Uranium mining in Virginia suffered a small set back from the long awaited report from the National Academy of Sciences. The report warned the Virginia legislature that it faced steep hurdles on its path to safely mining and processing uranium while protecting the general public and the environment.
The more than 300 page long report which was presented to a panel of the state legislature is part of the process which is debating the lifting of a 30 year old moratorium on mining uranium in the state of Virginia. While the report did not make any outright recommendations on if the moratorium on uranium mining should be lifted, it did mention that the state of Virginia was currently unequipped to regulate this mining.
The pressure to lift the moratorium comes from the wish of company Virginia Uranium to mine the uranium deposit at Coles Hill. The area is located in the south central state county of Pittsylvania. The potential deposit at Coles Hill is reported to be to the tune of 119 million pounds of uranium. This if extracted is enough to keep the 104 nuclear reactors in the United States operational for two years.
Coles Hill was originally discovered by Marline Uranium in 1978. Virginia placed a temporary ban on uranium mining in 1982 so that it could make appropriate regulatory laws. At about the same time the prices of uranium dropped and interest in the project dwindled. Now it is again being rekindled by Virginia Uranium.
While proponents feel that it could be the center of a major economic boom in the state the critics say that the mining in the region would give an unacceptable risk of radioactive contamination to the local communities and the environment. In particular the river system that feeds Lake Gaston would be contaminated affecting the major source of water for Hampton Roads.