Uranium Will Benefit Few, Endanger Many

Hildred nails it dead on and demonstrates Lord Overton's prescient statement, "No warning can save a people determined to grow suddenly rich" even when the number of people standing "to grow suddenly rich" is very, very small.

STAR-TRIBUNE

Opinion

In the excellent analysis in the Star-Tribune, Aug. 13, 2008, page 1, written by Katie Whitehead of the column in The Wall Street Journal by Max Schultz, reprinted by The Star-Tribune, the rhetorical question was raised as to who would profit if mining and milling uranium takes place in Pittsylvania County.

For the benefit of those who do not follow developments on uranium mining in Pittsylvania County, one finds on the Internet site of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission a report of a meeting held by Virginia Uranium Inc., in Denver, Colo., on May 8, 2008.

The purpose of the meeting was to and I quote: "discuss Virginia Uranium Inc.'s (VUI'S) plans for mining and milling uranium from the Coles Hills Project."

As a part of this discussion, a statement was made about ownership of Virginia Uranium, Inc., to-wit: "VUI is owned primarily by approximately 31 landowners located near the project and they control the company."

Further stated was "VUI owns or leases approximately 2,300 acres of surface rights and 3,000 acres of mineral rights."

So the answer to who profits from mining and milling uranium in Pittsylvania County is approximately 31 landowner stockholders of Virginia Uranium Inc, who will get a part of the estimated $10 billion worth of the uranium deposit, along with those who lease mineral rights.

Of course, a large part of the uranium ore is said to be on the farm owned by Walter Coles and Sarah Coles McBrayer, so these two people will garner the proverbial "lion's share."

In other words, they ain't gonna end up po', not withstanding the problems of preventing the contamination of the environment (defined as air, water, land, plants, animals and humans).

A lot of people will be put at risk so about 31 people can become millionaires....capitalism at its worst.

Hildred C. Shelton

Danville

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/08/21/chatham/opinion/opinion11.txt