On Monday in Pittsylvania County[1],
residents took part in an unofficial board of supervisors’ forum to gain
resident input on uranium mining and the possibility of lifting Virginia’s decade’s
old ban on uranium mining in Virginia.[2]
The forum was organized and presided over by Supervisors
Marshall Ecker and Jessie Barksdale. At least 100 residents of Pittsylvania
County collected in the courtroom to let the board of supervisors know their
opinion on lifting Virginia’s ban on uranium mining[3].
According to GoDanRiver,[4]
close to two-thirds of the residents who attended disapproved of lifting the
uranium mining ban while a third were in favor of the lift. The results were
drawn based upon the number of attendees applauding the various speakers at the
forum.
Residents opposed to uranium mining sited concerns ranging
from anxieties regarding water quality, property values, businesses uprooting
from the county, and an overall degradation of quality of life.
The importance of the unofficial uranium mining meeting
really can’t be overstated. The forum constituted a much needed medium for the
residents of Pittsylvania County to state their views on lifting the uranium
mining ban in Virginia. Since these individuals will be the most directly
affected by such a move, they are logically the ones who should be listened to
the closest.
Up till the present however, it hasn’t seemed like the
opinions of Pittsylvania County residents have been given the attention or
policy weight they warrant by the McDonnell administration or the Virginia
General Assembly. With hoards of pro-mining lobbyists lining the halls of Capitol
Square[5],
it’s little wonder that Pittsylvania County residents have had such difficulty
getting their government to listen to their opinions and concerns.
Since these Virginians stand to lose the most from uranium
mining in their communities, it is them who relevant Virginia public officials
should truly be listening to. Even though the forum on Monday was unofficial,
the fact that the forum was held was a recognition by leaders in Pittsylvania
County that residents are still anxious to make their worries and views heard.
The forum on Monday was also a step in the right direction
in a state founded upon democratic principles.
The people
of Pittsylvania County have the right to decide their own fate; that’s the
democratic way.
Till this point in time, the McDonnell administration in
particular has not lived up to these democratic principles when it comes to the
issue of uranium mining.[6]
[1] http://www.pittgov.org/
[2] http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/jul/09/uranium-forum-draw-crowd-pittsylvania-county-ar-2045231/
[3] http://www.southernenvironment.org/cases/uranium_mining_in_virginia/
[4] http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/jul/09/uranium-forum-draw-crowd-pittsylvania-county-ar-2045231/
[5] http://www.vacapitol.org/square.htm
[6] http://www.examiner.com/article/mcdonnell-s-uranium-mining-study-a-subversion-of-the-democratic-process-virgi
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