Perriello: opposed uranium mining in Pittsylvania County

By Ray Reed
Published: September 11, 2010

RUSTBURG – Facing a calm audience in a town hall meeting Friday, Rep. Tom Perriello.

Perriello, D-5th District, also said he basically opposed uranium mining in Pittsylvania County, and cited the BP oil spill in the Gulf as a reason to be cautious about lifting Virginia’s ban on mining.

The uranium-mining issue was raised by Carol Day of Altavista, who said she wanted to know where Perriello stood.

“I am against uranium mining,” Perriello said, adding that he wanted to see results of studies that are being done into the potential for mining a huge uranium deposit at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County.

Perriello said he hasn’t seen anything to indicate the deposit can be mined safely in a way that doesn’t hurt the local economy.

“What I have seen is not only serious public health concerns for wet-soil mining in the area,” but also its potential impact on dairy farms, prep schools and other employers, Perriello said.

“What the BP oil spill shows is that there is a difference between the question of whether you can conceivably do something safely and ‘will it be done safely,’” Perriello said.

“For both the heritage of the area and the economy of the area, the evidence just isn’t there to go forward,” he said.

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http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/sep/11/perriello-obama-pelosi-get-b-ar-500013/