In Ranua - a municipality located in Lapland, Finland - the soil
and groundwater are in danger of being contaminated by uranium
prospecting.
Let Areva and the municipality's pro-uranium mining politicians know that they are being observed all around the world!
In Finland: Protests:
Thursday, August 13
Helsinki 3 pm at 3 Blacksmiths Statue
by Stockmans / Vanha (Lähto kolmen sepän patsaalta)
Tampere 12 noon Central Market Square (Lähtö Keskustorilta)
An uranium mine in Lapland would lead to all the people who now get
their livelihood from berry or mushroom picking, collecting wild plants,
reindeer herding, fishing or agriculture to lose their source of income.
Mining and radioactive waste in the vulnerable northern nature would
also destroy Europe's largest remaining wilderness areas for forever.
In many countries people and companies are watching Finnish policy on nuclear energy and uranium mining to see if it starts a new trend on nuclear energy. So this is not only a local issue but important to all the people in Finland and other parts of Europe/world!
One action possibility:
Send an email, call or fax the council members (see list below this
message). Write or call to one or more (or all!) municipality board
members. You can do it in English or your own language (if not in
Finnish or Swedish). Tell them that you are worried about the situation. Urge them to say NO to uranium prospecting.
Add at least one reason why you think they should not allow uranium
prospecting in the area (for help with your letter/mail/call see the
text "more info" below). You are welcome to also BCC your emails to ranuarescue
gmail [dot] com.
More background:
On the 1st September 2008, Areva Resources Finland Oy submitted their application for a mining claim in the area of Asentolamminoja, on the border between the Ranua and Rovaniemi municipalities, to the Ministry of Employment and Economy. Before any decision or approval of the application, the company started digging in preparation of test drilling in November 2008 in the southern end of the area, at Isokangas, with the permission of the land owner.
In August 2009, the municipal board of Ranua gave their supporting
stance on the mining project. Local people opposing the mining fear that Areva will start the test drilling when they want. According to law, the company should wait for the claim approval from the Ministry of
Employment and Economy.
On the claim area there are several marshes and small waters that are connected to the groundwater reserves. The area is part of the watershed of the Simo river (i.e. the water flows to the river), which is
designated as a NATURA2000 area. If the claim goes ahead, there would be in total over 10 kilometres of drillings and they would extend below the level of the groundwater reserves. If radioactive ore gets in contact with the water, the consequences are likely to be fatal both for the area's groundwater and for the Simo river.
The Geological SurveyCentre of Finland, who is participating in the
prospecting, denies the existence of the risk, despite the fact that
spoiling of the groundwater has often been a direct consequence of
uranium prospecting elsewhere.
Around the world, uranium mining has resulted in extreme environmental destruction. In Europe it has been abolished precisely because of environmental problems. AREVA, the company active in Ranua, is responsible for, among other things, enormous environmental destruction in their mining regions in Niger, and in France for the algae-based processing of mining tailings (i.e. leftover rock & sediment), which created a public scandal. In Finland, AREVA is also building the new (EPR) reactor in Olkiluoto, which has turned into a fiasco.
Ranua-based activists have tried to inform the decision-makers and
municipal inhabitants about the problems of uranium mining. They have collected names for a ban on uranium mining at different events, written to regional papers and arranged informational events, among other things. However, a local civil movement has quite limited power of influence,
when put against the massive lobbying machine of the uranium power
industry, and the state's energy policies, that favour mining in
northern Finland.
The "No Uranium Power!" camp in Tervola, in July 2009, was visited by people
from Ranua opposed to the mining, who asked for support from the
anti-nuclear movement. In the workshop that followed the visit, people
wanted to start broad nationwide and international activity in support
of the people from Ranua. In this situation of emergency, all available
methods should be used to stop the project. We call everyone concerned
by the issue to act!
Ranua Rescue group
ranuarescuegmail [dot] com
http://www.nuclearfreefinland.org
More information about the situation in Ranua:
Uranium:
http://www.uraanivoima.com/?p=ranua
http://www.uraaniton.org/sivu/
http://www.nuclearfreefinland.org/fi/uraaninlouhinta-suomessa
http://www.olkiluoto.info/fi/21/3/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_mining
News:
http://yle.fi/mot/kj061023/kasikirjoitus.htm
http://www.somalipress.com/news/2009-mar-31/desert-
residents-pay-high-price-lucrative-uranium-mining.html
http://www.miningwatch.ca/updir/Uranium_Canada_web.pdf
http://tekknorg.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/france-30-cubic-meter-of-uraniu...
AREVA and GTK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areva_NC
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologian_tutkimuskeskus
CONTACTS OF RANUA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Ranua municipal government office open hours:
Mon-Fri 0800-15.30
Tel. +358 40-867 0200, fax +358 16 354 160
Mon-Fri 0800-1100, 11.30-15.30
All emails in a row:
Kimmo [dot] Sarapaaranua [dot] fi, Mirva [dot] Salmelaranua [dot] fi,
Paivio [dot] karttunen1luukku [dot] com, keijo [dot] ruonalaosao [dot] fi,
Jaanahosiowippies [dot] fi, Veijo [dot] Illikainenpp [dot] inet [dot] fi,
Kaisa [dot] Illikainen-Niemelaalko [dot] fi, Eila [dot] Impiopp [dot] inet [dot] fi,
Tarja [dot] Impioranua [dot] fi, Tuula [dot] Karjalainenpp [dot] inet [dot] fi,
u [dot] karttunenhotmail [dot] com, rkuoksahotmail [dot] com,
Hannu [dot] Kuukasjarvipp [dot] inet [dot] fi, Jouni [dot] Lohihotmail [dot] com,
hannunieminpp [dot] inet [dot] fi, Matti [dot] Nikula2pp [dot] inet [dot] fi, sotka34hotmail [dot] com,
ismo [dot] petajajarvigmail [dot] com, Kirsi [dot] Saaranenluukku [dot] com,
Tapio [dot] Saukkopaliskunnat [dot] fi, pitopalvelu [dot] simontaivalpp [dot] inet [dot] fi,
Matti [dot] Simontaivalpp [dot] inet [dot] fi, Toivo [dot] Saaskilahtiluukku [dot] com,
Viola [dot] Tarujarvipp [dot] inet [dot] fi, Tuomas [dot] Vanhalaroiakk [dot] fi,
Lauri [dot] Vaaralaranuanautokoulu [dot] fi, Anna-Maija [dot] Osterbergranua [dot] fi,
kirjaamoranua [dot] fi
Kunnanjohtaja/Municipal Manager
Kimmo Sarapää
Tel. +358 400-395235
email: Kimmo [dot] Sarapaaranua [dot] fi
Ranuan valtuusto/Council 2009 – 2012
(KESK means Centre party, which has made a group decision to support prospecting. They especially should be informed about the consequences of prospecting!)
Salmela Mirva, chair, KESK
Tel: +358 40 522 7614
email: Mirva [dot] Salmelaranua [dot] fi
Karttunen Päiviö, 1st vice chair, KESK
Pihlajatie 2, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 576 8486
Sähköposti: Paivio [dot] karttunen1luukku [dot] com
Ruonala Keijo, 2nd vice chair, SDP
Laurintie 4 A 8, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 820 988
email: keijo [dot] ruonalaosao [dot] fi
Hosio Jaana, KESK
Rynkänpuolentie 3, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 747 7289
email: Jaanahosiowippies [dot] fi
Illikainen Veijo, KESK
Kirkkotiensuu 4, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 184 9289
email: Veijo [dot] Illikainenpp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Illikainen-Niemelä Kaisa, SDP
Laurintie 4 as 7, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 822 0923
email: Kaisa [dot] Illikainen-Niemelaalko [dot] fi
Impiö Eila, KOK
Kuusitie 4, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 893 556
email: Eila [dot] Impiopp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Impiö Tarja, KESK
Mursuahontie 6, 97765 Impiö
email: Tarja [dot] Impioranua [dot] fi
Karjalainen Tuula, SDP
Paavonahontie 5, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 770 0327
Tuula [dot] Karjalainenpp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Karttunen Ulla, KESK
Kirkkotie 53, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 50 539 7453
email: u [dot] karttunenhotmail [dot] com
Kuoksa Rauno, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Pudasjärventie 236, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 500 599 800
email: rkuoksahotmail [dot] com
Kuukasjärvi Hannu, KESK
Simojärventie 146, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 721 3896
email: Hannu [dot] Kuukasjarvipp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Lohi Jouni, KESK
Kuukassalmentie 4, 97780 Kuukasjärvi
tel: +358 44 266 0880
email: Jouni [dot] Lohihotmail [dot] com
Nieminen Hannu, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Pekkalantie 509, 97665 Pohjasperä
tel: +358 40 737 1986
email: hannunieminpp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Nikula Matti, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Kataja-ahontie 2 B, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 564 9726
email: Matti [dot] Nikula2pp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Pernu Jouko, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Peurantie 7-9 A 1, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 44 083 0213
email: sotka34hotmail [dot] com
Petäjäjärvi Ismo, KESK
Kettuharjuntie 2, 97665 Pohjasperä
tel: +358 40 592 5086
email: ismo [dot] petajajarvigmail [dot] com
Saaranen Kirsi, KESK
Simontie 185, 97715 Raiskio
tel: +358 400 859 565
email: Kirsi [dot] Saaranenluukku [dot] com
Saukko Tapio, KESK
Toljantie 178, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 185 904
email: Tapio [dot] Saukkopaliskunnat [dot] fi
Simontaival Jouko, KESK
Peurajärventie 43 A, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 169 475
email: pitopalvelu [dot] simontaivalpp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Simontaival Matti, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Toljantie 63, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 698 835
email: Matti [dot] Simontaivalpp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Sääskilahti Reijo, KESK
Posiontie 342, 97760 Saariharju
tel: +358 400 398 995
Sääskilahti Toivo, KESK
Ruonanpirtintie 6, 97715 Raiskio
tel: +358 400 968 249
email: Toivo [dot] Saaskilahtiluukku [dot] com
Tarujärvi Viola, KESK
Simojoentie 9, 97715 Raiskio
tel: +358 40 534 7929
email: Viola [dot] Tarujarvipp [dot] inet [dot] fi
Vanhala Tuomas, KESK
Kirkkotie 25, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 698 159
email: Tuomas [dot] Vanhalaroiakk [dot] fi
Väärälä Lauri, KOK
Tuomaantie 1 G, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 400 393 923
email: Lauri [dot] Vaaralaranuanautokoulu [dot] fi
Österberg Anna-Maija, KESK
Kirkkotie 57, 97700 Ranua
tel: +358 40 562 5237
email: Anna-Maija [dot] Osterbergranua [dot] fi
Ranua municipality
Aapiskuja 6 B
97700 RANUA
www.ranua.fi <http://www.ranua.fi>
email: kirjaamoranua [dot] fi
Emailing them is just one small thing: but there is MORE you can do to stop the uranium pollution in Lapland. Stay tuned for more info...
