We are putting the blog on an indefinite hiatus. Currently there are two other great blogs covering the uranium issue in Southside and the Commonwealth pretty much exclusively and two other blogs that address the issues involved quite frequently. Thus it appears that much of what's done here will be duplicating others' efforts.
We appreciate your contributions, suggestions, and comments and, if need be, we will return in the future. Until then, we invite you to visit the following:
League of Individuals for the Environment, Inc.
http://lifeincva.blogspot.com/
Virginia Against Uranium
http://virginiaagainsturanium.blogspot.com/
Concerns and Delights
http://lindagoin.blogspot.com/
Appomattox's Posterous
http://appomattox.posterous.com/
The links in the side-bar to other uranium-oriented blogs will remain active so that you can visit from here to there.
We continue to be dedicated to the cause of preventing uranium mining at Coles Hill and throughout Virginia. However, at this time, our energies will be devoted to another avenue.
We hope to see you again in the future!
In solidarity,
Smidgen & Co.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Board still wrestling with possible uranium-mining study
By John Crane
Published: November 11, 2009
Staff with the National Research Council is continuing to try to determine how the agency will proceed with a possible uranium-mining study.
The National Research Council Governing Board’s Executive Committee met Tuesday in Washington to discuss the proposal for a study to determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in Virginia.
“Given the complexity with several institutions involved (Virginia Tech, the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission), our staff is continuing to work on how we will go about doing the study,” said Jennifer Walsh, spokeswoman for the National Academy of Sciences. “So far, our standard statement of task and approval process is not yet complete.”
The NRC is an arm of the NAS.
Walsh did not comment further when asked about details regarding the study and when the next executive committee meeting will be held.
Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. VUI, through Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research, would pay for the study’s first phase focusing on the technical and public-safety aspects of mining.
That first phase would cost as much as $1.4 million. Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research would handle the money and contract with the NAS for the study. The second part of the study, dealing with the socioeconomic aspects of mining, still needs to be developed by the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission. VUI would not fund the second part.
If the governing board approves the study request, the next step would be the NRC negotiating and entering into a contract with Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research. The board would then appoint a provisional committee of about a dozen scientific experts to perform the study and write its report.
Uranium study on hold
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The National Research Council's governing board wants more time to set up a proposed statewide scientific study on uranium mining.
The council's executive committee met Tuesday afternoon in Washington, D.C., but delayed approving a contract for the study.
"Given the complexity with several institutions involved, our staff is continuing to work on how we will go about doing the study," said Jennifer Walsh, a spokesman for the National Research Council. "So, our standard statement of task and approval process is not yet complete."
The National Research Council, which includes the National Academy of Sciences, presented its recommendations for a study in May to the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy's Uranium Mining Subcommittee.
Commission Chairman Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County still expects a contract with the National Academy of Sciences to be signed soon.
The study, which is expected to take about 18 months and cost an estimated $1.2 million, will be funded through Virginia Tech, with Virginia Uranium Inc. picking up the tab.
Discovered in the early 1980s, the uranium deposit is one of the largest in the United States and is worth an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion.
Kilgore said the state also plans to conduct a study of the socioeconomic impact of uranium mining.
The second study, which will address the effects of uranium mining on businesses, schools and the community, will be conducted by another organization and funded separately, the chairman said.
In October, Danville Regional Foundation announced that it is considering funding a regional socioeconomic study of the impact of uranium mining and milling.
The foundation, formed in 2005 following the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center, has issued a request for qualifications for a proposed study from interested firms, non-profit organizations and academic programs.
According to president and chief executive officer Karl Stauber, the foundation hopes to sponsor an "independent and rigorous socioeconomic examination" of the effects of the proposed uranium mine, mill, and long-term waste management on the people and institutions, including the economy, of its service region.
The foundation, which has $165 million in assets, serves Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, N.C.
"We're not taking a pro-mining position and we're not taking an anti-mining position," said Stauber. "We're taking a position that the people of this region need to understand the implications of uranium mining."
According to Stauber, the foundation's regional study will not take the place of a broader state study on the socioeconomic impact of uranium mining.
Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982.
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/11/11/chatham/news/news50.txt
Pittsylvania Co. declares local state of emergency
It's beyond me how anyone could consider this an ideal place for a uranium mine/mill. Where do the Coles Hill mining folks hang out during weather like this that they can continue to state that a mine and mill would not pose a threat? Haven't they even looked out the window over the last couple of days??
By John Crane
Danville Register & Bee
Published: November 12, 2009
By John Crane
Danville Register & Bee
Published: November 12, 2009
Persistent rains prompted Pittsylvania County officials to declare a state of emergency in the county Thursday.
“The county of Pittsylvania is facing serious hazards with the amount of downed trees, power lines and potential of flooding due to (rains),” said County Emergency Services Coordinator Jim Davis and County Administrator Dan Sleeper — who’s also deputy director of emergency management — in a statement Thursday. “Due to these hazards, a condition of extreme peril of life and property now exists throughout (the) county.”
Davis later said the declaration was issued as a precautionary measure and he knew of no weather-related emergency situations.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the river rising like it is,” Davis said. “… At this point, we’ve not had any type life-threatening emergencies,” he said Thursday.
If the county has to spend money not appropriated for disasters as a result of conditions, Pittsylvania could be reimbursed by the state, he added.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency for the commonwealth Wednesday due to high waters and flooding.
There were 26 reported road closures in Pittsylvania County on Thursday evening due to flooding and high waters, said Randy Hamilton, residency administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation in Chatham.
Paula Jones, VDOT spokeswoman, said the roads that had high waters were ones that typically flood during extended rainfalls. Jones advised drivers to proceed with caution, especially since water can cause hydroplaning and wet leaves can add to already slick conditions.
Also, just a few inches of moving water on a road or street can pose danger to vehicles, Jones said. The rushing water can also hide pot holes and shifted culverts. Wind gusts and wet, loosened soil can cause trees to fall, presenting more hazards for drivers.
In other areas, water levels exceeded full pond at Smith Mountain Lake, and Appalachian Power increased its discharge from Leesville Dam into the Staunton River to create more storage volume in the lower reservoir, according to a news release from Appalachian Power.
In addition, the town of Mayodan, N.C., had a discharge of about 82,000 gallons of untreated water and rain water at two areas off Main Street and 9th Avenue. About eight inches of rainfall in two days caused the overflow which entered the Mayo River, a tributary of the Dan River, according to a press release from the town.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Current PittCo Road Closings Due to Flood Waters
Notice the closure of Coles Road, both north and south. Some of you are also familiar with the areas where historic Marline Uranium leases were held around Cascade and the Berry Hill area. Please note the flooded, closed roads in that area of the county. If mining occurs there, the Dan River carries the contamination. Rather sobering, isn't it?
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River Flood Warning for Pittsylvania County, VA
Right now, Virginians don't have to worry about radioactive flood waters or contamination from such waters in the rivers, streams, lakes, etc. Mine Coles Hill and the whole picture becomes a lot more dangerous and frightening.
River Flood Warning until 6:13 am EST, Sat., Nov. 14, 2009
Issued by The National Weather Service
Roanoke/Blacksburg, VA
3:10 pm EST, Thu., Nov. 12, 2009
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE DAN RIVER NEAR DANVILLE. * UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING.
* AT 01PM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 23.3 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MAJOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 17.0 FEET.
* THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 26.4 FEET BY AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE TOMORROW EVENING.
* THIS CREST COMPARES TO A PREVIOUS CREST OF 25.4 FEET ON JAN 1 2007.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wind Advisory for Pittsylvania, VA
Oh, yeah...this is the perfect place for a uranium mine and mill. How many times a year is PittCo under some sort of bad weather alert...wind advisories, flash flood warnings, etc? Way too often for anyone to honestly claim that a huge radioactive sand-pile would be safe here.
Wind Advisory for Pittsylvania, VA until 6 am EST, Fri., Nov. 13, 2009
Issued by The National Weather Service
Roanoke/Blacksburg, VA
7:44 pm EST, Thu., Nov. 12, 2009
A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY.
EXPECT NORTH TO NORTHEAST WIND AT 15 TO 30 MPH... WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE. BECAUSE OF THE WET SOIL CONDITIONS... THESE WINDS WILL LIKELY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO DOWN MORE TREES... AND POSSIBLY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
THIS WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS WILL BE HIGH ENOUGH COMBINED WITH WET SOILS TO DOWN SOME TREES. USE CAUTION IF TRAVELING AS THESE GUSTS COULD DOWN LIMBS AND TREES ALONG HIGHWAYS.
More Information
... STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT...
.DEEP LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS WILL REMAIN IN THE REGION OVERNIGHT. AS A RESULT... WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 TO 45 MPH AT TIMES THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
EPA, federal, state, Navajo Nation hold second summit to address uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation
Release date: 11/03/2009
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415.947.4149 Perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov
GALLUP– Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with four other federal agencies, the Navajo Nation, congressional staff, academia, state, tribal and local government representatives, community members and nongovernment organizations are meeting to discuss the progress of the five-year plan to address uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation. The five-year plan, requested by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is the first comprehensive strategy to address uranium-related contamination issues throughout the Navajo Nation, which spans three states and is roughly the size of West Virginia.
The conference is being held at the Gallup Inn 2915 W. Historic Highway 66 in New Mexico, and runs through Thursday, November 8. Members of the media are welcome to attend. To receive a copy of the agenda and to RSVP, please contact Margot Perez-Sullivan, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov or 415.990.1176.
For more information on abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/sfund/navajo-nation/index.html
Monday, November 2, 2009
EPA responds to county letter on lead levels
Oh...corrosion and old plumbing cause elevated lead levels in water even when uranium mining is closeby. Epic fail, EPA.
The Environmental Protection Agency offered guidelines for water well management in response to a Pittsylvania County inquiry into elevated lead levels near where a uranium company conducted exploratory drilling.
County Administrator William Sleeper said he sent a letter to the EPA back in April to ask what could be done about lead levels in wells and its role in regulation. The agency responded on Oct. 26.
The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors asked both the EPA and the Virginia Department of Health to investigate lead levels after Sheva resident Allen Gross said that a well water sample showed more than the maximum safe level of lead in drinking water, according to past Danville Register & Bee reports. Testing showed a rise in lead levels compared to past samples. Gross lives about a mile from Coles Hill, where Virginia Uranium Inc. conducted exploratory drilling.
The state health department tested the well water in the area, and found safe lead levels. The department determined the source of the lead is not the source water, according to past reports.
The EPA does not regulate domestic water wells, but offers guidance on management:
• The agency recommends all private well owners have their well tested once a year for coliform bacteria, nitrates and other contaminants.
• Naturally occurring radioactivity can be treated with reverse osmosis.
• Lead is rarely found in source water, but enters tap water through corrosion of plumbing materials. The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated faucets and fixtures that can leach lead into the water.
Letter: Sen. Creigh Deeds ( Martinsville Bulletin)
Folks, your election is tomorrow. The future of Virginia is in the balance in a way it never has. McDonnell has said he favors uranium mining. At least Deeds is willing to hold off an opinion until more is known about the dangers. The safety and beauty of the Commonwealth cannot be a loose gamble...uranium is forever.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
As a candidate for governor, I’ve laid out a comprehensive plan to meet our future energy needs and reduce Virginia ’s dependence on foreign oil. This means pursuing a range of alternative and renewable energy options, ranging from wind power to clean coal technology to nuclear power. Investments in alternative and renewable energy will create jobs, attract the best and brightest minds to Virginia , and lead to a brighter future for the Commonwealth.
Right now we have a moratorium in Virginia on mining uranium, the fuel used in nuclear power plants. While I believe nuclear power should be part of a comprehensive approach to energy here in the commonwealth, I also strongly believe that the moratorium on uranium mining should remain in place until scientists determine that uranium mining does not pose a risk to the health and safety of any Virginian.
The climate of Southside Virginia poses particular challenges to the safe mining of uranium. Because it often rains, there is a risk that radioactive material produced by uranium mining and processing could leach into groundwater. If such leaching occurred, it could contaminate water supplies and endanger Virginians all over Southside, from Danville to Virginia Beach . I will not let this happen on my watch as governor.
Before considering uranium mining and processing here in Virginia , we should await the results of a nonpartisan, scientific study on its potential risks. As important as alternative energy sources are to our future, protecting the health and safety of all Virginians must remain our paramount concern.
As your governor, I will ensure that our energy future is not only plentiful and clean, but also safe for all Virginians.
Sen. Creigh Deeds
Bath County
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=21163
Sunday, November 1, 2009
As a candidate for governor, I’ve laid out a comprehensive plan to meet our future energy needs and reduce Virginia ’s dependence on foreign oil. This means pursuing a range of alternative and renewable energy options, ranging from wind power to clean coal technology to nuclear power. Investments in alternative and renewable energy will create jobs, attract the best and brightest minds to Virginia , and lead to a brighter future for the Commonwealth.
Right now we have a moratorium in Virginia on mining uranium, the fuel used in nuclear power plants. While I believe nuclear power should be part of a comprehensive approach to energy here in the commonwealth, I also strongly believe that the moratorium on uranium mining should remain in place until scientists determine that uranium mining does not pose a risk to the health and safety of any Virginian.
The climate of Southside Virginia poses particular challenges to the safe mining of uranium. Because it often rains, there is a risk that radioactive material produced by uranium mining and processing could leach into groundwater. If such leaching occurred, it could contaminate water supplies and endanger Virginians all over Southside, from Danville to Virginia Beach . I will not let this happen on my watch as governor.
Before considering uranium mining and processing here in Virginia , we should await the results of a nonpartisan, scientific study on its potential risks. As important as alternative energy sources are to our future, protecting the health and safety of all Virginians must remain our paramount concern.
As your governor, I will ensure that our energy future is not only plentiful and clean, but also safe for all Virginians.
Sen. Creigh Deeds
Bath County
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=21163
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Native American communities cope with toxic legacy of uranium mining
Use the link at the end to go to the site and listen to the audio. We know that not enough has changed with U mining to expect anything much different for the children of Virginia. Tragic.
Fri, 10/30/2009 - 13:58
Fri, 10/30/2009 - 13:58
- Length: 5:04 minutes (4.63 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)
In the 1940s, the U.S. government and private companies began mining uranium on tribal lands in the Southwest. The industry went on to develop atomic weapons for World War II and the cold war in the decades to come. In the 1980s, with the draw down of cold war tensions, the uranium industry abandoned thousands of mines in the region. It also left a deadly legacy of contamination.
This week the US Senate approved a resolution designating today, October 30th, as a national day of remembrance for the half-million uranium workers in the country. But the Navajo, Pueblo and other Native American people in the Southwest are still fighting to recover.
We’re joined by Anna Rondon. She’s Navajo and the coordinator of the Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum. The group has been organizing around the issue for more than 20 years and just wrapped up a forum on uranium and the nuclear chain last weekend.
http://www.fsrn.org/audio/native-american-communities-cope-with-toxic-legacy-uranium-mining/5680
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Nuclear Industry Makes Its Christmas Wish List, and It's a Long One
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) |
Why is a Mature, 50-year-old Industry Still Asking for Massive Taxpayer Handouts?, Science Groups Asks
WASHINGTON - October 29 - Earlier this week the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the nuclear power industry's principal trade organization, released a proposal asking for billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies and radical changes to the federal regulatory process that would shift even more risks and costs from the industry to the public.
The industry's first priority is to get a minimum of $100 billion in new federal loan guarantees on top of the $110 billion in loan guarantees already authorized by Congress. That would total nearly one third of the taxpayer bailout money the government gave Wall Street a little more than a year ago. At the heart of NEI's proposal is the implicit admission that the industry cannot compete in the private sector market without massive financial support from taxpayers and reduced liability for cost overruns and safety hazards.
"NEI essentially is saying the industry can't be competitive without massive new federal subsidies and tax breaks," said Ellen Vancko, UCS nuclear energy and climate change project manager. "It is truly staggering that an industry this big and this mature can claim to need so much government help to survive and thrive in a world in which technologies that don't emit global warming pollution will benefit."
One of the nuclear industry's top priorities is the establishment of a federal clean energy "bank," called the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA), which NEI considers to be a "permanent financing platform" for nuclear reactor construction.
Both the House and Senate versions of energy and climate legislation include a CEDA provision. NEI favors the Senate version because it would: exempt CEDA from the Federal Credit Reform Act (FCRA), removing any limits on the amount of federal loan guarantees that could be issued for new nuclear reactors by bypassing the congressional appropriations process; not restrict the amount of financial assistance that could be given to any one technology; and not require applicants to compete on the basis of reducing carbon at the lowest cost. These three key provisions in the House version of CEDA-which are missing from the Senate version-would allow most of the financial assistance to go to the nuclear industry instead of to a diverse portfolio of least-cost clean energy investments such as renewable resources and energy efficiency.
A recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (pdf) (CBO) found that without adequate taxpayer protections and strict government oversight, CEDA could allow a few risky, capital intensive industries such as nuclear power and coal-to-liquids run away with the bank. The CBO estimated that, "in the absence of any statutory limits, [the Department of Energy] would guarantee an additional $100 billion in loans for nuclear power projects over the next 10 years and close to another $30 billion in loans for fossil and other large capital projects." The CBO's analysis focused on pending loan applications and did not attempt to estimate the number of additional applications that would be filed if the program is modified and expanded.
The nuclear energy industry sees CEDA as its own personal federal financing mechanism, which is at odds with the expressed intent of the program. The bank is supposed to promote domestic development and deployment of a range of "innovative" clean energy technologies that would otherwise not have access to low-cost financing.
"This program was designed to spur innovation so we can benefit from the next big breakthrough in clean energy technologies," Vancko said. "There is nothing innovative about 50-year-old industry with a long record of massive cost overruns and plant cancellations."
In addition to virtually unlimited federal loan guarantees, NEI is asking for $3 billion to cover cost overruns and construction delays and an extension of the production tax credit through the end of 2024 (compared with 2012 for wind energy and 2013 for other renewable technologies), which could give the industry as much as $10 billion in new tax breaks. NEI alternately proposes to convert the production tax credit to an up-front investment tax credit of 30 percent for investments in new nuclear reactors or upgrades to existing reactors that could provide the industry with a $20 billion windfall. NEI further proposes expanding the manufacturing investment tax credit from $2.3 billion to $5 billion to benefit nuclear component manufacturers. And the trade association wants to see changes to the IRS tax code to help some companies write off payments to nuclear decommissioning funds more quickly.
"If the nuclear industry gets its way, Christmas will come early this year-thanks to U.S. taxpayers," Vancko said.
As alarming are NEI's proposed shortcuts to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) new reactor licensing process. The industry, for example, wants to limit the NRC's ability to verify that a new reactor was built in strict accordance with its license before it starts operating. NEI also proposes restricting the public's right to raise reactor construction safety issues by requiring the NRC to use "informal" procedures in public hearings on such issues.
"Before the NRC gives the green light to a new nuclear plant to start up, it needs the authority to ensure that each and every part of the plant will function exactly as it was intended to function," said UCS Senior Staff Scientist Edwin Lyman. "NEI's proposal could jeopardize public safety by barring the NRC from double-checking earlier findings, which could prove crucial with such a large, complex construction project as a nuclear power plant."
Dr. Lyman acknowledged that NEI offered a positive suggestion regarding nuclear security, specifically its request that Congress clarify the respective roles of the NRC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding protecting commercial nuclear plants from terrorist attacks. However, UCS maintains that private industry should assume far more responsibility for defending nuclear plants than NRC currently requires, while NEI recommends that federal, state and local law enforcement agencies take on a greater burden, which would represent yet another substantial taxpayer subsidy.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
NRC committee to meet to discuss uranium study
The National Research Council governing board’s executive committee will meet next month to discuss the study that would determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in Virginia.
The meeting will take place Nov. 10 in Washington and will be closed to the public, said Jennifer Walsh, spokeswoman for the National Academy of Sciences.
Walsh said she does not know if the committee will decide during next month’s meeting whether to approve the study.
Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. VUI, through Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research, would pay for the study’s first phase focusing on the technical and public-safety aspects of mining.
That first phase would cost as much as $1.4 million. Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research would handle the money and contract with the NAS for the study. The second part of the study, dealing with the socioeconomic aspects of mining, still needs to be developed by the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission. VUI would not fund the second part.
If the governing board approves the study request, the next step would be the NRC negotiating and entering into a contract with Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research. The board would then appoint a provisional committee of about a dozen scientific experts to perform the study and write its report.
There will be public comment regarding the makeup of the committee, William Kearney, NRC spokesman, said last month.
Nuclear energy is not clean energy
We’re once again grateful to Areva’s North America blog for pointing us towards yet another piece of nuclear hype, spin and propaganda. This time it comes from Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister for the Environment.
Nuclear will play a key role in our clean energy strategy. And the reality is: nuclear is non-emitting.
Let’s be blunt here. This isn’t just misleading. This isn’t just misinformation. This is a lie.
Nuclear energy is not clean energy. One need only look at the environmental destruction caused by uranium mining. In his book ‘Wollaston: People Resisting Genocide’, Miles Goldstick details the damage brought to the lives of the people living around the uranium mines in Canada’s Saskatchewan province. The accumulation of radioactive isotopes in edible plants. The lead, arsenic, uranium and radium found downstream from the mines. The spills that J.A. Keily, then Vice President of Production and Engineering for Gulf Minerals Rabbit Lake, described in 1980 as ‘probably too numerous to count’.
These are stories found wherever uranium mining takes place. The ruined lives, the contamination, the cover-ups, and the deception. And that’s before we even consider what happens to the waste produced by generating nuclear energy.
As for ‘nuclear is non-emitting’, it takes just five seconds to Google for ‘nuclear power’ and ‘emissions’ to show that statement for the ridiculous falsehood that it is.
May we remind you that Jim Prentice is Canada’s Minister for the Environment?
This is, unfortunately, a deception that the whole nuclear industry wants you to believe. A child could see through it and yet the industry and its supporters persist. When the US’s EPA - that’s the Environmental Protection Agency – is filing nuclear energy under ‘clean’ energy, you know how far this deception has spread. Look again what EPA stands (or is supposed to stand) for. You begin to wonder it these people think you’re a moron.
The nuclear industry does not want you to look at where uranium comes from or where it goes to afterwards. To do so would destroy the myths that have supported it this long. ‘Look, our hands are clean,’ it says, while trying to hide its dirty fingers.
Marshall for us, and the House
Danville Register & Bee
Published by The Editorial Board
Published: October 29, 2009
Published by The Editorial Board
Published: October 29, 2009
As a member of Danville City Council, Danny Marshall supported a then-revolutionary plan to get Danville and Pittsylvania County to work together on economic development projects. As a member of the House of Delegates, Marshall applauded as Yorktowne Cabinetry announced its intentions to open a new factory here, building in the city-county industrial park that Marshall and others worked to make a reality.
The recession has battered companies around the country, including Yorktowne Cabinetry. But some laid off Yorktowne workers learned that their unemployment benefit checks were reduced because of a mistake made by a Virginia Employment Commission bureaucrat.
Marshall knew that was wrong. He knew working people don’t know how much they’re supposed to receive in jobless benefits, and they certainly couldn’t afford to have those benefits cut because of a bureaucratic error. Thanks to Marshall’s efforts, the “overpaid” jobless benefits have been turned into a loan.
It’s a short-term fix to a problem that may be more widespread than anyone knows. But it’s also an example of the kind of solutions-focused delegate the residents of the 14th District are lucky to have representing them in Richmond.
That’s one reason we strongly endorse Danny Marshall for re-election this year.
Marshall not only went to bat for his constituents on the unemployment benefits issue, he also went against the wishes of his party when he fought for expanded jobless benefits paid with federal stimulus dollars. It wasn’t the first time Marshall defied the party bosses — and stood with the people of the 14th District.
As a member of the Tobacco Commission, Marshall supported a grant-funded early childhood education initiative. If that program produces results, it’s a good bet that Marshall — who is the retired owner of a local business — will fight to expand it and similar programs statewide. Marshall knows all too well the importance of increasing the level of educational attainment in this community.
Marshall has also worked to educate himself on an issue that may reach a boiling point in the next two years — uranium mining and milling. He echoes many of the same concerns that others in this community share about the project. But in typical Marshall fashion, he brings fresh perspective — who else has mentioned that the need for a uranium mine in Pittsylvania County could be mitigated by the uranium derived from decommissioned nuclear weapons? (emphasis mine...SB)
Marshall’s easygoing manner and ready smile makes it easy for his critics to dismiss this man of accomplishment and passion, but make no mistake about it — Marshall has worked hard for this community at a time when hard work was all that prevented economic disaster from turning into calamity.
On Tuesday, the voters of the 14th District should send Marshall a message that they are willing to work as hard for him as he has been working for them.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Virginia Energy Resources Inc. Corporate (Investor) Presentation
You really need to read this. There are lots of pictures and graphs...it's not a difficult read. But it sure is an interesting one. Everything is falling into place just like dominoes, for Santoy/VERI, VUI, Va Tech, and all investors. There's plenty of space for tailings and a uranium mill. Tech is offering all sorts of student work experiences. It's amazing, actually, to read just how well, and how quickly, things are moving toward mining. It's as though nothing can possibly get in the way. We are fighting a HUGE machine here...one that's well-organized, well-oiled, and well-funded. When will the rest of the state wake up? It's imperative that Southside have the rest of the Commonwealth behind it in this fight. It's enormity has never been better presented than it is here:
Uranium would be biggest 'eyesore' of all
Amen, Jesse...amen!
Chatham Star-Tribune
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 9:08 AM EDT
Chatham Star-Tribune
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 9:08 AM EDT
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If Ben Davenport and Chatham Town Council are so concerned about the appearance of Chatham and how it is perceived by visitors to the town, it seems only logical that they would be more concerned about the potential uranium mine and mill that Virginia Uranium Inc. and its Canadian partners are planning rather than getting themselves into a sweat over a couple of dilapidated buildings.
It seems odd that Mr. Davenport, the driving force behind this "eyesore" cleanup campaign, has to this point remained completely silent about the issue of uranium mining and milling, and yet he describes an abandoned building as "a real shame."
The real shame will occur when the blasting begins at Coles Hill and Chatham becomes known as the most radioactive place on the East Coast.
It is also telling that Virginia Tech would be willing to provide "planning support" for the sanitizing of Chatham when they are at the same time planning massive support for VUI's toxic adventure which will take place a mere six miles from the center of town.
If the town cannot afford to remove an old mobile home from Whitehead Street, how do they think they will be able to pay for cleaning up 30 or 40 years of a uranium mine spewing poison onto its streets and rooftops?
They can plant all the flowerbeds they want, but if uranium mining becomes a reality for Pittsylvania County, all the flowers in the world will not attract anyone to Chatham, with the exception of the unemployed uranium miners from other states who will descend on the town.
Rather than panicking about the mouse running across the floor, Davenport and the town council would be wiser to make a plan about the thousand-pound gorilla sitting in the room with them.
Which one poses the greater threat?
Jesse Pyrant Andrews
Halifax
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/10/28/chatham/opinion/opinion02.txt
NRC committee to meet to discuss uranium study
Obviously transparency is not going to be an option.
By John Crane
Published: October 28, 2009
Published: October 28, 2009
The National Research Council governing board’s executive committee will meet next month to discuss the study that would determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in Virginia.
The meeting will take place Nov. 10 in Washington and will be closed to the public, said Jennifer Walsh, spokeswoman for the National Academy of Sciences.
Walsh said she does not know if the committee will decide during next month’s meeting whether to approve the study.
Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. VUI, through Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research, would pay for the study’s first phase focusing on the technical and public-safety aspects of mining.
That first phase would cost as much as $1.4 million. Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research would handle the money and contract with the NAS for the study. The second part of the study, dealing with the socioeconomic aspects of mining, still needs to be developed by the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission. VUI would not fund the second part.
If the governing board approves the study request, the next step would be the NRC negotiating and entering into a contract with Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research. The board would then appoint a provisional committee of about a dozen scientific experts to perform the study and write its report.
There will be public comment regarding the makeup of the committee, William Kearney, NRC spokesman, said last month.
http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/nrc_committee_to_meet_to_discus_uranium_study/15011/Monday, October 19, 2009
What would Hurt bring to the race?
Besides his father Henry's money and the promise of uranium mining, we do not believe Robert Hurt would bring much to Southside or Virginia. We here at the blog support Tom Perriello because he's demonstrated that he is vitally interested in his constituents and the issues important to them, even in the areas he didn't carry in the previous election. Plus, and this is a big plus, he is not a shill for the uranium mining industry that begs to destroy Virginia, beginning with Hurt's home district, Southside. His daddy's investment in the mining endeavor at Coles Hill puts VUI and Coles money behind Robert Hurt but that's all the more reason to stick with Perriello who is not in favor of mining Virginia.
By Published by The Editorial Board
Published: October 18, 2009
Published: October 18, 2009
Republicans in the Fifth District are going to have plenty of choices when they pick a candidate for the 2010 race against Rep. Tom Perriello.
The Virginia General Assembly drew the Fifth District for a Republican, and the GOP has wanted the seat back ever since the State Board of Elections confirmed that Perriello had squeaked out a 727-vote win over Virgil Goode last fall.
The conventional wisdom is that Perriello’s win was a fluke, but John McCain and Sarah Palin won more votes in the Fifth District than Goode did. For that matter, Goode didn’t do as well as the Virginia marriage amendment in 2006.
So, Goode may have been slipping and no one noticed.
To Perriello’s credit, he has voted against the president’s first budget, come out against a new assault weapons ban, worked hard on veterans care issues and publicly declared that he would not vote for public funding of abortion in a health care reform bill — all stances that show is he far from the Nancy Pelosi lapdog that his harshest critics claim he is.
The Republicans who want to beat Perriello know he is a tough campaigner and that the political landscape may be completely different next year. No one can say how strong the economy will be or if Americans will like the final health care reform bill that emerges from Congress.
Robert Hurt, of Chatham, has jumped into this tumultuous political environment, recently announcing his intention to run for the Fifth District seat. For most of us, the 2010 election is a long way off. For the GOP, it’s right around the corner.
Hurt has solid conservative credentials and has sponsored common sense legislation in the General Assembly dealing with criminal justice issues. He is a smart, personable candidate and will no doubt work hard if he gets the nomination.
But Hurt has never had to run against anyone like Perriello. When Hurt speaks, he sometimes sounds more like a lawyer instead of a man who happens to practice law. His father Henry’s involvement with Virginia Uranium Inc. could backfire on him, as could his handling of his dog biting someone in Chatham.
That may sound trivial, but in politics, everything is fair game.
Just as Republicans are motivated to unseat Perriello, Democrats want to hold onto the Fifth District seat, so no matter who the GOP picks next year, expect a lot of out-of-town money and national attention on this race.
We don’t know what kind of candidate the GOP is looking for, so there is no way to know what chance Hurt has to win the nomination. If we thought the Republicans wanted a candidate from the Dan River Region, Hurt would probably be a shoe-in. But all we know for sure is both sides want to win, no matter what.
URANIUM MINING AND THE GOVERNOR'S RACE IN VIRGINIA
We at Southside Concerned Citizens (SCC) have found that Schmidt’s half truths and distortions are typical of many paid nuclear power proponents. Schmidt spoke about weeks of exposure, a U. N. study showing no increased risk of lung cancer in uranium miners, and alpha radiation being harmless. Here is what he didn’t tell us:
Alpha radiation lasts forever (millions of years), and it accumulates in the body.
“Uranium in groundwater leads to health hazards.”
“Normal functioning of kidney, brain, liver, heart and other systems can be affected by uranium exposure, because, in addition to being weakly radioactive, uranium is a toxic metal. Uranium is also a reproductive toxicant.”
“---absorbed uranium tends to bio-accumulate and stay for many years in bone tissue---”
“Alpha radiation is not dangerous to life unless it is inhaled or ingested---it is the most destructive form of ionizing radiation—and can cause any or all of the symptoms of radiation poisoning”.
“It is estimated that chromosome damage from alpha particles is 100 times greater than that caused by equivalent amounts of other radiation.”
“Not only do alphas themselves cause damage, but approximately equal ionization is caused by the recoiling nucleus after alpha emission, and this energy may in turn be especially damaging to genetic material.”
“Miners who worked in uranium filled mines have a very high incidence of cancer relative to the rest of the United States population. Though the Navajo workers and families noticed this in the 1950s, bureaucrats dragged their feet and companies ignored their warnings.”
(Quotes are from Wikipedia’s research of available worldwide information. Also note that our govt. won’t release much health related information related to uranium for liability reasons.)
SO MUCH FOR MINED URANIUM BEING A HARMLESS MINERAL!
Let me repeat the above revelation concerning alpha radiation: Alpha radiation is dangerous to life when it is inhaled or ingested!
Well, duh! Guess what uranium mining does? It blasts and crushes solid bedrock into a fine powdery dust. Then the problems become three-fold:
1. How can the dust be confined to the site during the 40 year mining period?The answer to each of the three questions is the same: it cannot be done.
2. How can a mountain of toxic, radioactive, powdery waste 200ft. tall by 400ft. wide and 14.2 miles long be kept out of our streams?
3. How can millions of cubic feet of deadly radon gas be confined to the site?
It is also important to remember that aside from being radioactive in all of its configurations, uranium is a toxic heavy metal which has proven to poison and genetically alter humans and animals.
Imagine the devastation to the farming community! Who would buy crops from tainted fields? Who would buy meat products raised on tainted fields or tainted waters?
Imagine the blow to tourism!
Now guess who would be the first candidate for a high level (and low) uranium waste repository? Virginia!
ABOUT THE ELECTION
Our Governor has the power to veto any legislation passed by the General Assembly; and that makes this year’s election so very important.
Creigh Deeds is a past member of SCC who has studied the uranium mining issue in depth and has vowed to oppose any uranium mining legislation that threatens the health, safety and welfare of the people.
Bob McDonnell, on the other hand, is a big business Republican who puts corporate profits above the welfare of people. As Attorney General, McDonnell ruled that towns, cities and counties do not have the power to enact legislation to protect their citizens from uranium mining.
Furthermore, he said he will “wait and see what the study says”. Those are buzz words used by the paid supporters of uranium mining! Also, remember the study will be paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc..
VUI is a well funded organization that employs as many as 25 lobbyists to do their dirty work, and they are adept at greasing the palms of pliable politicians. If We, The People, do not stand up for our rights we will have uranium mining with all its problems shoved down our throats.
Sincerely,
Jack Dunavant, P.E.
Chariman, Southside Concerned Citizens
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hold dialogue before mining: UN
Stand up and be counted, Virginia politicians. Do the people of Southside not deserve the same respect as the people of Meghalaya, India with regard to proposed uranium mining? If you cannot or will not say "yes", and then follow through with the necessary dialogue, you do not deserve your office.
Shillong, October 16 (PTI): A UN envoy on Thursday said the government should seek the consent of local people before taking up uranium mining in Meghalaya, an issue hanging fire for over two decades. "Such projects need participation of indigenous people. They should agree that they would like to have such a project on their land," Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Victoria Tauli Corpuz told reporters here.
The Forum is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights. "The government should hold intense dialogue until they give their consent. By merely saying that such projects would bring in development is not enough. Development packages should not be used as enticement," Corpuz said.
http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/35497.html
Shillong, October 16 (PTI): A UN envoy on Thursday said the government should seek the consent of local people before taking up uranium mining in Meghalaya, an issue hanging fire for over two decades. "Such projects need participation of indigenous people. They should agree that they would like to have such a project on their land," Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Victoria Tauli Corpuz told reporters here.
The Forum is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council, with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights. "The government should hold intense dialogue until they give their consent. By merely saying that such projects would bring in development is not enough. Development packages should not be used as enticement," Corpuz said.
http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/35497.html
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tennessee engineers create hybrid ‘motor’
Invention could retrofit vehicles with plug-in for wheels
Nashville Business Journal
by Jeanne Naujeck, Staff Writer
As auto companies race to get viable electric cars to market, some local scholars are taking an express route to making the nation’s fleet more energy efficient.
An invention developed by professors at Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University doesn’t require Americans to replace their internal combustion powered vehicles.
The Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit Kit would allow car owners to convert their regular autos to hybrid vehicles by retrofitting them with a small electrical system that disappears into the extra space between the brake structure and inside diameter of the rear wheels of most cars. It delivers an extra 10 to 20 horsepower per wheel, kicking in when critical momentum is achieved, giving a “coasting” effect that relieves fuel usage.
“It gives you a virtual downgrade,” said inventor Charles Perry, a former IBM engineer who holds the Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence at MTSU. “The 15 horsepower that used to be provided by your engine is now provided by this.”
http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2009/10/12/story5.html
Solar Decathlon shows that homes can run on the sun
October 15th, 2009
By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now
Tomorrow’s leaders are already working towards a cleaner future — that could be as bright as the sun.
The Solar Decathlon, an international competition hosted by the US Department of Energy (DOE), is showcasing solar-powered home designs created by students from around the world.
Students selected to participate were given two years to design and build the prototype solar homes, which must be carbon neutral and completely powered by the sun. The projects, many costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, are on display at the National Mall in Washington through Sunday (Oct. 18).
Two thousand students came together to form 20 teams, which are competing to win prizes in several categories, such as best architecture or engineering or “comfort zone”.
The Solar Decathlon Proposal Review Committee, which is made up of engineers, scientist, and other experts from the DOE and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, selected the teams that they thought had the ability to meet the strict structural and safety requirements. Once selected, each team was given $100,000 to get started. Projects often require more, so individual teams then raise any additional funds.
“The U.S. Department of Energy supports the Solar Decathlon to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. DOE also supports the event to help move solar energy technologies to the market place faster. The Solar Decathlon helps accelerate the research and development of energy-efficiency and energy production technologies,” said John Horst, spokesperson for the Department of Energy.
Read the entire article here: http://www.greenrightnow.com/kabc/2009/10/15/solar-decathlon-shows-that-homes-can-run-on-the-sun/
U.S. Army to build 500 MW solar power plant
* Project's first phase to be 500 megawatts, could be 1 GW
* ACCIONA Solar, Clark Energy to develop plant over 13 yrs
* Developers to fund project in exchange for land lease
LOS ANGELES, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is tackling a new mission in the field of alternative energy, moving to power up a 500-megawatt solar facility at Fort Irwin's sprawling desert complex in California.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tapped ACCIONA Solar Power, a unit of Spain's Acciona SA (ANA.MC), and Clark Energy Group to develop the project, which launched its first phase on Thursday.
The project, located at the Army's largest training range in California's Mojave Desert, could grow as large as 1 gigawatt in the future.
The companies will finance and build the plant in exchange for leasing of the military land. The project, planned for five sites over 13 years, could cost $2 billion.
The solar power plant is part of the Army's mission to meet a federal mandate that calls for it to cut its energy use by nearly a third by 2015 and get a quarter of its energy needs from renewable resources by 2025.
The facility at Fort Irwin will surpass the 14-MW solar plant at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada as the U.S. Department of Defense's largest solar power plant.
The new plant will have both photovoltaic solar panels and mirrors and turbines for concentrated solar power.
That approach takes advantage of solar thermal's low-cost and solar panels' fast installation, Laurence Greene, who directs development at ACCIONA Solar Power, told a conference call.
"We can tailor individual site development to the needs of the marketplace," Greene added.
Greene said they will be working with other companies on the project, but had not chosen any yet.
At most the military complex uses 28 MW of electricity, said Jerry Hansen, the Army's senior energy executive, leaving nearly 475 MW for developers to sell to regional utilities.
(Reporting by Laura Isensee; Editing by Richard Chang)
URANIUM IN MICHIGAN REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR
Michigan saw the light.
Prepared by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Department of Public Health
March 31, 1982
SUMMARY
This report has been prepared at the request of the Governor. It’s preparation was stimulated by mining industry interest in leasing approximately 400,000 acres of state-owned lands in the Upper Peninsula for base metal exploration and potential mining development. Uranium was one of the metals of interest. Uranium, with its property of radioactivity, has been a socially controversial element or, more accurately, the use of uranium in the nuclear power industry and in the military have controversial. Thus, when the DNR held public hearings in July of 1980 to receive comments on a proposed metallic lease, two issues were identified. One dealt with the adequacy of the proposed lease and the second with the propriety of leasing state land for uranium exploration and development.
Citizens were concerned with the environmental and health hazards associated with uranium exploration, mining and milling. Uranium mining had never occurred in Michigan, but they had read or of the environmental and public health problems with existing uranium projects in Canada and the western United States. They were worried about the potential development of uranium mining in the Upper Peninsula. Specifically, they questioned the adequacy of existing public health and environmental statutes with respect to uranium exploration and mining and the ability of federal and state agencies to adequately monitor specific mining activities, obtain compliance with permit conditions and pursue enforcement and corrective action, when necessary, in a timely manner.
These concerns expressed to the Governor and in August of 1980 the Governor directed the departments of Natural Resources and Public Health to study the potential environmental and human health risks associated with uranium exploration and mining as well as review the existing regulatory framework under which uranium mining would be out carried out in Michigan. A hold was also placed on the leasing of any state land for uranium exploration and development pending the completion of the report.
In addition to public health and environment associated with uranium exploration and development, there were positions of complete opposition to uranium exploration, mining and milling un the Upper Peninsula on moral, philosophical and religious grounds. It was submitted that the development of uranium mining would aid in the proliferation of nuclear weapons and in the development of nuclear power. These were opined as immoral activities and the state, by entering into leases for uranium, would be acting immorally. This report does not address the social and ethical question to the uranium controversy.
This report does address two issues. 1) A review of the potential environmental and human health impacts relating to uranium exploration, mining and milling. 2) A review of the existing federal and state law in place to regulate uranium exploration, mining and milling.
It is necessary to point out that this report is prospective in nature. Uranium exploration activities currently underway in Michigan are at an early stage of mineral exploration. There are no uranium mines in the state. No state-owned lands are under lease. We view this report as a guide to aid in framing the issues and identifying the existing regulatory controls on uranium mining.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ogs-gimdl-GGUIM.pdf
Prepared by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Department of Public Health
March 31, 1982
SUMMARY
This report has been prepared at the request of the Governor. It’s preparation was stimulated by mining industry interest in leasing approximately 400,000 acres of state-owned lands in the Upper Peninsula for base metal exploration and potential mining development. Uranium was one of the metals of interest. Uranium, with its property of radioactivity, has been a socially controversial element or, more accurately, the use of uranium in the nuclear power industry and in the military have controversial. Thus, when the DNR held public hearings in July of 1980 to receive comments on a proposed metallic lease, two issues were identified. One dealt with the adequacy of the proposed lease and the second with the propriety of leasing state land for uranium exploration and development.
Citizens were concerned with the environmental and health hazards associated with uranium exploration, mining and milling. Uranium mining had never occurred in Michigan, but they had read or of the environmental and public health problems with existing uranium projects in Canada and the western United States. They were worried about the potential development of uranium mining in the Upper Peninsula. Specifically, they questioned the adequacy of existing public health and environmental statutes with respect to uranium exploration and mining and the ability of federal and state agencies to adequately monitor specific mining activities, obtain compliance with permit conditions and pursue enforcement and corrective action, when necessary, in a timely manner.
These concerns expressed to the Governor and in August of 1980 the Governor directed the departments of Natural Resources and Public Health to study the potential environmental and human health risks associated with uranium exploration and mining as well as review the existing regulatory framework under which uranium mining would be out carried out in Michigan. A hold was also placed on the leasing of any state land for uranium exploration and development pending the completion of the report.
In addition to public health and environment associated with uranium exploration and development, there were positions of complete opposition to uranium exploration, mining and milling un the Upper Peninsula on moral, philosophical and religious grounds. It was submitted that the development of uranium mining would aid in the proliferation of nuclear weapons and in the development of nuclear power. These were opined as immoral activities and the state, by entering into leases for uranium, would be acting immorally. This report does not address the social and ethical question to the uranium controversy.
This report does address two issues. 1) A review of the potential environmental and human health impacts relating to uranium exploration, mining and milling. 2) A review of the existing federal and state law in place to regulate uranium exploration, mining and milling.
It is necessary to point out that this report is prospective in nature. Uranium exploration activities currently underway in Michigan are at an early stage of mineral exploration. There are no uranium mines in the state. No state-owned lands are under lease. We view this report as a guide to aid in framing the issues and identifying the existing regulatory controls on uranium mining.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ogs-gimdl-GGUIM.pdf
Even Rabbit Droppings Count in Nuclear Cleanup
We've left the links live so readers can explore more deeply the huge disconnect between mining uranium in VA and continuing agri-business in VA. Those mining proponents, including the pols, who seem to think they can have it both ways in Southside should be able to see, from this article, the folly of this idea.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/science/earth/15rabbit.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=nuclear&st=cse
WASHINGTON — Anything that hops, burrows, buzzes, crawls or grazes near a nuclear weapons plant may be capable of setting off a Geiger counter. And at the Hanford nuclear reservation, one of the dirtiest of them all, its droppings alone might be enough to trigger alarms.
A government contractor at Hanford, in south-central Washington State, just spent a week mapping radioactive rabbit feces with detectors mounted on a helicopter flying 50 feet over the desert scrub. An onboard computer used GPS technology to record each location so workers could return later to scoop up the droppings for disposal as low-level radioactive waste.
The Hanford site, overseen by the federal Department of Energy, produced roughly two-thirds of the plutonium used in the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal, beginning in World War II and ending in the 1980s. Today it is the focus of the nation’s largest environmental cleanup, an effort that has cost tens of billions of dollars and is expected to continue for decades.
Yet the helicopter flights, which covered 13.7 square miles and were paid for with $300,000 in federal stimulus money, took place in an area that had never been used by the bomb makers.
The area had, however, been used by rabbits that had also burrowed into other areas that were contaminated. Many of the contaminants were in the form of salts, which attract wildlife. The rabbits carried strontium and cesium, which emit gamma rays, back out of the area in their digestive tracts.
The flights were far less expensive than other strategies, said Dee Millikin, a spokeswoman for the contractor, a subsidiary of the engineering and environmental consulting company CH2M Hill.
Walking through the area with radiation detectors would have taken eight months longer and cost $1 million, she said.
The flights were first reported by The Tri-City Herald newspaper of Kennewick, Wash.
The rabbits themselves are not a target of the operation: the area from which they picked up the contamination was paved over years ago, so the source was sealed off, Ms. Millikin said.
Rabbits were not the only biological vectors contaminated by the nuclear residue. Mice and badgers also picked it up, she said, and coyotes feed on the contaminated smaller animals. “It’s basically a circle-of-life situation,” she said, adding that researchers have also found traces of radioactive materials in fish of the adjacent Columbia River.
Yet roaming rabbits appear to account for the overwhelming bulk of the radioactive excrement located in the flights, Ms. Millikin said.
Technicians have monitored rodents and waterfowl at Hanford for radiation since 1947, and have identified about 5,400 incidents of “biological intrusion.” It is not only animals; tumbleweeds have roots deep enough to pull up radioactive material and then carry it as they blow away, said John Price, who monitors conditions at Hanford for the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Marylia Kelley, the executive director of a California group called Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, said the rabbit cleanup was “kind of funny, in a sick way.”
Hanford is not the only reactor site that has prompted concern about contamination spreading to animals, Ms. Kelley said. For environmentalists focusing on the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Laboratory in California, for example, she said, the priority is to keep endangered or threatened species like the California tiger salamander and the red-legged frog out of contaminated areas.
At that site, she said, contamination has been somewhat harder to track because it is mostly plutonium, whose main emission is alpha particles that travel only a few inches in air, unlike the gamma rays from cesium and strontium at Hanford.
Radiation is also a concern at the Savannah River nuclear site in South Carolina, where neighbors can enter a lottery every year to be allowed to hunt deer. “All harvested animals are tagged and brought to our check station, where they are monitored for cesium-137,” the site’s Web site advises.
“If they find something that was above the limit, they take out that part of the carcass and allow the guy to go on his merry way with the rest of it,” said Robert Alvarez, an environmental expert and former Energy Department official.
In the 1980s, researchers found turtles contaminated with radioactive materials on a hog farm near the Savannah River plant. The discovery briefly prompted concern that the radioactivity could move into the human food chain, although such a pattern was not detected.
As the federal government pursues cleanups at various nuclear sites, experts have deliberately contaminated a species to further their efforts: honeybees. The Environmental Protection Agency says honeybees have been used to map radioactive materials on five federal nuclear reservations, including Hanford, as well as heavy metal pollutants.
Workers position a hive at a suspect area and wait to see what the bees come back with. Researchers can measure the radioactive content of the bees’ honey or wax, but “the recommended sample is the bee itself,” the agency said.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/science/earth/15rabbit.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=nuclear&st=cse
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Chatham Hall gets record-setting endowment
Chatham Hall, along with Hargrave Academy, will be among the first casualties of any uranium mining at Coles Hill. Their campuses are too close to Coles Hill to survive the radon and the blasting. Students' lives would be too endangered by the contamination to allow them to live in the idyllic, historic settings.
Elizabeth “Betty” Beckwith Nilsen, circa 1931.
By Denice Thibodeau
Published: October 15, 2009
Published: October 15, 2009
Amid gasps and applause from Chatham Hall’s 129 students, it was learned that an alumnae who graduated in 1931 has bequeathed $31 million to the school.
Rector Gary Fountain, head of the independent private girls’ school in Chatham, called the bequest “one of the most important announcements in the history of Chatham Hall.” He also said it is the “largest gift in the history of girls’ schools.”
The gift is from the estate of Elizabeth “Betty” Beckwith Nilsen. Fountain said she maintained contact with the different heads of the school over time, and with her former classmates.
Fountain said Nilsen told him, “Chatham Hall is the best thing that ever happened to me.” He said the school community deeply influenced her, convincing her of the importance of all-girls schools.
Dora Thomas, chair of the school’s Board of Trustees, told the students the endowment shows “what happens here stays with you for the rest of your life.”
There are no immediate plans to spend the money, Fountain said.
With this year’s budget already in place, “we’re going to spend the next nine months thinking about what to do with this gift,” he said.
Fountain said the school has been building its endowment fund for many years, and that it totaled just over $20 million before this gift. Endowment funds are invested, and the school draws about 4 percent of the fund annually — an “extremely prudent” amount — each year to use for operating expenses. With this endowment, the fund will top $51 million.
“Through judicious planning, we will honor Mrs. Nilsen in a way that acknowledges how she has honored us by expanding the basis for a secure and dynamic future for Chatham Hall,” Fountain said.
Nilsen was born in 1914 in Toledo, Ohio. Her father, Laurance Beckwith, was a stockbroker who invested in the start-up company that became Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
The biography on her, written by the school, states that Nilsen arrived at Chatham Hall in the middle of her junior year, and while she enjoyed the activities the school offered, “… it was the Chatham Hall community that was transformational: the life-long friends she made, the way in which people treated each other with respect and friendship, and the high idealism and honor of the school. These characteristics stayed with her for a lifetime and kept Chatham Hall alive to her, a fact to which her family attests.”
Elizabeth Beckwith married R.A. Nilsen in 1940, her second marriage. She had one son from her first marriage.
The Nilsens retired to Florida and had a summer home in Wyoming. She died in October of 2006, the age of 92. Her husband died in March, at the age of 97, and the school was informed about the endowment.
Fountain said they did not announce the gift sooner because they wanted to be certain the transfer would go smoothly. He said the school’s lawyers approved the announcement, and that the school has already received some of the funds.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NATIONAL DON'T NUKE THE CLIMATE CALL-IN DAY--THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15
PICK UP THE PHONE! KEEP THOSE SENATE PHONES RINGING!
AND KEEP THOSE E-MAILS/FAXES COMING TOO!
TALKING POINTS BELOW
October 14, 2009Dear Friends,
Tomorrow is the National Don't Nuke the Climate Call-In Day!
Please call both of your Senators offices and tell them to keep nuclear power out of the Senate climate bill. Recent events, like the John Kerry/Lindsay Graham op-ed in Sunday's New York Times calling for more nuclear power in the bill, add to the urgency of this call-in day.
Help keep the Senate's phones ringing all day long!
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.
And keep your letters and faxes to your Senators coming, and keep forwarding the action url to all of your lists: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/t/5846/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2137
Post it on your Facebook pages, Tweet it, spread the word every way possible. More than 4,000 letters already have been sent to the Senate this week--but we'll need more than that to beat the nuclear lobbyists. And with 16,000+ people on this e-mail list, that means a lot of you haven't yet taken action, and haven't yet helped reach the millions more people across this country who also want to keep nuclear out of the climate bill.
So take action today. E-mail and/or fax your Senators here. Then spread the word to every list you have, everyone you can think of.
And take action tomorrow. Call both your Senators offices at 202-224-3121.
The basic talking point is simple. If you only get 30 seconds with your Senators' offices, or an answering machine, just tell them: No nuclear power in the Senate climate bill, no more taxpayer dollars to support the failed nuclear industry.
But if you get a little more time, below are some talking points you may want to use. These also will be useful for drafting letters to the editor, op-eds, blog postings and the like--all of which will be very helpful as well. The more noise and publicity we can make, the better off we'll be.
Talking Points
*Nuclear power already receives a competitive advantage when a price is placed on carbon. If the nuclear industry cannot compete with such an advantage, that's its own problem, taxpayers should not be expected to provide more help to the industry.
*Projected costs for new reactors are stratospheric. In early 2006, the Nuclear Energy Institute predicted costs for the first few new reactors would run $2,000/kw, going down to $1,500/kw over time. Instead, recent estimates include Turkey Point (Florida) at $8,200/kw and Calvert Cliffs-3 (Maryland) and Bell Bend (Pennsylvania) at about $9,000/kw, or $13-15 billion. For example, see: http://www.bellbend.com/faqs.htm
*Cost overruns have been a constant with the nuclear industry. A 1986 Department of Energy study found the average cost overrun for the first 75 U.S. reactors was 207%. Reactors coming online after 1986 typically experienced even larger overruns. The only two reactors now under construction in the West-Areva reactors in Finland and France-are currently 75% and 20% over-budget, with years to go before construction completion.
*Electricity from new reactors, as expected with such enormous costs, would make the 1980s concept of "rate shock" seem quaint. An August 2009 report from the California Energy Commission, for example, predicts kilowatt/hour costs for nuclear electricity as high as 27-34 cents/kwh-nearly a tripling from today's prevailing rate of less than 12 cents/kwh. This report is available at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CEC-200-2009-017/CEC-200-2009-017-SD.PDF
*Nuclear power is not carbon-free. The nuclear fuel chain is responsible for fairly significant carbon emissions--at least three times those of wind power, for example. A recent study by Virginia Tech professor Benjamin Sovacool on this subject is available here: http://www.nirs.org/climate/background/sovacool_nuclear_ghg.pdf
*Nuclear reactors use enormous amounts of water, and water will become an increasingly precious resource in years to come, especially as we grapple with a warming climate. Allocating water to nuclear reactors now means less water for people and agriculture down the road. An August 2009 Virginia Tech study notes 36 states are projected to experience water shortages during the next decade. http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/water/sr46waterdependency.pdf
*Nuclear power is not even the only baseload alternative, as some in the industry claim. As cited in the August 6, 2009 Wall Street Journal for example, Spain is building large baseload solar thermal power plants for about $5,200/kw. While expensive, this is still $2,000/kw cheaper than the current low estimates for new reactor construction.
*Congress must not pre-judge the administration's re-evaluation of radioactive waste policy, which has not yet even begun. Specifically, no money should be spent on expensive, dangerous technologies like reprocessing, especially when the future direction of waste policy is unknown.
Tomorrow, NIRS staff will be going door-to-door in the Senate office buildings, delivering the thousands of postcards you sent to us (Thanks!) and the list of 629 U.S. organizations that have signed on to the simple statement on nuclear power and climate change. We hope to hear those phones ringing in every office we visit!
Thanks for all you do, but this week, let's all try to do just a little bit more....
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
www.nirs.org
nirsnet@nirs.org
Is this what you want?
Virginia Uranium Inc. assures the people of Southside Virginia it will mine safely, and perhaps the mining company will mine in the most safest manner possible, but the end result will still be contamination of the air, water and land, leading to millions of dollars being spent on post-mining reclamation activities and the maintenance of a Superfund site around Coles Hills and other sites if more mines open.
Is this really what we want for the people of Virginia? Will we, as peoples in other lands, hear mining companies' assurances of safe mining practices along with the promise of jobs, be left to deal with the contamination of air, water, land and people? (Uranium Corporation of India Limited: Wasting Away Tribal Lands by M. Basu, Oct. 7, 2009. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15450)
Anne Cockrell
Danville, Virginia
http://www.caswellmessenger.com/articles/2009/10/13/opinion/opinion02.txt
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Natives to meet to fight uranium development
By Diane Fowler
Beacon staff writer
fowlerdaddle@wmconnect.com
Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009
ACOMA PUEBLO - Indigenous people from across North America will meet in Acoma in late October to launch a campaign to end recent efforts to resume uranium mining, which is seen as a threat to Indian lands in several Native locations across the country.
The Seventh Indigenous Uranium Forum was established in 1987 with conferences on the environmental and health effects of uranium development in the Grants Mineral Belt.Since its inception the forum has developed as a vehicle for strategy development and coordination of communities along the lifeline of nuclear power, from uranium mining in Grants to nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
A statement from the forum reads, “The 7th Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum will focus on the recent onslaught of exploratory measures to mine and mill uranium in the Grants Mineral Belt. Due to recent price fluctuations of uranium on the world market and U.S. policy still emphasizing nuclear power as an answer to global warming and climate change, we will inform and educate participants of local, national and international nuclear issues impacting Indigenous people.”
There will also be presentations on health issues affecting both mining and non-mining populations in the affected communities.
The forum was founded in the summer of 1987 when the Rural Tribal Enterprise Program of the University of New Mexico Gallup Campus held a series of conferences on the environmental and health aspects of uranium development in the Grants area.
In February of 1988, the group hosted a meeting with the Havasupai Tribal Government to address scores of uranium development proposals being promoted for the Red Butte area, a site sacred to the Havasupai on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
By 1990 the forum held its fourth annual meeting at Cove, Ariz. on the Navajo Nation. The legacy of uranium on the Navajo Nation has its roots in the Cove Chapter, where some of the earliest mines were located.
Some of the ore mined from the area was used for the testing of the first atomic bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II.
That meeting was co-hosted by the Navajo Radiation Victims Committee, an organization that oversees health impacts and human rights violations connected to the legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation.
In 1993, the Fifth Indigenous Uranium Forum was held at Paguate Village on the Laguna Pueblo in conjunction with the Laguna Acoma Coalition for a Safe Environment. The village is located within 2,000 feet of the Jackpile Mine, which grew to become the largest open pit uranium mine in the world during its 30 years of operation, according to the group.
The sixth forum was held in 1997 at Church Rock and Crownpoint on the Navajo Nation. The forum asserts that both these communities have suffered from the legacy of uranium mining in the late 1970s. In 1979 at Church Rock, a mill's tailings dam holding wall broke and released 94 million gallons of liquid radioactive water into the Rio Puerco, an event which is still considered the second worst nuclear accident in the country.
In 2000 SWIUF co-produced a documentary entitled “Radioactive Mines to Radioactive Weapons,” which was shown at the United Nations as an educational effort to help promote a ban on the use of depleted uranium. The ban was later endorsed by the international body.
The mission of the SWIUF is to address the impacts of the nuclear fuel chain on Indigenous peoples and is comprised of Natives, who serve as volunteers. The group gets input from medical professionals, scientists, legal experts and tribal spiritual leaders to educate and empower Native communities by all aspects of the nuclear fuel chain.
The Seventh Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum will be held Oct. 22-24 at the Sky City Hotel and Casino.
http://www.cibolabeacon.com/articles/2009/10/13/news/doc4ad49577b57fa739605134.txt
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