Stop uraniumprospecting in Ranua!

Urge Ranua's Municipal Council to Stop Uranium Prospecting

In Ranua - a municipality located in Lapland, Finland - the soil and
groundwater are in danger of being contaminated by uranium prospecting
and mining. On November the 16th 2009, the municipal council of Ranua
will give their final stance on the prospecting. The stance will most
likely be positive unless an action is taken to turn the municipality
board members' minds: the Center Party (KESK) members have made a
binding group decision to vote yes for the prospecting. Now it's the
time to put pressure on them and to let them know that they are being
observed all around the world!

An uranium mine in Lapland would lead to all the people who now get
their livelihood on berry or mushroom picking, collecting wild plants,
reindeer herding, fishing or agriculture to loose their source of
income. Mining and radioactive waste in the vulnerable northern nature
would also destroy these Europe's vastest wilderness areas for
forever. In many countries politicians and companies are watching
Finnish policy on nuclear energy and uranium mining to start 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 the world!

So send an email, call or fax the council members (see list below this
message). Write or call to the municipality council members. You can
do it in English or your own language (if not in Finnish or Swedish).
Tell them you are worried about the result of the vote on the 16th of
November. Urge them to vote NO for uranium prospecting. Add at least
one reason why you think they should not allow uranium prospecting in
the area.

More information about the situation in Ranua:

On the 1st of September 2008, Areva Resources Finland Oy gave 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.

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. There would be in sum
over 10 kilometres of drillings and they would extend below the level
of the groundwater reserves. Geological Survey centre of Finland, that
participates 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.

Around the world, uranium mining has produced extreme environmental
destruction, and in Europe it has been abolished precisely because
of environmental reasons. 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
active with building the new (EPR) reactor in Olkiluoto, which by now
has turned out as 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 favor mining in northern Finland.

Ranua Rescue campaign
ranuarescue@gmail.com
ranuarescue.blogspot.com (in Finnish)



Beispiel-Brief/Fax/E-Mail (moeglichst individuell anpassen):

Dear Sir/Madam,

on November the 16th 2009 you will be voting over the prospecting
claim of Areva Resources Finland Oy on the area of Asentolamminoja. I
wish you are going to to take a clear negative stance on the uranium
prospecting.

The French Areva is notorius in acting irresponsibly concerning
uranium mining and radioactive waste management even in it's own home
country. There is no reason to assume it to act differently in
Finland. Radioactive mining tails will stay radioactive for 100 000
years so the risk of a poisonous leak sooner or later is huge.

If you accept uranium prospecting in Ranua, you will be responsible
for the health risks the inhabitants of your community will have to
bear. You will be responsible for the spreading of radioactivity in
the environment. You will be responsible for higher cancer rates and
the early death of people you are supposed to represent.

If you take a stance against uranium prospecting in Ranua, your
community might not only prevent uranium mining on the grounds of your
municipality, but also set an example for other municipalities in
Lapland and the whole of Finland. If you speak against uranium
prospecting, you can stop these dangerous plans and stand up for the
interests of the local population.

Yours sincerely,





ALLE MAILADRESSEN IN EINER ZEILE:

Kimmo.Sarapaa@ranua.fi, Mirva.Salmela@ranua.fi,
Paivio.karttunen1@luukku.com, keijo.ruonala@osao.fi,
Jaanahosio@wippies.fi, Veijo.Illikainen@pp.inet.fi,
Kaisa.Illikainen-Niemela@alko.fi, Eila.Impio@pp.inet.fi,
Tarja.Impio@ranua.fi, Tuula.Karjalainen@pp.inet.fi,
u.karttunen@hotmail.com, rkuoksa@hotmail.com,
Hannu.Kuukasjarvi@pp.inet.fi, Jouni.Lohi@hotmail.com,
hannuniemin@pp.inet.fi, Matti.Nikula2@pp.inet.fi, sotka34@hotmail.com,
ismo.petajajarvi@gmail.com, Kirsi.Saaranen@luukku.com,
Tapio.Saukko@paliskunnat.fi, pitopalvelu.simontaival@pp.inet.fi,
Matti.Simontaival@pp.inet.fi, Toivo.Saaskilahti@luukku.com,
Viola.Tarujarvi@pp.inet.fi, Tuomas.Vanhala@roiakk.fi,
Lauri.Vaarala@ranuanautokoulu.fi, Anna-Maija.Osterberg@ranua.fi,




IM DETAIL - COUNCIL MEMBERS OF RANUA 2009-2012:

Salmela Mirva, chair, KESK
Tel: 040 522 7614
email: Mirva.Salmela@ranua.fi

Karttunen Päiviö, I vice chair, KESK
Pihlajatie 2, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 576 8486
Sähköposti: Paivio.karttunen@luukku.com

Ruonala Keijo, II vice chair, SDP
Laurintie 4 A 8, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 820 988
email: keijo.ruonala@osao.fi

Hosio Jaana, KESK
Rynkänpuolentie 3, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 747 7289
email: Jaanahosio@wippies.fi

Illikainen Veijo, KESK
Kirkkotiensuu 4, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 184 9289
email: Veijo.Illikainen@pp.inet.fi

Illikainen-Niemelä Kaisa, SDP
Laurintie 4 as 7, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 822 0923
email: Kaisa.Illikainen-Niemela@alko.fi

Impiö Eila, KOK
Kuusitie 4, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 893 556
email: Eila.Impio@pp.inet.fi

Impiö Tarja, KESK
Mursuahontie 6, 97765 Impiö
email: Tarja.Impio@ranua.fi

Karjalainen Tuula, SDP
Paavonahontie 5, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 770 0327
Tuula.Karjalainen@pp.inet.fi

Karttunen Ulla, KESK
Kirkkotie 53, 97700 Ranua
tel: 050 539 7453
email: u.karttunen@hotmail.com

Kuoksa Rauno, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Pudasjärventie 236, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0500 599 800
email: rkuoksa@hotmail.com

Kuukasjärvi Hannu, KESK
Simojärventie 146, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 721 3896
email: Hannu.Kuukasjarvi@pp.inet.fi

Lohi Jouni, KESK
Kuukassalmentie 4, 97780 Kuukasjärvi
tel: 044 266 0880
email: Jouni.Lohi@hotmail.com

Nieminen Hannu, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Pekkalantie 509, 97665 Pohjasperä
tel: 040 737 1986
email: hannuniemin@pp.inet.fi

Nikula Matti, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Kataja-ahontie 2 B, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 564 9726
email: Matti.Nikula2@pp.inet.fi

Pernu Jouko, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Peurantie 7-9 A 1, 97700 Ranua
tel: 044 083 0213
email: sotka34@hotmail.com

Petäjäjärvi Ismo, KESK
Kettuharjuntie 2, 97665 Pohjasperä
tel: 040 592 5086
email: ismo.petajajarvi@gmail.com

Saaranen Kirsi, KESK
Simontie 185, 97715 Raiskio
tel: 0400 859 565
email: Kirsi.Saaranen@luukku.com

Saukko Tapio, KESK
Toljantie 178, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 185 904
email: Tapio.Saukko@paliskunnat.fi

Simontaival Jouko, KESK
Peurajärventie 43 A, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 169 475
email: pitopalvelu.simontaival@pp.inet.fi

Simontaival Matti, Parempi Ranua -ryhmän yhteislista
Toljantie 63, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 698 835
email: Matti.Simontaival@pp.inet.fi

Sääskilahti Reijo, KESK
Posiontie 342, 97760 Saariharju
tel: 0400 398 995

Sääskilahti Toivo, KESK
Ruonanpirtintie 6, 97715 Raiskio
tel: 0400 968 249
email: Toivo.Saaskilahti@luukku.com

Tarujärvi Viola, KESK
Simojoentie 9, 97715 Raiskio
tel: 040 534 7929
email: Viola.Tarujarvi@pp.inet.fi

Vanhala Tuomas, KESK
Kirkkotie 25, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 698 159
email: Tuomas.Vanhala@roiakk.fi

Väärälä Lauri, KOK
Tuomaantie 1 G, 97700 Ranua
tel: 0400 393 923
email: Lauri.Vaarala@ranuanautokoulu.fi

Österberg Anna-Maija, KESK
Kirkkotie 57, 97700 Ranua
tel: 040 562 5237
email: Anna-Maija.Osterberg@ranua.fi