Carolina Peace - Uranium Mine Proposal Threatens Roanoke River Watershed

Uranium Mine Proposal Threatens Roanoke River Watershed

Written by Gerald Rudolph

Monday, 07 January 2008

The largest undeveloped deposit of uranium in North America is located in Pittsylvania County, in Southside Virginia, and Virginia Uranium Inc. (largely Canadian owned) wants to rape the earth and reap the profits.

This enterprise would result in the contamination of the Roanoke River Watershed from Chatham to North Carolina, the Albemarle Sound and the Atlantic Ocean with heavy metals and radioactive materials that would persist in the environment for millions of years. And then, of course, there are the dangers inherent in the processing and transportation of uranium products and the disposal of nuclear waste, and, well, the specter of Chernobyl-type nuclear power plant mishaps. And then, of course there's nuclear and depleted uranium weapons.

The Legal Defense Fund is working with the citizens of Southside, who are determined to prevent this catastrophe for Virginia and the world from happening, and we'll need your support.

Right now, the Chatham Star Tribune is running a public opinion poll: "Do you think the General Assembly should authorize a study on uranium mining in Virginia?" The study would require taking core samples from the rock layer containing the uranium, and even this process comes with the risk of contaminating the environment. Uranium mining has never been done safely, and there's no such thing as an "independent study."

Last Thursday, due to widespread local opposition to the proposed mine, the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission denied VUI's request for a special use permit to begin constructing storage buildings at the site.

Please support the Southside citizens. Click on the url below, scroll down to the poll on the left-hand side of the page, and vote NO.

http://www.wpcva.com/chatham/

For more information contact:
Shireen Parsons
Virginia Community Organizer
Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
http://www.celdf.org/
306 Miller Street
Christiansburg, Virginia 24073
540-381-3153 (home/office)
540-449-9144 (cell)
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