IN COLORADO, CLASS WAR OVER NUCLEAR POWER, with the rich inhabitants of Telluride unconcerned about jobs for the less-wealthy:
Telluride, the rich ski town an hour away by car and a universe apart in terms of money and clout, has emerged as a main base of opposition to the proposed mill, called Piñon Ridge, which would be the first new uranium-processing facility in the United States in more than 25 years if it is approved by Colorado regulators next month.
To residents here like Michelle Mathews, the fact that many opponents of the mill hail from Telluride is a crucial strike against their arguments.
“People from Telluride don’t have any business around here,” said Ms. Mathews, 31, who works as a school janitor and ardently supports the idea of bringing back uranium jobs. “Not everyone wants to drive to Telluride to clean hotel rooms.”
Nobody ever says that cleaning hotel rooms for rich people is bad for the environment. Like private jets for celebrities, it’s inherently green . . . .