Uranium mining poses too great a risk
By Will Sessoms
The Virginian-Pilot
The work that has been conducted by the Virginia Uranium Working Group is completed and the final report produced.
The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission will meet Jan. 7 at noon in Richmond to discuss the report
I have read with great interest and concern the proponents' columns, articles and blogs, which imply that Hampton Roads localities have an unreasonable mistrust about lifting the moratorium. They talk about the safety of nuclear energy and the nuclear Navy as if those terms and activities are interchangeable with mining and milling of uranium. They are not.
The head of the regulatory agency that licenses uranium mines in Canada, one of the largest exporters of uranium in the world, is confident uranium mining can be done safely in Canada and compares Canada with Pittsylvania County.
Neither the regulatory framework, nor the population density - and certainly not the climate - are comparable to Virginia. Average annual precipitation in Saskatchewan, where Canadian mining occurs, is 16 inches, half of which falls as snow. In Virginia, 16 inches of precipitation is a not-all-that-infrequent storm.
The National Academy of Sciences, in its report to the General Assembly, touted the Canadian approach to uranium mining as one of the best.
But the NAS report was not so favorable to Virginia.
It stated that there were significant gaps and steep hurdles to overcome before mining could be undertaken safely in Virginia. The commonwealth's approach to environmental protection has not changed in the year since the NAS report was issued.
The proposed Coles Hill mine - and the potential for many future mines - occurs along the east flank of the Appalachian mountain chain from the Potomac River to the Roanoke River.
The U.S. Geological Survey has noted that this location is particularly susceptible to devastating precipitation events and flooding as a result of moisture stacking up against the mountains. In fact, two such catastrophic storms occurred in Virginia: 1995 in Madison County and 1969 in Nelson County.
One can still drive along U.S. 29 in Nelson County and see the sides of mountains, stripped bare of vegetation and soil as a result of the 1969 storm. The Division of Mines, Minerals and Energy estimated that the storm, which officially dropped 30 inches of rain in one night (more unofficially) caused 2,000 years of erosion.
Studies by Virginia Beach show that if there were a release of radioactive tailings downstream as the result of a catastrophic precipitation event, water in the Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston would be contaminated for up to two years. The sediments in the river and reservoir beds, where most of the radioactive tailings would end up, would remain contaminated for hundreds of thousands of years.
Hampton Roads' jurisdictions have passed resolutions confirming our position that the ban on uranium mining should remain in place. These decisions did not come without a great deal of thoughtful analysis.
Yet many statements have been made publicly by uranium mining supporters that are incorrect and misleading, especially in light of the recently completed National Academy of Sciences analysis.
The Heritage Foundation's Jack Spencer and Katie Tubb recently claimed that a Virginia Beach study of uranium mining impacts on our water supply is based on "scenarios incorporating long-outdated (and, often, outlawed) practices." This is not true.
Independent studies conducted by Virginia Beach indicate that in the aftermath of a potential catastrophe, radioactivity in the main body of Lake Gaston, which is South Hampton Roads' major source of water, would remain above state and federal regulatory levels for up to two years. Virginia Beach alone spent over $150 million on the pipeline project.
Even with additional pledges of safety and operational modifications for storing radioactive tailings underground, we still do not have the confidence that a uranium mining and milling operation would be reasonably safe in Pittsylvania County.
I also do not believe this area will be immune from a natural or operational catastrophic event. Is it unreasonable to assume this area will see hurricanes and major storm events? I don't believe it is unreasonable.
If such a catastrophe were to occur, it would have enormous, long-term consequences to our cities and the 1.1 million residents of South Hampton Roads. Safety that is less than beyond the shadow of a doubt is simply too great a risk to the health of our citizens and economy.
Will Sessoms is the mayor of Virginia Beach.
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/12/uranium-mining-poses-too-great-risk
