From staff reports
Uranium mining in Southside Virginia — an issue that’s been dormant for
more than two decades — may be back on the landscape.
The Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville raised the
prospect of a renewed effort to mine uranium in Pittsylvania County in
an advisory last week. The Law Center says a draft energy plan
circulated by the Kaine Administration this summer contains references
to uranium mining in the Chatham area.
  The administration has been directed to develop a statewide energy
plan at the behest of the General Assembly. Early versions of
legislation mandating the plan contained references to uranium mining
in Pittsylvania. The version that ultimately was signed into law in
2006 contained no such references.
However, the Southern Environmental Law Center is warning that the
state energy plan, due to be released Sept. 12, could call for ending
Virginia’s 25-year moratorium on uranium mining. The ban was prompted
by a controversial proposal in the early 1980s to mine a large deposit
of uranium in the Chatham area.
“There is no precedent for large-scale uranium mining in eastern states
such as Virginia, where the population density puts more people at risk
and where a wetter climate increases the chance of radiation
contaminating streams and groundwater. Virginia has no experience with
regulating uranium mining,” the Law Center said a statement posted on
its website.
“As a renewed effort to develop the Pittsylvania County deposit moves
forward, SELC will be a lead advocate for ensuring that Virginia keeps
the ban on uranium mining and does not lift it unless the appropriate
state and federal agencies can ensure citizens that the natural
resources and public health of the Commonwealth will be fully and
forever protected,” the statement continued.
Jack Dunavant, whose Southside Concerned Citizens organization was
active in the controversy in the 1980s, said yesterday that he was
concerned about the possible resurgence of uranium mining in
Pittsylvania.
“I’ve got the same reservations I’ve had all along, the safety of it
from a mining standpoint particularly,” said Dunavant.
“I’ve been in touch with the Southern Environmental Law Center about
it. They’ve been the ones keeping a finger on this thing. We’ve been
looking for more information out of them.”
Dunavant said he wouldn’t be opposed to mining if he felt the safety
issues that dogged the industry 25 years ago had been adequately
resolved. Unfortunately, there’s been little such progress, he said.
“Basically there are safety concerns with the mining and the tailings
in particular and the spent fuel rods. If they could address those
issues I wouldn’t think there would be any opposition,” he said.
“It looks like it would be a good energy alternative source if they
could make it safe.”
Opponents of uranium mining contend it is especially unsuited for the
moist climate on the East Coast. Most uranium mining takes place in
arid regions where runoff into streams and rivers is less of a concern.
Dunavant agrees that mining operations should look elsewhere for the
raw deposits to needed fuel the industry.
“You don’t put the toilet in the middle of the living room,” Dunavant
said. “You’ve just got to just find places for it.”
In its statement, the Southern Environmental Law Center notes that
“(a)s a naturally occurring mineral, uranium is relatively stable in
the ground. When separated from rock and exposed to air and water,
however, radiation is released into the environment. Processed uranium
is used to fuel nuclear power plants.
“Virtually all uranium mining in the U.S. has occurred in the arid,
sparsely populated regions of the West. In these areas and other parts
of the world, uranium extraction and processing have caused serious
problems, such as contamination of groundwater and surface water and
increased cancer risk for workers and the public.
“The studies from the 1980s raised serious questions that were never
answered. Many questions remain today, including where the uranium
would be processed, how the mine waste or ‘tailings’ would be disposed
of, what safeguards would be in place to protect the environment and
public health, how would the facility be secured from earthquakes and
floods, and many more.”
Uranium mining in Southside Virginia was originally proposed by Marline
Corp. after the company discovered a 30 million pound deposit of
uranium oxide in Pittsylvania County in 1982. The company obtained
leases on 40,000 acres in the county, but its plans collapsed in the
face of public opposition and a plunging market for uranium worldwide.
The price of uranium oxide — commonly known as yellowcake — plummeted
almost two-thirds to $15 per pound in the mid-‘80s. The average price
in 2006 was $18.61 per pound, according to the Energy Information
Administration.