Why is New Dominion Project Making Public Health vs. Private Profit Seem Like a Close Call?

Government should put public health ahead of private profit. Whether you’re a progressive or a moderate, from Fairfax or Danville, that’s a core Democratic principle.

That’s why it’s been alarming to see a series of posts on Mike Signer’s New Dominion Project that paint the Virginia General Assembly’s decision on uranium mining as a difficult decision. One recent post by an NDP intern declared, “Both supporters of and those who oppose the ban have made strong arguments for and against the ban.” A previous post called it a “tough decision” in its title and said “critics are justified in both their skepticism and passion about this issue.”

I can see where Republicans would be straining to justify support for lifting Virginia’s ban on uranium mining. We’re talking about massive risks to Virginia’s health & drinking water in exchange for just a few hundred jobs (with no guarantee those will even go to Virginians) & collecting only a fraction of the revenue in taxes.

But for Democrats, this isn’t anywhere close to a tough call. And have I mentioned that, should fluctuating uranium prices fall, the mine could be shut down at any time, leaving us with zero jobs, zero revenue, and all the radioactive waste?

you can feel safe that you’re doing exactly what your constituents sent you to Richmond to do.

I’ve been alarmed to read posts on NDP that make it seem as though it would be completely understandable if the Virginia General Assembly voted to lift the ban on uranium mining. On July 1, Brandy Simpson wrote, “Both supporters of and those who oppose the ban have made strong arguments for and against the ban”:

http://newdominionproject.com/…

Are these reflective of the NDP steering committee’s position on uranium mining? A reader is left to assume NDP is indifferent on the subject and wouldn’t be upset if the protective ban was lifted. I don’t see a disclaimer on the blog that the writer’s opinions may not reflect the position of NDP, but I wanted to check before I said more about this publicly.