Public Discussions on 'Keeping the Ban' on Uranium Mining
Posted: Nov 05, 2011 9:23 PM EDT
Dry Fork, VA - The thought of bringing back uranium mining is nothing new in Pittsylvania County. Even though mining's been banned since the early '80s, some fears from the past are starting to re-emerge.
That's why two groups hosted public discussions against uranium mining today, and one was in Danville and one was in Dry Fork. Locals say the practice, could really damage their lives.
About 80 people gathered in Dry Fork with plenty of questions about uranium mining.
A group of volunteers who work with the League of Individuals for the Environment, also known as LIFE, brought in experts like Dr. Bob Moran who told the community that uranium can really contaminate water.
"We depend on our local wells. we're not on town water," President of LIFE Deborah Lovelace said.
"In the end, a lot of the long-term waste-management is subsidized by the taxpayers," Bob Moran, who holds a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences, said.
And most of those taxpayers live just miles away from the proposed mining site at a property
called Coles Hill, in between Gretna and Chatham and it's leaving some really upset.
And members of the Roanoke River Basin Association also came together today in Danville with the experts.
Like those in Dry Fork, they're standing strong in support of the ban on uranium mining.
"We need to show our legislators that we don't want uranium mining. we want stable communities," Roanoke River Basin Association Volunteer Olga Kolotushkina said.
Experts say the rainy weather in the Southside area can spread by-products from mining.
http://www.wset.com/story/15968724/public-discussions-on-keeping-the-ban-on-uranium-mining
Staying informed key to safeguarding water, experts say
By: Tara Bozick
Published: November 05, 2011
Sooner or later, uranium mining issues are always about the water, one hydrogeologist said.
And the key to safeguarding local water is prevention, as restoration is hard, said Robert Moran, a water quality and geochemical expert who spent more than 39 years working with investors, industry, government agencies and community groups.
“There’s nothing more valuable than water even if it does not have monetary price,” added Paul Robinson, an environmental expert and research director of the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, N.M.
Both advised attendees of the Roanoke River Basin Association Board meeting on Saturday on the need for stringent regulations and enforcement if Virginia lifts its moratorium on uranium mining.
Robinson, a Harrisonburg native, addressed the General Assembly before it adopted the moratorium in 1982. The Code of Virginia states that the state shall not accept any uranium mining permit applications “until a program for permitting uranium mining is established by statute.”
He would also like to see the state collect water samples and not just rely on industry self-monitoring.
“I’ve never seen a mining site, modern or old, that didn’t have serious impacts,” Moran said.
Moran leaves it up to the community to make its own decision on whether to mine, but said, either way, people need to get informed and ask to see real-world data and not presentations or computer model analyses.
While radiation is oft-talked about, uranium is a toxic heavy metal that when ingested can cause kidney damage, he said.
Additionally, a Marline report shows that the Coles Hill deposit has the presence of other heavy metals, like radium, thorium, strontium, vanadium, copper, lead, mercury and even rare elements, Moran said.
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/nov/05/staying-informed-key-safeguarding-water-experts-sa-ar-1438381/
Panelists at forum sharply divided on risks, rewards of uranium mining in Virginia
Steve Szkotak, Associated Press, On Friday November 4, 2011, 9:44 am EDT
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- In a preview of what could be the top issue before the General Assembly in 2012, supporters and opponents of uranium mining in Virginia offered starkly different views Thursday of opening one of the world's largest known deposits of the radioactive ore.
The arguments, offered at a daylong forum sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia, were made about one month before a highly anticipated scientific report examining the statewide impacts of lifting a 1982 state ban on uranium mining and allowing the mining and milling of the radioactive ore.
The National Academy of Sciences report will not recommend whether the state should end the moratorium, but it is expected to be a primary source of information if it heads to the legislature
I don't think there are examples of this occurring safely anywhere," countered Christopher Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council.
The mine would be located in an environment that is subject to hurricanes and drenching rains, which have the potential to wash radioactive tailings downstream, environmentalists said. The city of Virginia Beach, which draws its water from the region, has conducted a study that raises the possibility of the mine and its radioactive waste fouling city waters during a catastrophic storm.
During a question-and-answer session, Wales did acknowledge that Virginia Uranium has assembled a large number of lobbyists to argue its case at the Capitol.
"We do have lobbyists, and quite a few of them," he said. "It is, unfortunately, the way a lot of things are accomplished in Richmond."
Environmental groups also released a letter to the NAS panel studying uranium mining seeking a series of "town hall" meetings in Virginia and North Carolina once the study is released in December. They said the hearings are critical to winning public confidence in the report.
"Unfortunately, the uranium mining industry is now pressing state legislators to lift Virginia's mining ban during the upcoming legislative session -- before this committee's project has been completed," according to the letter, which was written on letterhead of the Southern Environmental Law Center. The names of seven other groups were listed in the letter.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Forum-airs-opportunity-risks-apf-3887365605.html?x=0
