By Published by The Editorial Board
Published: January 17, 2010
Here in the Dan River Region, the predominant public opinion about uranium mining and milling appears to be, “Wait for the study’s results to come in and then decide.”
If that’s how most people really feel, then it’s a triumph for Virginia Uranium Inc.
For more than two years, the (uranium) company wanted the National Academy of Sciences to study uranium mining and milling. They’ve got the study from the agency they wanted.
That hasn’t stopped Virginia Beach, which drinks Pittsylvania County water, from taking a keen interest in what might happen at Coles Hill, the site of a 119-million pound deposit of uranium ore.
Virginia Beach depends on Lake Gaston water, and some of the water in Lake Gaston flows past Virginia Uranium’s Coles Hill site.
For that reason, Virginia’s largest city is conducting a study of its own to determine what would happen if a weather-related disaster at Coles Hill affected the water supply it relies on.
“We’ve concluded that it’s very important (that) this be done,” said Thomas Leahy, Virginia Beach’s director of public utilities. “… We think it’s a question that has to be answered. No one else is going to do this study.”
The National Academy of Sciences is studying uranium mining and milling in Virginia.
Virginia Beach will spend $437,000 on its study. Pittsylvania County doesn’t have that kind of money, of course, but even it did, it’s unlikely that it would spend any money to study any aspect of the proposed project.
The Board of Supervisors can’t even bring itself to say that it doesn’t want uranium mining or milling in the new industrial megapark it’s building with Danville off Berry Hill Road.
Virginia Beach continued interest in this project — and its willingness to put its money where its concern is — represents a wild card VUI most likely never expected to see played.
Given the high stakes that are involved, we welcome any and every bit of credible, third-party information about this complex project. Virginia Beach has a stake in this project. Since 1998, they’ve consumed some of our water.
If they can’t drink it, we certainly can’t drink it.
Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/editorials/danville_editorials/article/va._beach_weighs_in_on_mining_study/17118/
