New Tactic in opposing Uranium Mining?

(The following is from Victoria Advocate - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX 12/09/2007)

Opponents of uranium mining are fighting on two fronts: the court of public opinion and the courtroom.
On the legal front, opponents have requested a hearing to contest Uranium Energy Corp.'s application for a mining permit, the next step toward full-scale mining. Private residents, the Goliad County commissioners court, and the county's groundwater conservation district have all asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a hearing.
The hearing is a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial and, if granted, would be in Austin at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
If the groundwater becomes contaminated, some landowners near the proposed mining area say they would consider suing not only the uranium company but also the landowners who leased their land for mining.
On the public relations front, the county commissioners court has passed a resolution against uranium mining in the county. Although non-binding, the resolution made clear the court's stance.
Opponents also are funding a more visible effort in Victoria, where a digital billboard flashes its daily message opposing uranium mining. Some donations are collected at town hall meetings. A sign at a recent meeting stated, "our billboard has area folks talking and thinking." The billboard cost $105 a day, according to another sign.
Harry Anthony, the mining company's chief operations officer, calls those in opposition to uranium mining, "a great vocal minority."
Guest columns and the letters to the editor in the Advocate also lend a voice to both sides of the debate. The residents' committee, Uranium Information at Goliad, supplies a regular column in the Goliad newspaper featuring questions and answers about uranium mining and the ongoing process. The group also has distributed brochures expressing concerns about uranium mining.
Those brochures caused Anthony to question the tactics of uranium mining opponents.
A photograph showing a barren well field is actually in Wyoming, not Texas, Anthony said, calling it intentionally "misleading the public." A caption under the photo reads, "Note the lack of trees and vegetation." The brochure does not state where the photo was shot, although a photo credit is given to Peter Diehl of Wise Uranium.
Ginger Cook, a landowner who is a member of the county's uranium research and advisory committee, said she put the brochure together and doesn't think it's deceptive at all.
"It shows ugly. And ugly is ugly no matter where it's located,"Cook said.
Another tactic the company criticized is opponents' statement at town hall meetings that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gets more than 80 percent of its revenue from the issuance of permits, implying that the commission would lose money if it turned down a permit.
That percentage came directly from the commission's Web site last October, said Margaret Rutherford, who helped organize the citizens committee, but it "was withdrawn shortly after I presented this information."
"Eighty-two percent of all agency revenue from permits is very incorrect. Permitting fees are actually a fairly small percentage of our revenue," said Lisa Wheeler, commission spokeswoman. The application fee for an underground injection control permit is $100, according to the commission's Web site.
The uranium company has done some public relations work itself, providing $10,000 annually for science and engineering scholarships to Goliad high school seniors.
Until the fight shifts to the legal front, both sides remain focused on winning public opinion.
"I know I wear the scarlet 'U',"Anthony said the first time he met with the public in Goliad in June 2006. ""But we are here to extend our hand and be a good corporate neighbor. We want to make sure there is no misinformation."
Rutherford says those opposing uranium mining can't fight the battle alone.
"You can't be the silent majority here. We need everyone's help. Please help support the cause to keep you informed with accurate, research-based information."
Sonny Long is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6585 or slong@vicad.com