Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:40:52 -0700
From: Scott Frederick <scott451@gmx.net>
Subject: [KCUTS] Uranium is bad news for squirming Victoria
Hello Kootenaycuts,
Uranium is bad news for squirming Victoria
Paul Willcocks
Vancouver Sun
July 24, 2006
Uranium was always trouble in old movies. A rattling Geiger counter
meant something bad was about to happen. This time uranium is bad news
for the B.C. government , as political heat mounts over two potential
uranium mine developments in the Interior.
The problem is that the government's position on uranium mining
doesn't really stand up to scrutiny and risks alienating everyone
involved, from mining companies to worried communities.
The Liberals don't want anything to do with uranium mines. Any
economic benefits are dwarfed by the environmental questions and the
huge political problems. Rural communities, urban enviros,
anti-weapons activists and average citizens can pretty much all agree
that they don't want uranium mining.
But the government also doesn't want to tell companies no uranium
mines will be allowed. Uranium shouldn't even be an issue because
there are no worthwhile deposits, the Liberals argue, but if
companies want to look that's their business. (A kind of gloomy
approach for a pro-mining government.)
So the government will let companies buy claims, conduct drilling
tests and raise money from investors. And they are. Even if the
projects are unlikely ever to go ahead, they're alarming people in
Okanagan and North Thompson.
It's all confusing. Why not make the policy clear and save companies
from wasting money on fruitless exploration and the government from
grief?
That's what Socred Premier Bill Bennett did back in 1980. A consortium
including Ontario Hydro announced plans for a uranium mine about 50 km
southeast of Kelowna. The opposition was fierce. Bennett read the
political winds and astutely brought in a seven-year moratorium on
uranium development. The less astute Bill Vander Zalm allowed the
moratorium to lapse, setting the stage for today's controversy.
Uranium hasn't been an issue for decades. Three Mile Island and
Chernobyl scared people, as did fears that uranium would end up as
weapons. The nuclear power industry stalled, uranium prices were low
and there was no interest in B.C.
But spiking oil and gas prices -- and global warming -- have given the
industry new life. Gas-powered plants have been the preferred
alternative to nuclear, but spiking gas prices have scared power
companies. Nuclear is now more competitive. And nuclear power doesn't
emit greenhouse gases, unlike gas, oil or coal-fired plants.
The Ontario government has committed to new nuclear power plants.
China plans to increase its nuclear power capacity by 600 per cent
over the next 14 years.
The uranium has to come from somewhere. New projects are being
proposed around the world and mothballed mines are being re-opened.
And some mining companies think B.C. could be part of the boom. Last
summer two companies announced plans to revive the project that
sparked the 1980 moratorium, buying the Blizzard uranium claim near
Beaverdell.
This summer it's International Ranger Corp. doing a bit of test
drilling on property about 15 km from Clearwater. The protest group is
already well-organized and a company open house this month -- ordered
by the energy ministry -- didn't do anything to win them over. (The
company now says it's really interested in potential molybdenum
deposits, not the uranium. Since it stressed the huge uranium
potential in its earlier statements, the claim isn't flying.)
Why won't the government just say no?
The Liberals have worked hard to rebuild the mining industry's
confidence in B.C. Companies felt the former New Democratic Party
government mistreated them, making arbitrary land-use decisions that
killed projects after millions had been spent. The effort has paid
off. But the industry is still nervous and some are looking at this
as a test of the government's commitment.
Canada is already one of the top two uranium producers, they argue,
and Saskatchewan is home to the largest mine in the world. And what
if, the industry says, a small amount of uranium is a by-product from
a major copper find? Should that be reason enough to abandon the jobs
and government revenue that would be created from a mine?
The odds are against either of the current proposed developments going
ahead. International Ranger is a small company with no real track
record.
But other companies are going to come looking if uranium prices stay
high and the the door remains open.
It all leaves Victoria in a tight spot. Judging by the squirming so
far, it hasn't figured out any safe escape.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/story.html?id=6b25ea8a-d9f3-45b2-aa28-de56571fc2fa
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Only 1021 organising days until the next BC provincial election.
Best regards,
Scott mailto:scott451@gmx.net
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