A company looking to mine uranium in southwest Virginia remained optimistic even as Gov. Bob McDonnell told lawmakers Thursday to leave a ban on such mining in place for another year.
More time is needed to study the impact of the Coles Hill mine in Pittsylvania County to make “certain that uranium mining can be conducted safely and responsibly,” McDonnell said.
At the same time, McDonnell asked state agencies to start drafting mining regulations that could be put in place more quickly in 2013 should the ban be lifted then.
The dual directive emboldened Virginia Uranium, the company that wants to begin digging for the nuclear fuel, while raising concerns among environmental groups about safety risks from uranium extraction.
A 22-month National Academy of Sciences study did not definitively answer whether the state should allow uranium mining, but it highlighted potentially disastrous consequences on the environment and the health of area residents if the radioactive materials are unearthed.
The study warned that Virginia Uranium faced “steep hurdles” in protecting workers and nearby residents, but it did outline how it could be done effectively.
McDonnell said that study “while broadly helpful, left many questions still unanswered,” and he ordered several state agencies to start writing regulations and legislation to present to the Coal and Energy Commission next year. It will take years for the company to get the proper permits to begin extraction and McDonnell’s directive will help speed up that process if the ban is lifted.
In claiming victory, Uranium Mining Project Manager Patrick Wales said he welcomed the review period and noted “a strong foundation of international best practices and regulatory standards on which the commonwealth can draw to establish a rigorous program for regulating uranium mining.”
Valued at $7 billion, the Coles Hill mine is the largest and only economically feasible uranium deposit in the state. It is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs in southwest Virginia where unemployment is especially high.
But opponents, including conservation groups and lawmakers from both parties, warn that the risks outweigh the benefits.
“The National Academy of Sciences report provides convincing evidence that uranium mining, milling, and waste disposal would be impractical in Virginia,” said Bob Burnley of the Southern Environmental Law Center.
