State dollars, uranium, and no invite

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: August 20, 2008

Where is all that money going?

To the editor:

I have been very fortunate to travel through many towns in our great commonwealth — Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Colonial Beach, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Abingdon, Floyd, Grundy, Cumberland Gap, Meadows of Dan, Stuarts Draft and many more in between. We live in one of the most beautiful states in America. People are generally friendly in each place I have been, and I always look forward to revisiting each area.

In my travels, I have observed one thing that all these areas have in common. They all have some sort of growth and progress. What I mean is that, in every region of Virginia in which my wife and I have traveled, there have been improvements to the areas and people are building enormous homes — not just in Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, but also in the southern and western parts of Virginia. These homes range from $200,000 to $4 million or more.

I am greatly concerned as to why there is no money in Virginia when the state is growing and prospering. There are new communities being built in almost every region, so I think that it is time for internal cuts in Richmond and not time for budget cuts to extend to every branch of our government. Our leaders need to find better ways to make things “greener” and more economical for Virginians. There are thousands of people on staff. Prisons are full and overcrowded. We have people on unemployment. Utilize these resources and all other assets that we are so blessed to have and stop wasting our money. There is enough tax money going into Richmond, but what is coming out is not satisfactory anymore. Legislators, you are all elected to do a better job of spending and managing our hard-earned money, so please do so.

“The proof is in the pudding,” as my grandmother would always say. There are more and more sizeable homes being built, towns are improving and we are prospering as a commonwealth. The money is flowing into Richmond, but it just doesn’t seems to flow out quite as well.

BARRY CUNDIFF

To the editor:

I read a column that appeared in The Wall Street Journal about uranium mining at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County. I have also read numerous quotes from James Kelly, the former head of the nuclear engineering program at the University of Virginia on this same subject. I am always concerned that people like these two — and all the other proponents of uranium mining in Virginia — never live where they would be in any danger from mining operations. They always seem to think that they know what is best for us. Of all these proponents of uranium mining — except maybe for local stockholders — I don’t think any of them express any great interest in buying property and moving to Southside Virginia — let alone to Pittsylvania or Halifax counties.

Let’s just suppose someone with a foreign government wanted to come to the United States, and in a densely populated and vegetated area of our country, explode a nuclear device to see what effects the radioactive fallout would have on the populace, animals, crops, food supply and water. What a terrible experiment this would be. What do you think our citizens would do? They would say that it was insanity and would do anything it takes to prevent it.

A foreign-owned corporation is planning to develop a gigantic open pit uranium mine — including a uranium ore milling operation in Southside Virginia — just a few miles from Chatham and Gretna. There could be two pits, each 800 feet deep and each covering 110 acres. That’s the equivalent of 55 city blocks wide and one and one-half blocks deep. The constant blasting in the mine, the milling of the ore and the stockpiling of the fine radioactive tailings have the potential of spreading radioactive dust in all directions, much the same way a bomb would spread radioactive fallout. According to Virginia Uranium Inc.’s private presentation, there could potentially be 41 million pounds of tailings. That’s enough to produce a mountain 400 feet wide, 200 feet high (that’s 20 stories) and many miles long. Remember, this mine would be only about six miles from Chatham, close to Gretna and very near the Banister River.

This radioactive dust being blown intothe air and leaching into the streams would contaminate humans, animals, crops and vegetation, food supplies and water for hundreds of miles.

From the Banister River to the Albemarle Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, including Lake Gaston, the water supply for Virginia Beach.

This mining operation would last 30 years or more. Another danger would be deadly radon gas emitting from these pits.

This operation would really be an experiment for the uranium company, as they cannot assure anyone that it would be safe.

They do say that they have “real time monitoring and reactions.” As one of the opponents of this mine said, “If you have to react, then the damage is already done? We can’t afford to be guinea pigs for their experiment. There is no real cleanup for radiation contamination, when the genie gets out of the bottle, you can’t put him back. Radiation is forever.”

If Virginia allows them to go ahead and mine, some years later the extent of this pollution will be discovered — or even sooner in the case of a disaster such as a tornado, hurricane, flood or earthquake. The owners and principles of the corporation would most likely just close the mine and milling operation, declare bankruptcy, move away to safer parts of the world and leave the mountain of tailings there — and leave the populace to suffer whatever would befall them.

Remember, uranium mining has never been done in Virginia and nowhere in the type of terrain we have in Southside Virginia, nor in in places that have the amount of annual rainfall we do. It has only been done in sparsely populated, dry and arid regions of the world. Many places near where it has been done are now ghost towns, unfit for human inhabitation.

The proponents of potentially dangerous enterprises such as uranium mining always want to dismiss the opponents by calling them “environmentalists.” If being concerned about the health, welfare and safety of our present and future generations qualifies us, then you can call us environmentalists.

The people of Southside Virginia had better educate themselves about the dangers of uranium mining — and fast. Find out what you can do to help prevent uranium mining in Virginia.

For more information, go to http://www.sccchatham.blogspot.com. and http://www.uranium2008.blogspot.com.

W.G. NUNN

To the editor:

Barack Obama is coming to our area. It’s front-page news, but if you read the article, it states that the town hall-style meeting is invitation only. I find this to be quite elitist and reminiscent of how Hillary was choosing people to ask her questions that she already knew about.

Anyone who might be on the fence will not be able to go and see Obama. I guess that he is for the people that he chooses. So what about the rest of the loyal thralls of supporters? Too bad. Maybe this way the press can only film the perfect meeting, just like the ones they used to have in the Soviet Union where every one agrees. 

E. WYATT MOORE

Danville