Roanoke River endangered by the threat of uranium mining?
By JR Hoeft | Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 | Policy
Roanoke River
Just the mere prospect of it absorbing a wayward neutron, becoming unstable, and bursting into smaller atomic pieces and releasing energy, is enough to make even the most passive environmentalist cringe – even though such reactions require a very specialized environment, not merely being pulled from the ground as a mineral.
Yet, American Rivers, an organization founded in 1973 dedicated to protect and restore “the nation’s rivers and the clean water that sustains people, wildlife, and nature,” is frightened to death of an inert, naturally occurring mass called “uranium” and has found its mere mention of being mined in the Commonwealth of Virginia enough to condemn the Roanoke River to the ignominy of being “endangered.”
Today, American Rivers has bestowed this dubious distinction on the mighty Roanoke because:
“if the Virginia legislature succumbs to industry pressure and fails to uphold its 30-year ban on uranium mining, the health of rivers and communities in the region will be at risk for centuries to come. American Rivers and its partners called on the Virginia legislature to uphold its ban on uranium mining to protect the Roanoke and rivers statewide.”
Really?
So, the Roanoke is not polluted.
It still has great fishing.
It still is a wonderful place for gathering, boating, recreation, and drinking water.
Yet it’s endangered?
Umm, o.k. Makes perfect sense, right?
So, condemn the wheel because cars might crash on them, bikes might get hit by cars, and trains might derail from their tracks? Condemn the wind because windmills might strike birds and airplane turbines might suck birds in? Condemn the sun because if you stay outside for too long, you might get sunburn, cancer, and die?
Quite frankly, I’m not even sure why I am giving this the time of day, if but for its sheer absurdity.
Yet, I know, in my heart of hearts, some mainstream media outlet in Virginia is going to pick up on this information and claim the Roanoke River is endangered. And, sadly, there are going to be people that believe it.
And those that believe it will truly endanger Virginia because they will, in blithesome ignorance, become blind activists, arguing for the protection of their beautiful Roanoke River, and say in letters to the editor, comments on blog posts, and appearances in public forums that uranium mining is dangerous.
This action, then may, in some perverse way, influence our members of the General Assembly (please, Lord, give them sanity).
In the process, these very same people, spurred on by activists like American Rivers, will kill hundreds of jobs, the future of hundreds of children, and the prosperity of a community (should our legislators act on inadequate information). For what? Because a hill in the middle of nowhere had the biggest deposit of clean energy in the world?
The atom is to be respected. The atom can do damage. But unfounded fear of an inert atom?
There comes a time to call stupidity and ignorance what it is.
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About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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Comments
6 Responses to "Roanoke River endangered by the threat of uranium mining?"
This list reads more like an anti-energy hit list. The #2 most endangered site? A river near a proposed mineral mine in Alaska. The #1 a river near a natural gas site. So at #3, the pristine Roanoke River is healthy, and active. Meanwhile down the list, not so endangered as the Roanoke, is the Chicago river, where they are literally dumping billions of gallons of sewage in the river everyday, to the point it now makes up 70% of the river. But according to American Rivers, that’s not as bad as thinking about providing clean energy for millions of Americans anywhere near a watershed.
They’ve really shown their true colors with this list. They’re just another anti-energy environmental fringe group that would have us ride around on bicycles and burn candles for light.
American Rivers oughtta take a trip through West Virginia and learn about coal mines then off to texas and learn about oil production then head for the middle of the pacific and dive deeeep down.. and ask earth about the fissures blowing crude into the sea.
As one who depends upon the water from the Roanoke river as a source of drinking water, I prefer to read the scientific evidence and risk analysis now being prepared before I draw a conclusion about lifting the ban on uranium mining. If this can be done safely based upon rational findings and a risk assessment that evaluates the potential for contamination of the waters supply, as I citizen, I will give it a balanced consideration. Both sides will soon be shouting in full quite soon, so actual evidence and proof will be welcome.
The operative consideration here is whether or not the uranium mining will be conducted with proper concern for the environmental damage that trailings can cause if not correctly contained. Uranium, after all, has a half life of 80,000 years and while uranium ore and trailings have low levels of radiation, extended exposure over a period of time can have significant health consequences. Turbo inadvertently makes a point against uranium mining by referencing the rivers in West Virginia. Many have been ruined by the improper disposal of trailings from mountaintop removal coal mining. And don’t think that miner safety will be a given.
But, you might say, Federal regulations and inspections will prevent these problems. Sure, just like they did at Upper Big Branch Mine, Sago Mine, and many others in recent history. I’m not sure that I would trust the Roanoke River, or even the Chicago River, to the likes of Don Blankenship and Massey Energy.
Correction: that is mine tailings.
Excellent piece, JR ! The tree-huggers will be the ruination of the nation!
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