By Chelyen Davis
RICHMOND—A group of Southside Virginia business leaders and Republican legislators said the question of whether to allow uranium mining needs a lot more time and study, and that lawmakers should do nothing on the issue in this General Assembly session.
Virginia has banned uranium mining for 30 years. But a company—Virginia Uranium Inc.—formed around a uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County wants the state to lift the ban, allowing the company to mine what it says is a deposit of at least 119 million pounds of uranium worth more than $7 billion.
Studies of the issue have said there could be economic benefits to the Southside region—which has one of the state’s highest unemployment rates—if uranium mining is allowed, but that there could be environmental concerns.
In a news conference Wednesday, the area’s legislators and business groups said they want to give the public, lawmakers and others time to understand those studies and all the potential impacts mining could have.
“We need to slow the train down and be sure what we’re doing,” said Del. Don Merricks, who represents the district the uranium deposit is in. “We can’t take these things lightly, we have to be sure.”
Ben Davenport, chairman of First Piedmont Corp., said the group wants the moratorium on uranium mining to remain in place, and for the governor to appoint a group to analyze the recent studies and report on the economic and environmental impacts.
“We are truly at a crossroad,” Davenport. If mining is approved, he added, “the county will never be the same.”
The group said they also want the other side of the economic impact considered—the prospect that businesses might choose not to locate in Southside because it’s home to a uranium mine.
Chris Lumsden, CEO of the Halifax Regional Health System, said it’s already difficult to recruit doctors and other health care professionals to the area.
Put a uranium mine there and “I can assure you most will look elsewhere,” he said.
Asked if other legislators have agreed to defer to those from the region of the potential mine, Sen. Frank Ruff said approval of uranium mining would affect the whole state.
“If there’s a billion dollars worth [of uranium] in Orange County, trust me, somebody will come up with an idea there” to mine it, Ruff said.
While the Southside lawmakers say wait, Virginia Uranium says the environmental safeguards that might calm the Southside delegation can’t be passed without lifting the moratorium and allowing state agencies to write regulations governing uranium mining.
“Our company agrees that there are many questions that need to be addressed before it receives a single permit or license to operate a uranium mine and mill in Virginia. The ultimate lifting of the legislative moratorium on uranium mining would allow the adoption of regulations under which these questions can be answered,” said Virginia Uranium project manager Patrick Wales in a written release. “No business of any sort can be expected to develop specific plans for a proposed operation—and no community can be expected to fully evaluate the potential risks of those plans—without knowing the laws and regulations by which they will be protected and governed.”
So far, no bills regarding uranium mining—for or against—have actually been filed in the General Assembly.
The deadline is Friday.
Chelyen Davis: 804/343-2245
cdavis@freelancestar.com
