Excellent Letter to the Editor of the Danville Register & Bee by SCC member Anne Cockrell:
Published: September 26, 2008
To the editor:
Before Virginia considers lifting its moratorium on the mining and milling of uranium, critical questions need to be asked and thoroughly answered.
Will radiation emanating from the huge piles of tailings — those produced by a uranium mining and milling facility and operating over a 30-year period — create health risks for Virginia residents? Will the health risks be mine site-specific — or a statewide concern?
Will a uranium mining and milling facility require large volumes of water to operate? How much, and from where? Will the Banister River, running east of the proposed Coles Hill site, be utilized as the mine’s main water supply? Will downstream Raleigh, N.C., (Kerr Lake reservoir) and Virginia Beach (Lake Gaston) residents mind sharing their drinking water with a uranium mine? Considering the drought conditions the South experiences most years during the summer, will there be enough water for all on the receiving end? Will it be safe to drink?
One last question: Should all Virginia residents be concerned about the proposed Coles Hill mine — or just those living in close proximity, namely in the quaint town of Chatham?
According to the Canadian IPO of Virginia Uranium Ltd: “Holdco is focused on the exploration and development of significant uranium deposits located in the southern part of the commonwealth of Virginia, United States ... Holdco’s goal is to become a significant producer of uranium through the development and construction of a mining and milling operation at the Coles Hill Property. If developed and permitted, the Coles Hill property would be the first uranium mine in the commonwealth of Virginia. Holdco will commence a regional exploration and acquisition program to target and acquire both new and historic uranium prospects in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.”
Taking Virginia Uranium at its word, not only will the Coles Hill mine be its “first” uranium mine in Virginia, but it will “target and seek both new and historic prospects in Pittsylvania County.”
Pittsylvania is a big county — Virginia’s largest land mass county. Where will VUI explore next? Once the state’s moratorium is lifted, what’s to keep other mining companies (foreign or domestic) from following Virginia Uranium Inc.’s lead and opening additional mines, since we’re reportedly uranium-rich in Southside Virginia?
Even if the old mineral leases Marline held with Virginia landowners in the early 1980s have expired, does this mean uranium is no longer under those properties?
Folks, alarm bells are ringing. Will Virginia residents heed their warning?
A proposed uranium mine isn’t just Chatham’s little problem, it’s a statewide issue that should be given grave consideration.
ANNE COCKRELL
Danville
No comments:
Post a Comment