Hydroelectric doesn't compare to uranium mining

Comment: Great Letter Mr. Stuart!! The Nuclear Power people has formed groups to respond to local areas about uranium mining and nuclear power letters. The Nuke people are blogging our local papers and writing their yellow journalism explaining nuclear power, uranium mining, and milling are wonderful!! We need to expose the Nuke bunch and write the truth about the problems of uranium mining and milling, Nuke power is not clean or green!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 10:37 AM EDT

In response to the letter by Mr. Donelson, who lives in northern Virginia, I can understand his viewpoint living in McLean, 200 miles away.

Mr. Donelson failed to mention that he is vice president of marketing and sales for USEC Inc.

He basically is responsible for the company's revenue generating from the sale of enriched and natural uranium.

How can you compare a hydroelectric plant to open-pit uranium mining?

If Mr. Donelson can name one uranium mine in the world that has not contaminated people or the environment, he needs to bring this information to our attention.

And also, if can he find a mine where people are living within a five-mile radius, not to mention contamination of a 75 mile radius through air and water, which will be traveling through our streams up into Lake Gaston and on to Virginia Beach, that would interest us also.

It's easy for people who live 200 miles away to dictate to those who will have to endure radioactive open pits, let alone the dust from the explosions when they start blasting.

People have to remember that this is a statewide moratorium. If this ban is lifted it will be state wide.

If Mr. Donelson bothered to look at the state map containing potential uranium resources in Virginia, and I'm sure he has, he would find it goes through Northern Virginia, Maryland and in to Delaware.

And as far as that economic engine goes, it's under your feet, too, in Northern Virginia.

So when they start talking about mining in NOVA, I'm sure you will welcome it with open arms.

I want to apologize to Mr. Jack Wyatt and his company for using his store in an article in my letter to the editor.

I did not realize there was gold down here, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have come to him personally or to his company.

Timothy Stuart
Chatham

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/06/10/chatham/opinion/opinion04.txt