By: Tara Bozick
Published: October 03, 2011
RICHMOND --
Local leaders around Virginia are paying attention to the uranium mining issue as lawmakers could consider lifting the state’s moratorium as early as January.
During a workshop at the annual Virginia Municipal League conference in Richmond on Monday, city and county leaders discussed the concerns and opportunities of the Coles Hill project, where Virginia Uranium Inc. would like to mine and mill what’s thought to be the largest untapped U.S. uranium deposit at an estimated 119 million pounds.
“Whether or not Coles Hill will ever be mined, I don’t know,” said Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, who serves on the uranium legislative subcommittee.
Almost 30 years ago, a moratorium was issued until specific recommendations and regulations could be enacted. The moratorium remained as Marline Uranium Corp. dropped the project after uranium prices fell.
Yet, sometimes, as in the cases of the Gulf oil spill and Japan tsunami, there are things we cannot anticipate, responded Virginia Beach City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson.
She’s also worried about Virginia Uranium’s lobbying efforts and providing the money for the National Academy of Sciences study on the issue.
Virginia Beach commissioned an independent study to see how its water supply would be affected in a worst-case radioactive tailings release. Given the area’s population and the importance of the U.S. Navy and tourism, Virginia Beach and other nearby cities have too much at stake, she said.
“Our concerns are real,” Wilson said.
Danville City Manager Joe King and Danville City Councilman Gary Miller attended the workshop to keep abreast of an issue that concerns residents.
Miller questions whether uranium mining, which could bring jobs to Southside, is worth the risk. What concerns Miller, a physician, is how well Virginia would actually regulate it, not just now but in the future.
“I’m just concerned about the citizens of Southside,” Miller said.
King would like to know how the state would regulate uranium mining, as it has no experience doing so. He understands there are both benefits and risks to such a project.
“I think everybody in the Pittsylvania County area should be well informed and engaged in the subject and not just passive,” King said.
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