Rewards and risks of mining

Sen. Bill Stanley recently added his voice to the growing chorus of Virginians who want the General Assembly to move carefully on uranium mining.

Stanley wants to give the public time to fully review the uranium mining studies that are being released this month. He is concerned about letting the uranium mining "genie out of the bottle" now and being faced with unexpected consequences in the future.

"I don’t believe this is the silver bullet that will solve all of our economic problems," Stanley said at the annual AP Day at the Capitol in Richmond.

The latest uranium mining study, which was released this week, was funded by the Danville Regional Foundation and prepared by RTI International. Like a similar report released Nov. 30, the RTI study gives plenty of ammunition for both sides — but not enough for either to declare victory.

RTI found that Virginia Uranium’s Coles Hill project could mean 724 jobs and $162 million for the Dan River Region’s economy annually for more than 20 years.

"Risks could be significantly reduced if appropriate investments are made in design, pollution control technologies, and regulatory development and implementation, and ongoing commitments are made to frequent monitoring and transparent communication," the report said.

That makes sense, of course. A well designed uranium mine and mill, with the right kind of pollution control systems for the Dan River Region, overseen by the right kinds of regulations and with diligent monitoring might be able to protect us while at the same time providing nuclear power plants with the fuel they need to make electricity.

But the RTI report also says this:

"If investments such as these are not made across the board, the region has much to lose."

For uranium mining and milling to cause no harm to this community, a lot of things have to be done correctly. Make a mistake, and all those jobs, investments and tax dollars are less of a bargain.

That’s what this latest study, like the recently released Chmura study, are trying to say. We have things to gain — and lose — by letting this "genie out of the bottle."

Stanley is relatively new to public office. This January will only be his second regular General Assembly session. But in the short time he has represented this community in the state Senate, he’s been a quick study about the long-term efforts that have been made to revive the local economy. No one wants uranium mining and milling to derail the economic development progress that has been made here over the past decade.

The choices are complex and the risks need to be well understood before we move forward. Punting this question to 2013 will at least give everyone time to digest these complex studies and make a better choice for the Dan River Region, its people and its future.