Chase City passed a resolution on Tuesday night condemning uranium mining in Virginia. Halifax and Virginia Beach have already passed similar resolutions.
Chase City’s resolution is highly frustrating because it seems a cynical view of the study process is the main motivation for bringing it to a vote. After passing the resolution, Chase City Councilman Charles Willis told reporters, “I just don’t trust the process”.
Like other uranium opponents, Mr. Willis thinks the study will favor Virginia Uranium, Inc. because they have offered to pay for it. Mr. Willis went on to say, “I don’t think under the circumstances it can be a fair process”.
Do these opponents even know how the study process will work? Virginia Uranium isn’t conducting the study. The National Academy of Sciences and Virginia Tech will be paid to conduct it.
As I’ve stated in a previous post, the National Academy of Sciences and Virginia Tech are world-class institutions that thrive on their impartiality. Also, they have nothing to gain monetarily by favoring Virginia Uranium, Inc in their study results.
Gov. Kaine vouched for these institutions today by saying they’re “very credible”.
Chase City should’ve waited until the study is released before they pass judgment on uranium mining. Instead, they let cynicism consume them and decided to not give to study process a fair chance.
Chase City’s resolution is highly frustrating because it seems a cynical view of the study process is the main motivation for bringing it to a vote. After passing the resolution, Chase City Councilman Charles Willis told reporters, “I just don’t trust the process”.
Like other uranium opponents, Mr. Willis thinks the study will favor Virginia Uranium, Inc. because they have offered to pay for it. Mr. Willis went on to say, “I don’t think under the circumstances it can be a fair process”.
Do these opponents even know how the study process will work? Virginia Uranium isn’t conducting the study. The National Academy of Sciences and Virginia Tech will be paid to conduct it.
As I’ve stated in a previous post, the National Academy of Sciences and Virginia Tech are world-class institutions that thrive on their impartiality. Also, they have nothing to gain monetarily by favoring Virginia Uranium, Inc in their study results.
Gov. Kaine vouched for these institutions today by saying they’re “very credible”.
Chase City should’ve waited until the study is released before they pass judgment on uranium mining. Instead, they let cynicism consume them and decided to not give to study process a fair chance.
Update: Gov. Kaine commented again on the fairness and impartiality of the study on Friday. He said, "If you pick a group like the National Academy of Sciences, they're going to give you an accurate answer."
3 comments:
Unfortunately, this appears to be a pattern in our area. Proponents of uranium mining are often less vocal and dramatic than those who oppose it, and, as in many cases, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. My problem with the more vocal opponents of a study is their tendency to dramatize instead of factualize. At the SCC's presentations (I have been to two), there are a lot of outdated studies and productions that are more like propaganda than anything else.
Virginia Uranium, essentially, has been damned if they do, damned if they don't. If they offer to finance an impartial study, opponents pound their chests and scream about how the study will not be impartial. However, if anyone hints that VUI wouldn't pay for a study, everyone starts tearing their hair out over "not my tax dollars" and "why should we pay for a study for them to make money" blah blah blah.
If VUI had not asked the legislature to consider a study, they would be a sneaky corporation making an end-run around a moratorium, but when they did ask the legislature for a study, they faced the same criticism.
If people would just listen to reason instead of rhetoric, I believe we will all benefit. There is no harm in studying this resource, and I wish that message could be heard over all the outdated, inflammatory rantings of a few vocal opponents.
"Virginia Uranium, essentially, has been damned if they do, damned if they don't."
You make a great point that I have been thinking about, but haven't been able to verbalize as well as you did.
"If people would just listen to reason instead of rhetoric, I believe we will all benefit."
I think this this attitude everyone should adopt while the study is taking place.
Great comments!
I thought very long and carefully before I wrote and presented the resolution opposing uranium mining in Virginia. My decision was based on several factors some of which I will express here. Firstly, uranium mining or milling has never been done in the eastern United States for obvious reasons. Dense population and an evaporation rate that is less than annual rainfall. Add to that, the area the Coles Hill uranium deposit lies. It's nearly in sight of the Banister River River. The Banister feeds into the Dan which feeds Kerr Lake and so on all the way to Virginia Beach. Secondly, I liken the Coles family offer to fund the study to the tobacco company offing to fund a study linking cigarettes to lung cancer. I just don't trust a fox to set up the security of a hen house, so to speak. Lastly, It's my belief that this study was done in a manner that completely circumvented the General Assembly and our democratic process. The General Assembly was presented a bill on conducting the study. That bill was tabled. That's where it should remain, in my opinion and the opinion of the Town of Chase City.
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