Virginia Pilot – Aug. 29
Elisabeth Hulette
But the pledge made little difference to those opposed to allowing state lawmakers to lift a 30-year ban on uranium mining in Virginia.
“In our opinion, it’s a smoke screen to move forward, and that’s not responsible,” said Teresa Stanley with Virginia Organizing, one of the groups in opposition. “There are still too many unknowns.”
Officials from Virginia Uranium Inc. spoke at a news conference just before a meeting of the governor’s Uranium Working Group at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
About 150 people attended the meeting, which featured a presentation by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on air and water quality and monitoring, and a chance for public comment. The working group is researching what kind of regulations would be needed for uranium mining – information lawmakers will use to decide whether to lift the ban.
If they do, Virginia Uranium wants to mine a rich deposit at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County, estimated to be worth $7 billion. Uranium is used in nuclear power plants, and supporters say the mining could pour jobs and tax revenue into the surrounding area.
The company has faced opposition from groups worried about the drinking water that comes from Lake Gaston.
On Tuesday night, company representatives hoped to put those fears to rest by reiterating promises to mix the “tailings” left over from mining and milling with cement, and store them underground in cells protected from heavy storms and flooding.
Patrick Wales, project manager for Virginia Uranium, noted that even if there were a problem, Norfolk’s water treatment facilities are “fully capable of treating and removing all contaminants.”
Some who attended the meeting seemed to agree. Robert Dean, chairman of the Tidewater Libertarian Party, said if the company can ensure the safety of citizens and bring economic prosperity at the same time, it should be allowed to mine.
“If you can do it safely, do it,” Dean said. “I think this company is trying to be a good steward, and very transparent.”
Others said neither the company nor government regulators can guarantee no one gets hurt.
“How can you get every particle?” said Del. Bob Tata, R-Virginia Beach. “It’s sort of a stretch.”
The Rev. Lauren Ramseur, also a member of Virginia Organizing, said the group is worried about more than just water.
There are the mine workers in Pittsylvania and the health of that community to consider, she said, and whether a few years of uranium energy is enough to justify the hundreds of years of storage it would take for the tailings to lose their radioactivity.
“It doesn’t measure up,” Ramseur said. “It doesn’t balance.”
Elisabeth Hulette, 757-222-5097, elisabeth.hulette@pilotonline.com
