Sides debate effectiveness of uranium rules

WASHINGTON — Lessons learned from the nation’s historic conventional uranium mine and mill sites turned into heavy regulation of the industry, mining interests said.

Regulations and guidelines for conventional uranium mines and mills are decades old and updated standards are needed, environmental interests said.

The National Academy of Sciences’ provisional committee studying uranium mining in Virginia heard from both sides on Tuesday at the Melrose Hotel in Washington.

Understanding the regulatory framework for uranium extraction is key if Virginia leaders would like to determine whether uranium mining and milling can be done in a way that safeguards the public health and environment, said Katie Sweeney, general counsel for the National Mining Association.

Virginia would regulate the uranium mine. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would regulate the mill (where ore becomes yellowcake). The Department of Energy would own, watch and maintain the mill site after reclamation is complete.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets protection standards, like for radium in soil, groundwater restoration and radon from tailings.

While the regulatory framework may be confusing, the complementary involvement of the agencies and the rigorous and numerous permitting processes ensure heavy regulation of the U.S. uranium industry, Sweeney said.

For instance, the mine would need an extensive operating plan and various associated permits (like for air and water quality). Before the mill can get a license, the NRC commences a site-specific evaluation including everything from waste management and financial assurance to environmental monitoring and historic and cultural impacts.

Over the years, the regulations for conventional mining and milling evolved and improved to protect against hazards, like with the passage of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978, Sweeney said.

Yes, there exists a “complicated mosaic” of necessary permits, agreed Geoffrey Fettus, senior project attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington.

But the uranium industry has an “abysmal” track record of regulation and enforcement, Fettus said.

“Conventional uranium mining was essentially unregulated for decades,” Fettus said.

Regulations that evolved are “patchy and holey,” he told the committee. Standards that haven’t been updated for more than 20 years need to change and in a way that shows the country what the tradeoffs are for uranium extraction, he added.

States have the right to require stricter standards, but rarely do so, although Colorado and New Mexico are on the right path, Fettus said.

Fettus said Virginia, which had a moratorium on uranium mining and milling since 1982, has the opportunity to be a “cleaner slate,” but the resources like money and expert personnel are needed to make sure the state keeps good enforcement practices.

Meeting attendee Olga Kolotushkina, representing the Roanoke River Basin Association, said presenters showed that while the uranium industry claims a long history, the standards haven’t been updated in years.

“I think the current regulations are antiquated,” she said.

Critics also pointed out that not many uranium mills began operations after regulations in the 1970s were established.

That just further illustrates how dependent the country is on other countries for uranium and now, with the latest science and heavy regulation, is the time for the nation to move forward in the energy sector, said Patrick Wales, project manager for Chatham-based Virginia Uranium Inc.

VUI proposes to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County.

Virginia also has the chance to incorporate criticisms into its regulatory framework, Wales said. VUI would like to serve as a model for responsible natural resource development for the rest of the world, he added.

“We expect the state to develop robust protective regulations,” Wales said. “Not only will Virginia Uranium demand it, the public will demand it.”

The NAS study is due to state leaders by December 2011. The study committee scheduled town hall meetings in Danville for Dec. 13 to Dec. 15.

For more info, visit www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/ and search Project Title “Uranium Mining in Virginia.”