VUI is on more radar screens

It’s been a tough 10 days for Virginia Uranium, the company that wants to mine and mill a massive uranium ore deposit in Pittsylvania County.

On May 12, a group called the Keep the Ban Coalition announced that 41 localities and organizations have joined in opposition to Virginia Uranium’s proposed project.

The "ban," in this case, is Virginia’s 1982 moratorium on uranium mining enacted during an earlier effort to develop the Coles Hill site. Opponents are concerned that the General Assembly could take up the moratorium issue as early as January, scant weeks after the National Academies of Sciences report on the project is released.

"Mining proponents think this issue will be won behind closed doors in Richmond, but the people of Virginia are demanding it be debated in town halls and on front porches," said Mary Rafferty, grassroots organizing manager for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Just a few days later, on May 17, the national water conservation group American Rivers placed the Roanoke (Staunton) River on its annual list of "America’s Most Endangered Rivers" because of the possibility that the Coles Hill site could mined.

"Virginia’s leaders demonstrated great foresight and moral courage when they banned uranium mining 30 years ago," American Rivers Peter Raabe said in a statement. "The question now is whether they will continue to protect our clean water, or allow this mining company to create a poisonous future for the region’s communities."

We’ve also learned more about the efforts of two North Carolina state senators, Doug Berger and Ed Jones, who have introduced legislation in that state’s General Assembly to study the short- and long-term impacts of uranium mining at Coles Hill on North Carolina’s economy, environment, agriculture, health and the well-being of the Tar Heel state’s residents.

The Keep the Ban Coalition, the American Rivers designation and the possibility of a North Carolina study all point to the same thing — growing opposition to Virginia Uranium’s plans from outside the Dan River Region.

The growing number of opponents and those simply concerned about uranium mining and milling in Virginia aren’t saying that the project could lead to people glowing in the dark. Instead, they’re talking about the concern of an increased risk of cancers among local people; lots of local people know someone who has fought cancer.

Opponents also aren’t trying to find a sacrificial snail darter to come between the promised 300-600 jobs at VUI and a struggling local economy. Rather, they’re talking about the dangers posed to water wells — something that rural residents depend on.

The growing number of voices that are concerned about uranium mining and milling at Coles Hill will make it tougher for the company to advance its agenda. Already, Virginia Beach, which drinks Lake Gaston water, has done some important scientific studies of how a problem at Coles Hill could affect the supply of water to Virginia’s largest city. If Raleigh, N.C., were also to tap into Lake Gaston, how much interest would they have in a uranium mine upstream?

More opponents mean more obstacles for Virginia Uranium. The landscape is starting to change, and the company now faces what looks more and more like an uphill fight.