Five legislators: Keep Va. uranium mining ban in '12

Legislators representing districts that encircle a uranium deposit in Southside Virginia are asking their colleagues to abandon any effort in the 2012 session to end the state's 30-year ban on mining the radioactive ore.

They said in a letter that the General Assembly needs additional time to review recent studies on uranium mining, including a dense statewide analysis by the National Academy of Sciences. It concluded Virginia faces "steep hurdles" to ensure that a 119-million-pound deposit in Pittsylvania County is mined and milled safely.

Del. Donald Merricks, whose district includes Pittsylvania County, said he's read the NAS report and others focusing on socio-economic issues and he's still not convinced the mining and the extraction of ore from rock can be achieved without a threat to the environment or the economy.

"Quite frankly, I just don't see anything in there that would make me feel any better about lifting the ban," Merricks said Tuesday. "The risk is real; the water is a precious resource. To me, those are serious risks before any thought of milling is even considered."

A spokesman for Virginia Uranium Inc., which is seeking to mine the uranium, said ending the ban does not mean the immediate start of mining. Patrick Wales said it would allow Virginia to develop a "robust" regulatory framework and that mining wouldn't occur for at least five years or more.

"That's all we've ever wanted," Wales said. "By lifting the moratorium, you can write the rules of the game."

The letter also includes the names of Dels. Danny Marshall III of Danville; James Edmunds and Tommy Wright, whose districts include counties east and north of the uranium deposit; and Sen. Frank Ruff, whose district ranges from Appomattox south to Pittsylvania County. All are Republicans.

Ruff agreed that Virginia legislators have not had sufficient time to study hundreds of pages of studies delivered in the past month to make an informed decision in the upcoming session.

"I seriously doubt if enough legislators have carefully gone through that material to make a serious decision about a serious issue," Ruff said. "I see no reason why we can't go through those studies and come back in 2013 with a better understanding."

Wright is blunt: "My main concern is I'm opposed to it regardless of the reports. Once our water supply and our lakes are polluted, it's too late."

Virginia Uranium has courted General Assembly members in hopes of having the ban lifted so the Chatham company can mine a deposit beneath 3,000 acres within 20 miles of the North Carolina border. The ban has been in place since 1982.

Virginia Uranium has flown legislators on its tab to Canada and France to make the case that mining and milling can be conducted safely and invested heavily in lobbyists. Wales, the company's project manager, said the company has "tremendous" support in the General Assembly.

He cited socio-economic reports that predict the creation of a 1,000 jobs as a result of mining. "It really could be the catalyst for restarting the Southside economy," Wales said.

No one has submitted legislation to lift the ban. The General Assembly convenes for the 2012 session Jan. 11.

Uranium mining has occurred only as a byproduct of other mining on the wetter East Coast. Opponents have cited the risk to public water supplies from the milling of the radioactive ore and the waste created by that process in an environment that is subject to heavy rains and extreme weather.