Uranium Mining in W.A.

Comment: This letter can apply to us and our fight against nuke chain per uranium mining, Our friends in Western Australia are fighting the same battle!

Open letter

Re: Uranium Mining in W.A.

There are many reasons why I am among the thousands upon thousands of Western Australians dismayed by your overturn of the ban on uranium mining in this state.

Here are just a few of them: a) It’s not economical. In 2004, it cost $2.-4 billion (U.S) to build a nuclear power station. By the end of 2008, that figure had jumped to over $7b (U.S.).

Comparing wind energy costs with nuclear power generation: it costs 7c per kilowatt hour for windpower; 14c. per kilowatt hour for nuclear (www.earthpolicy.org).

b) It’s not clean, nor green: at every stage of the nuclear chain, except the boiling-of-the-water-in-the-giant kettle bit, it creates lots of greenhouse gases: mining, milling, transport, construction of power plants, re-processing, de-commissioning.

c) Especially since President Obama canned the Yucca mountain proposed waste facility in the U.S., it is clearer than ever that this in an industry that does not know what to do with its waste.

Not only is it radioactive and difficult to detect (e.g. the radon gas to which miners are often exposed), but it can and does alter the gene pool – a very serious charge.

d) It’s a huge water guzzler (Roxby Downs uses 33 million litres of water daily, and rising), and it gets that water, free of charge, from the great Artesian Basin! In these drying times, why would we want to encourage an industry which uses vast quantities of one of our most precious and dwindling resources?

e) Another question Mr. Barnett: what ports would you propose for the export of yellowcake?

What a fuss there’s been over lead – do you think the people of Western Australia are going to turn a blind eye to the transport of this toxic material on their roads and railways, when there are frequent accidents in both sectors?

Please re-consider your decision to encourage uranium mining.

Please listen to the voices of concerned citizens throughout this wonderful state, who would much rather see the Government create jobs by backing renewable energy sources.

We want to be part of the energy revolution for the future, not tied to a failed twentieth century technology.

Yours sincerely, NAME ________________________________ Address : ____________________________________________________________ Date: ___________