Nunn board turns down support for Powertech

Comment: We have weak resolution in Pittsylvania County to somewhat protect us from uranium mining problems and the residents of Nunn are fighting resolutions from a Canadian Corporation! Are all Canadian Uranium Corporation the same, trying to ruin our environment in America so they can take 50 to 70 per cent of the profits back to Canada and our government is allowing this to happen? Pure Greed at the highest and at the cost of American lives from uranium contamination!

Colin Lindenmayer

NUNN — Residents applauded a town board decision Thursday to reject a resolution in support of uranium mining corporation Powertech at a town board meeting.

The Centennial Project, a proposed uranium mine located near Nunn, has been met with much resistance from the town's residents.

Moments after Powertech Uranium Corp. representative Terry Walsh read the proposed resolution to the board, trustee Brian Jex suggested the town wait to accept the resolution until more public input was heard.

Mayor Jeff Pigue, who has publicly supported the mine, announced that without an
official board motion, Powertech's presentation was finished, thus ending the Canadian company's most recent opportunity to smooth over hard feelings with residents.

“Most people who live here don't want this,” said Gerrit Voshel, who lives outside of Nunn near the Centennial Project site, during a short recess from the meeting.

Voshel said the risk of contaminating groundwater — even if the risk is slight — is not worth the gamble.

“The population density is far too great to risk that,” he said. “If they make a mistake, they'll shrug their shoulders and move on.”

At a town meeting in July, Powertech Chief Operations Officer Wallace Mays and CEO Dick Clement noted the corporation's track record and the potential economic benefits as reasons to support building the mine.

The resolution in support of Powertech was introduced as a starting point for dialogue between the corporation and the town. It dealt with safety procedures and possible infrastructure stresses that could be caused by mine usage.

The resolution would have assured people that the corporation would be held responsible for specific standard requirements.

Powertech owns mineral rights to 9,615 acres of northern Colorado land. Debates about whether the mine should be built near Nunn have been ongoing for more than a year, and discussions about Powertech's plans at town meetings have been emotionally charged.

At the meeting, a petition to remove Pigue and two trustees from office that was circulated in July, but because of errors in the petition it was ruled invalid. Pigue will remain mayor of Nunn and two trustees will remain on the board.

Several residents have began a new petition.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090807/NEWS/908079992/1002/NONE&parentprofile=1001