NAS committee reviews uranium regulations

WASHINGTON — So-called conventional uranium mines and mills in the United States are no longer the industry norm.

In-situ recovery — or removing uranium straight from the ore with solution — is the more popular method now, experts say.

Conventional methods use underground or open pit mining to remove the rock. That’s then delivered to the mill, where the rock is crushed and the uranium is leached and concentrated to form yellowcake.

Yet, Chatham-based Virginia Uranium Inc. proposes to use conventional methods to extract uranium from the 119-million-pound ore body at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County. Company scientists ruled out in-situ recovery as a viable method because of the impermeable rock.

All of this is what the National Academy of Sciences’ provisional committee heard at an information-gathering session Monday at the Melrose Hotel in Washington.

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission asked the NAS to study the scientific aspects of uranium mining in Virginia, including best practices, improvements and state and federal regulatory framework.

The comprehensive report, due in December next year, will help state leaders determine whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regularly gets applications for in-situ recovery, but hasn’t had a new application for a conventional mill since 1981, William von Till, chief of the uranium recovery licensing branch for the NRC, told the committee.

Colorado is reviewing the only application since then, he added. Texas, Colorado and Utah regulate their uranium recovery operations as they entered strict agreements with the NRC.

The NRC would regulate uranium milling in Virginia, while the state would regulate the mining, he said.

The White Mesa Mill in Utah is the only currently operating conventional mill in the United States, von Till said.

Yet, the NRC has more than 30 years of experience with mills and there have been a lot of improvements — like liners, tailings management and groundwater monitoring — to protect the public from mill sites, von Till said.

Committee member Jill Lipoti, director of the Division of Environmental Safety and Health at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, asked if there were more modern mills.

Von Till said the agency doesn’t have an example for mills after groundwater regulations took effect in the 1980s

James Weeks of the Mine Safety and Health Administration told the committee there is a strong regulatory presence in mines across the country, including with inspections, but the agency hasn’t had a lot of experience with uranium mines. MSHA is responsible for the health and safety of the nation’s miners.

If uranium mines were to come back, the agency would need to gear up its capabilities, Weeks said in response to committee member questions.

Yet, a MSHA inspector can close all or part of a mine based on the inspection. Penalties are mandatory, he added.

“The agency carries a big stick,” Weeks said.

Uranium mines could use better monitoring and workers need better education about potential health hazards if a resurgence occurs, said Larry Elliott of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

“We anticipate a renaissance in uranium extraction and processing,” Elliott said.

Yet, the nation doesn’t have many experienced uranium miners who understand radiation exposure risks, he added.

NIOSH would like a national registry of workers, better record-keeping and tools like personal dosimeters used to detect and measure radiation in real time. The agency also recommends a lower exposure limit for radon than currently exists, he said.

Patrick Wales, VUI project manager, said he expects Virginia, if it lifts its moratorium on uranium mining and milling, to use the most stringent regulations to protect the health and environment. That’s based off his experience dealing with the state’s strict uranium exploration rules.

“We welcome that,” Wales said.

VUI wants to do not only what’s legally required, but feels it must use the latest recommendations and technology, like personal dosimeters, to protect the community, Wales said.

“This is our home. This is where we’ve chosen to live,” Wales said. “There’s a very real personal and moral obligation as well.”

Yet, the presentations to the committee showed Cale Jaffe, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, how little modern experience the nation has in conventional mining and milling.

“We are heading into uncharted territory,” Jaffe said. “That’s a sobering proposition.”

The NAS committee meeting continues Tuesday.