Thursday, November 13, 2008 9:53 AM
Source: The Roanoke Times)
By The Roanoke Times, Va.Nov. 13--Virginia needs an independent study of whether uranium can be safely mined within the state. But the study endorsed recently by the state Commission on Coal and Energy has some of the same problems as a proposed study scuttled in the General Assembly last session.
A truly independent study would be funded by the state. Del. Terry Kilgore, chairman of the commission, said he hoped mining interests and environmental groups would pick up the tab.
But since mining interests tend to have deeper pockets, they could pick up more of the costs, which could taint the outcome.
The commission envisions a very broad-based study. "We need to leave no stones unturned on this," Kilgore said.
The study would examine the safety, environmental and economic impact of mining and processing uranium in Virginia.
But it makes more sense to limit an initial study to safety and environmental impact.
If uranium mining cannot be done in a safe and environmentally sound manner, there is no point studying the potential economic impact.
As Kilgore said, "If it's not safe, we don't want to do it."
In the United States, uranium has always been mined in arid, sparsely populated areas. Even then, there have been tremendous safety issues and lasting environmental damage.
Uranium proponents say that mining technology has improved since Virginia placed its moratorium on mining in 1983, but it would be very difficult to strip mine an extremely radioactive substance in a safe manner -- especially in an area with lots of rainfall and a high water table.
As Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, told the Danville Register & Bee, "It's about more than just digging a hole and getting uranium out. ... What impact will it have on health now, 30 years from now, 300 years from now -- here and downstream."
That's not to say it can't be done, or hasn't been done safely elsewhere around the globe. If so, a comprehensive study should be able to determine that.
But the U.S. record on uranium mining is a case study for caution, with its ongoing legacy of groundwater contamination and health impact, especially on the Navajo people on whose land much of the mining occurred.
Cleaning up about two dozen of the worst mining sites is projected to cost about $1.5 billion, according to the the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Before Virginia even begins to contemplate lifting the moratorium on uranium mining, a truly independent study must prove that such mining can and is being done safely under similar conditions today.
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