The Uranium Mining Debate Heats Up
Public Radio Debate on 89.1FM, Events throughout the Month
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| Listen in as PEC President Chris Miller debates Patrick Wales of Virginia Uranium on Tuesday at 7:30pm on 89.1FM. |
Do Virginians want to experiment with mining and milling uranium? That's the question our General Assembly is expected to answer this coming winter. Before voting, they'll have to weigh the risks of radioactive contamination to our air and drinking water, and the associated risks to human health and the environment (as well as cleanup costs), against the potential financial benefits.
Tomorrow night, Oct. 25th, I'm set to debate Patrick Wales of Virginia Uranium, Inc. on Virginia Public Radio's Evening Edition, from 7:30-8:30pm on 89.1FM regarding the pros and cons of uranium mining in the Commonwealth. Be sure to tune in if you get the station, or check the 89.1FM website!
Learn More at Upcoming Forums and Events
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and other organizations throughout Virginia are also hosting a series of public events on uranium mining. We encourage you to attend one these events to learn more:
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Oct 26: Community Meeting in Middleburg
(Loudoun) Join PEC, the Goose Creek Association, and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters for a meeting about VA's moratorium on uranium mining. Attendance is free and open to the public.
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Nov 3: Uranium-- What Should Virginia Do?
(Richmond) Come to this Public Education Forum, hosted by The Garden Club of Virginia, to learn more about the potentional for uranium mining in our state and the associated health and environmental risks. The forum will feature multiple speakers and panelists as well as open discussion. This is an all day event and is $40 per person for the general public (includes lunch). -
Nov 10: Uranium Mines Here?
(Fauquier) Bring your lunch and join the Warrenton Garden Club and PEC for a discussion about whether Fauquier County should be concerned if Virginia ends the 30-year-old moratorium on uranium mining. The event is free of charge, open to the public, and the Warrenton Garden Club will be providing drinks and desserts. -
Nov 11: Uranium Mining in VA-- Should we end the moratorium?
(Loudoun) Join Sustainable Loudoun and PEC for an informative forum concerning the moratorium currently in place in Virginia. A panel of experts will be speaking about what is at stake; particularly concerning our health and the health of our environment. -
Nov 16: Keep the Ban!
(Charlottesville) Mary Rafferty, Grassroots Organizing Manager of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, will be the featured speaker at this talk about the risks associated with uranium mining and milling. The event will take place at 7pm at St. Mark Lutheran Church.
Background Information
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| Watch our uranium video to learn more. (Directed by Cat McCue of The Southern Environmental Law Center and produced by Katherine Vance of The Piedmont Environmental Council) |
In the 1970s mining companies located a deposit of uranium in Pittsylvania County. Leading into the 1980s, those same companies filed mining leases on thousands of acres of land in Virginia --including land in Fauquier, Orange, Culpeper and Madison. They also started a push for the General Assembly to set up rules to allow uranium mining in the Commonwealth.
In response, the Commonwealth undertook an extensive study of uranium mining. The results of this study led the General Assembly and Governor to decide it was not in the best interest of the citizens to allow uranium mining in the state of Virginia.
Today, however, a new corporation called Virginia Uranium, Inc., is trying to have the 30-year-old ban on uranium mining lifted. Although the primary focus on the uranium debate has been on the Coles Hill site in Pittsylvania County, most of Virginia's population could be impacted by uranium mining, especially those areas downstream or downwind of mining sites.
Wind and waterborne pollution have always been at the center of our concern. Pollution doesn't respect property lines or state or national borders. And when the pollution in question can persist for tens of thousands of years, and the impact of exposure to it can be so devastating, our efforts to prevent the spread of pollution should be even more vigilant.
If you'd like to learn more, PEC has extensive resources on uranium mining in Virginia available at www.pecva.org/uranium. You can also sign the Petition to Keep the Ban.
Sincerely,
Chris Miller, President
The Piedmont Environmental Council
cmiller@pecva.org
