Students and community members, joined by Va. Senator Houck, rally to protect their drinking water

Call for the General Assembly to Keep the Ban on Uranium Mining In Virginia

Contact: Mary Rafferty, 804-225-9113, mary.rafferty@sierraclub.org

Fredericksburg, VA – Over 100 students and community members were joined by state Sen. Edd Houck at a rally on the University of Mary Washington campus today to urge the Virginia General Assembly to maintain the state’s existing 30-year ban on uranium mining. With “Keep the Ban” signs and stickers, the citizens called on the legislature to put public health first when considering whether or not to lift the ban.

“We need to protect the Rappahannock River watershed and other rivers, lakes and streams throughout Virginia,“ said State Senator Edd Houck (D-17). “I support the ban on uranium mining because the risk to the waterways, public health and agricultural economy of our communities outweigh any potential benefits.”

“This is a statewide issue. If the ban is lifted, millions of Virginians would be at risk of drinking contaminated water. We must keep the ban on uranium mining in Virginia,” said Mary Rafferty, Grassroots Organizing Manager for the Virginia Sierra Club,

The uranium industry has launched a campaign to lift the 30-year ban so it can mine and process uranium, starting in Southside Virginia. In the 1980s, uranium mining leases were acquired along the Rappahannock River in Orange, Madison and Culpeper counties. While the leases have expired, these areas could be reconsidered for mining if the ban is lifted, putting the public drinking water for Fredericksburg and Orange County at risk.

The industry has told potential investors they expect a bill in the legislature in January 2012 after a series of reports and studies are released in December.

“As a native Virginian and student at University of Mary Washington, I am not willing to sit still while the uranium industry continues to make deals with politicians behind closed doors in Richmond,” said Graham Givens, a junior at UMW. “Uranium mining has devastated communities across the globe, and I’m not willing to let Fredericksburg or any Virginia community be added to that list.”

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