by the constitution of both our country and state.
We must throw the rascals out!!!! The Zoning Appeals board is appointed by the local circuit court , apparently from a recommended list from the Board of Supervisors who courageously (sic) chose to stay neutral (i.e., study the issue). We must recall and / or replace every Board Supervisor who will not stand with us, so that we can have supervisors who WILL RECOMMEND zoning appeals board members who will honor the will of the people of the county.
The politicos and the multinational corporations have the money; BUT, we have the votes.....................................................
THROW THE RASCALS OUT !!!
1 comment:
I agree - throw them all out. I was a Republican but I am voting as a democrat this year because John Edwards is the only candidate who is against nuclear energy and or revamping the nuclear industry.
Nuclear Info Kept From Congress and the Public August 21, 2007 - On March 6, 2006 an accident occurred at Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tennessee. According to reports, almost 9 gallons of highly enriched uranium in solution spilled and nearly went into a chain reaction. Before the accident in 2004, the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and The Office of Naval Reactors had changed the terms of the company's license so that any correspondence with Nuclear Fuel Services would be marked “official use only.'” From the article: While reviewing the commission's public Web page in 2004, the Department of Energy's Office of Naval Reactors found what it considered protected information about Nuclear Fuel Service's work for the Navy.
The commission responded by sealing every document related to Nuclear Fuel Services and BWX Technologies in Lynchburg, VA−the only two companies licensed by the agency to manufacture, possess and store highly enriched uranium. The result was that the public and Congress were both left in the dark for 13 months regarding this accident and other issues at the facility.
Cheney Pursuing Nuclear Ambitions of His Own
Scoop 6 November 2007,
by Jason Leopold - While Dick Cheney has been talking tough over the years about Iran's alleged nuclear activities, the vice president has been quietly pursuing nuclear ambitions of his own. For more than two years, Cheney and a relatively unknown administration official, Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell, have been regularly visiting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to ensure agency officials rewrite regulatory policies and bypass public hearings in order to streamline the licensing process for energy companies that have filed applications to build new nuclear power reactors, as well as applications for new nuclear facilities that are expected to be filed by other companies in the months ahead, longtime NRC officials said.
The energy corporations Cheney and Sell have been personally lobbying the NRC on behalf of this year have advised the vice president and his staff on energy policy in a way that would boost their companies' profit margins. These corporations have also donated millions of dollars to President Bush's and Cheney's past presidential campaigns.
At a time when public awareness surrounding renewable energy resources, the devastating effects of global warming and the importance of conservation is at an all-time high, the Bush administration has steered tens of billions in taxpayer dollars toward revamping the dormant nuclear power industry, touting it as the only proven technology to combat climate change. Behind the scenes, Cheney and Sell have worked in tandem with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
Cheney and Sell's behind-the-scenes efforts have been a boon for the nuclear energy industry - and to Westinghouse Electric, a nuclear reactor designer whose AP1000 reactor unit was certified by the Department of Energy. The company stands to earn tens of billions of dollars in profit through the sale of just a few of its nuclear reactor units. Cheney has said publicly he wants to see dozens scattered across the US.
NRG Chief Executive David Crane told investors recently that massive federal tax incentives and federal loan guarantees included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was the deciding factor in steering the company toward the $6 billion nuclear project. 'The whole reason we started down this path was the benefits written into the [Energy Policy Act] of 2005,' Crane said.
The federal loan program automatically requires taxpayers to cover any defaults on the loans. In a February report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office said failure to properly account for default risks in the loan program was one factor that 'could result in substantial financial costs to the taxpayer.' A 2003 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report said the risk of utilities defaulting on loans for new nuclear plants is 'very high - well above 50 percent.'
Perhaps the thorniest issue neither Cheney, Sell, Bodman nor the nuclear energy industry has yet to address is how it plans to dispose of nuclear waste. 'In over 50 years of operating experience, the nuclear industry still has not managed to solve the problems of safety, security, and disposal of highly dangerous radioactive waste,’ said Jon Block, nuclear energy and climate change project manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
'Until that happens, we're much better off investing in safer, cleaner energy sources such as renewable wind, geothermal, tidal, and solar projects.'
GREENEARTH
Pittsylvania County, VA
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