Whenever I listen to the debate about the uranium enrichment factory proposed in eastern Idaho, I am surprised to hear people arguing that we waste money and risk the health of our aquifer for the promise of jobs. Oftentimes, opponents of the Areva facility are portrayed as favoring the environment over jobs. But that is a false choice. Idahoans are smart, skilled and hard-working, but that doesn't mean our options are limited to those offered by Areva, who will be sending its profits back to France, but leaving its radioactive depleted uranium waste in Idaho for decades.
The U.S. government has already given Areva $2 billion of our taxpayer dollars to build their plant, and the Idaho departments of commerce and labor have just granted Areva $750,000 in stimulus-related funds for an overpass to a factory that hasn't even been licensed. It truly seems that at this point, we might be better off writing everyone in the area near the proposed facility a big check.
Idahoans deserve sustainable, safe and long-lasting jobs. Areva is offering just the opposite, with a factory that has an operational life of only 30 years and will be creating dangerous radioactive waste. We have other options, especially in the emerging energy-efficiency and renewable-energy markets. Idahoans can stand up for our public health and safety at a meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the proposal on Monday, Aug. 9, in Boise, and Thursday, Aug. 12, in Pocatello.
Jennifer Siegel
Boise
