What is the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority? A Trojan horse for nuclear energy

In case you haven’t heard of it, the recently formed Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority (VNECA) is a Trojan horse of nuclear proportions whose mission is to make “the Commonwealth a national and global leader in nuclear energy and serving as an interdisciplinary study, research, and information resource for the Commonwealth on nuclear energy issues.” All the while the VNECA works to achieve this lofty goal, many Virginians are none the wiser that such a consortium, with the power of the state at its back, even exists.

As a friend pointed out, the most troubling aspect (aside from its relative obscurity) of the VNECA is its membership, or who isn’t in its membership, namely representatives for the people of Virginia.

All the while the debate around lifting Virginia’s moratorium on uranium mining has been taking place, a serious and thorough discussion of just what the people of Virginia think about this issue has been absent.

The self-proclaimed gods of Virginia’s destiny, the business leaders, the energy giants, the self-concerned political ‘representatives’, have consistently attempted to sidestep that troublesome aspect of our society that are commonly known as “the people,” believing that their vision of Virginia’s future is far more worth pursuing than the “average Joe” on the street.

Most people who’ve been involved in the uranium debate in the U.S. know full well the powerful players who are attempting to make uranium mining and milling a reality in Virginia, but the prospects for economically viable uranium power is no closer today than it was a few years ago before the tragedy in Japan. This fact alone should lead Virginians of all pins and stripes to ask why we’re still even looking seriously at a radioactive element whose economic burden will ultimately fall on the people of Virginia.

It is highly ironic that while President Obama was vilified for his administration’s support of renewable energy ‘failures’ like Solyndra, Virginia’s representatives, bureaucrats, and pertinent energy giants have not been criticized for their constant diversion of money, resources, time, and attention to a form of energy that many Virginians clearly don’t want more of.  This is itself a scandal worthy of critical attention.

As long as there is money to be made, Virginians can be assured that the Virginia Uranium Inc.’s of the world will never be too far away from Virginia’s doorstep, scratching for the opportunity to dig up half of Virginia so they can fill their coffers and move on to the next viable state. Interested parties in digging up Virginia can also rest assured that as long as there are attempts to mine and mill uranium in Virginia, there will be unwavering resistance by a sizable portion of Virginia’s population. We love our state and we don’t want to leave it a radioactive mess for future generations to live in.