Uranium mining study to start this winter

A study of the safety of uranium mining in Virginia should start this winter and be finished in two years, legislators say.

Members of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy, which seeks the study, discussed it briefly during a meeting today.

Officials at the National Research Council have given preliminary approval to do the study. The council is the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences, a respected institute that advises government agencies.

The council and the commission are close to ironing out details of the study. The commission’s chairman, Del. Terry G. Kilgore, R-Scott, said the study should start this winter and be finished in 18 to 24 months.

The study arises from a proposal by Virginia Uranium Inc. to mine uranium in Pittsylvania County in south-central Virginia. The company, formed by Pittsylvania landowners, says more than 100 million pounds of the ore lie underground. The uranium is estimated to be worth $8 billion to $10 billion.

The study would cost an estimated $1.5 million. The company is expected to pay for it.

Supporters say the mining would create jobs and help address America’s energy needs. Opponents fear the mining would pollute streams and farms.

Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell said at a news conference today that he wants to await the results of the study before taking a position.

“It is a huge issue,“ McDonnell said, noting that the potential economic impact must be balanced against environmental effects, not only in Pittsylvania but in Virginia Beach.

Much of the water serving Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake comes from Lake Gaston, which lies downstream from the proposed mine.

Uranium is used to fuel nuclear power plants. Virginia has banned uranium mining since the early 1980s.

The commission also wants a second study, which would look into uranium mining’s effect on jobs, property values and similar issues. Details on that study, including who would do it and what it would cost, have not been determined.