Uranium Mining Proposal Abandoned in Virginia

[bananas]

Source: Associated Press

A proposal to mine uranium in Virginia was abruptly abandoned Thursday in the Legislature, and supporters scrambled to appeal directly to the governor to salvage what would be the first full-scale mining operation of the radioactive ore on the East Coast.

Unable to deliver the votes in the General Assembly, Sen. John Watkins withdrew his legislation to establish state regulations for uranium mining in Southside Virginia, a rural area along the North Carolina state line and home to the largest known deposit of the radioactive ore in the U.S.

Watkins instead asked fellow Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to use his administrative powers to have state agencies draw up the rules. McDonnell has not taken a position on the divisive issue and his spokesman J. Tucker Martin said the governor was reviewing the request.

Meanwhile, opponents of uranium mining, many of whom had traveled to Richmond for a hearing on the legislation, cheered when Watkins announced his decision.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/uranium-mining-proposal-abandoned-virginia-18370205

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Good article, it points out that opposition included the state's medical society, farmers, businesses, etc.

It also mentions that a National Academy of Sciences study concluded the state would be challenged to create regulations to ensure safe mining and milling.

[Leontius]

1. I used to live about ten miles from the proposed mine site

and this is very good news. The possible economic gain in no way balances the health risks to the area. This has been a very tight and divisive fight, hopefully it's over for a while and they can move on.

[another_liberal]

2. Mining uranium . . .

Mining uranium where about fifty million people live within a two hundred mile radius? What could possibly go wrong?

[carolinayellowdog]

3. a rare and encouraging example of bipartisan cooperation

I was involved in the local environmentalist opposition to this for several years, and the gradual inclusion of many other partners-- finally including the Board of Supervisors in Pittsylvania County and the local Chamber of Commerce-- has given us increasing hope that this thing could be stopped. And how our hopes are fulfilled.

Southside Republicans in the General Assembly deserve due credit for working hard with their Democratic colleagues; James Edmunds, Danny Marshall, and Frank Ruff being very vocal and involved in the Keep the Ban movement.

[Monk06]

4. US uranium production accounts for only 3.1% of world production as compared to

Canada which accounts for 18.2%.

The US could shut down all domestic uranium mining and the uranium price and world reserves would not be the least affected.

[ROBROX]

5. After the USSR fell the USA bought TONS of processed uranium.

We were afraid of the uranium stored in unsecured areas could be taken by OTHER people so this country bought TONS and TONS or reactor ready uranium. This purchase put the Oak Ridge processing people out of business since we bought processed pure bomb grade uranium.

The reason to did for TOXIC and RADIOACTIVE material that is located in a nice area versus some desert located in the west is BIZARRE.