PED & VALCV voice concerns again over Uranium Working Group’s conflicts of interest

In lieu of a substantive response from Governor McDonnell following their February 29 letter, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PED)[1] and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV)[2] recently sent another letter to Gov. McDonnell voicing concerns about the lack of stakeholder involvement and conflicts of interest regarding the Uranium Working Group.[3]

In the world of politics, silence is usually a sign of guilt or a lack of concern regarding an issue. With regards to the concerns raised by PED and VALCV, the answer seems to be both.  

For instance, one of the consultants hired by the Uranium working Group, Wright Environmental Services, has a company record closely tied to the uranium industry.[4] Clearly, companies cannot give an unbiased report regarding an industry it has ties to.

Maybe even more disturbingly, the Uranium Working Group has consistently shrugged off formal participation by environmental advocates and groups while publicly stating that these groups “have a seat at the table.” This is a clear and demonstrable falsehood.[5]

As Rob Marmet of the Piedmont Environmental Council pointed out, "It doesn't appear to us whether people are going to be able to see whether the hard questions are going to be asked.”[6] Indeed, it’s clear that this is precisely the point of excluding any individual or group who may ask the tough questions that need to be asked, possibly derailing the entire process.

As I’ve mentioned before, Gov. McDonnell and his pals in the uranium mining industry are clearly attempting 

to subvert the democratic process, initiating a potentially hazardous project without the input of citizens who stand to lose the most.

McDonnell is in many ways, then, an undemocratic thug whose only allegiance is to his political and business allies, not the people of Virginia. Were it not the case, peaceful protesters would not have been arrested at the state Capitol[7] nor would the uranium mining issue have been wrested from the hands of the legislature into the sealed confines of the Uranium Working Group.

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[1] http://www.pecva.org/

[2] http://valcv.org/

[3] http://pecva.org/library/documents/Our-Mission/Energy/Uranium-Ban/2012_June8_Letter2McDonnell.pdf

[4] http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8e44cd36a8754544a851c86d308d49a8/VA--Uranium-Mining

[5] http://www.examiner.com/article/hastily-called-stakeholder-meeting-on-uranium-working-group-fails-transparency

[6] http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8e44cd36a8754544a851c86d308d49a8/VA--Uranium-Mining

[7] http://bluevirginia.us/diary/6140/peaceful-rally-for-womens-health-dispersed-by-swat-team-in-richmond