path: home > uranium

URANIUM? GET THE FACTS
a project of the Virginia Conservation Network


Uranium mining … in Virginia?
For more than 20 years, a statewide moratorium has protected Virginians from the public health risks of uranium mining.  Now a small group of local and Canadian investors wants to change that by asking the state to sanction their plans to mine and process uranium. The problem? No state with a climate and population density similar to Virginia’s has ever allowed the mining and milling of uranium. 

We can’t afford to experiment on Virginia. Tell your elected officials that you SUPPORT THE URANIUM MINING MORATORIUM

Uranium Mining Power Point: Click Here

Legal Facts
Background
In the News - Editorials
ACT NOW: Letter to the Editor
ACT NOW: Pass a Resolution
ACT NOW: Contact your Representative
Additional Resources


Virginia's History with Uranium Mining:

  • In the 1980s, uranium leases were filed on thousands of acres of land in Virginia.
  • At that time, the Commonwealth of Virginia undertook an extensive study of uranium mining.  It was costly, time consuming, and divisive. 
  • After the first year of study, the Virginia General Assembly, seeking to protect the public health and environment, banned uranium mining in Virginia. At the completion of the study, the General Assembly chose not to lift this moratorium.
  • Proponents of uranium mining now want to lift the ban on uranium mining, arguing we should begin restudying the issue.
  • While a study sounds harmless, the proponents have not demonstrated that uranium mining is any safer now than it was in the 80s—why should the Commonwealth reinvest time, money and energy to restudy a process already proven dangerous?
  • Why should the Commonwealth risk the public’s health and the environment for an industry which has a shameful legacy in terms of human and environmental devastation?
  • Virtually all uranium mining in the U.S. has occurred in sparsely populated regions of the arid West.  Uranium mining in a more densely populated, higher-precipitation region such as Virginia presents an untested, new experiment for federal and state regulators.
  • The Commonwealth should take no further action on a study or otherwise calculated to lift the moratorium on the mining and milling in Virginia until mining proponents provide reviewable information that demonstrates that mining and milling have been undertaken in at least five locations under conditions similar to Virginia's in such a manner that safeguards the environment, natural and historic resources, agricultural lands, and the health and well-being of citizens.

The facts speak for themselves:

  • The radioactive waste produced by a uranium mining and milling operation is stored on site for more than 1,000 years. Any leakage could contaminate waterways and wells.
  • No uranium mining and milling operation has ever been licensed in the U.S. east of the Mississippi.  The region’s wet climate and high population make it too risky.
  • Uranium deposits exist throughout the Virginia Piedmont.  Once the moratorium is lifted, additional mines will likely be proposed.
  • The drinking water supply of Virginia Beach is downstream of the proposed mine in Southside.  Other communities downstream of uranium deposits include Fredericksburg and Richmond.
  • Uranium mined in Virginia would be sold on the global market to the highest bidder, with no guarantee that it would increase our energy independence.
  • Investors seeking to mine uranium in Southside Virginia have planned to base their publicly traded company in Canada. There is no way to guarantee local control of such a company.
  • Better, safer sources of uranium exist—including decommissioned Soviet warheads and reprocessed fuel—that are sufficient to supply U.S. power plants.
  • The Virginia Energy Plan does not endorse uranium mining, but it does call for greater investments in energy efficiency as the key to energy independence.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

  • Contact your state Senator and Delegate and ask them to oppose any attempts to lift the ban on uranium mining.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
  • Ask your local governing body or civic association to pass a resolution against uranium mining and to send a copy of the resolution to their state Senators and Delegates.
  • Talk to your friends and neighbors about this serious issue and ask them to oppose any attempts to allow uranium mining in Virginia and to write their Delegate and Senator.
  • Continue to visit this website as new information and resources will be available
  • Contact the Virginia Conservation Network at 804.644.0283

Further Resources: