Del. Merricks Supports Uranium Study

Sunday, December 14, 2008

By GINNY WRAY - Bulletin Staff Writer

Del. Don Merricks supports the study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County.

Merricks feels it should include all aspects of the issue — environment, health, social, economic and so on.

The study, he said, could take two or three years, and “then the hard decision will be coming.” “Once they determine the scope (of the study), the process should be transparent, not behind closed doors. The opponents need to back off. Virginia Uranium needs to back off. The committee, while driving that train, needs to back off and let” the independent parties complete their study of the issue, Merricks said last week during an interview.

Virginia passed a moratorium on uranium mining in 1981. But Virginia Uranium Inc. has retained interest in tapping the Coles Hill deposit in Chatham, with 119 million pounds of untapped uranium ore. It is believed to be the largest trove in the country and the seventh largest in the world, a Virginia Uranium Inc. geologist, Patrick Wales, told the Martinsville Rotary Club last month. It would be worth about $10 billion over 30 years, Wales said.

The deposit is in Pittsylvania County, which Merricks represents in the General Assembly along with the city of Martinsville and northeast Henry County.

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission, chaired by Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, has agreed to study the viability of uranium mining in Virginia. Merricks was to appear before that commission on Friday as it started the process of determining the scope of the study.

“Until an independent study proves to me beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt that mining can be done safely without adverse effects to the environment, public health or economy, I’m not gong to be in favor of it,” he said. “I’m not going to fuel America at the expense of Pittsylvania County.”

The study will pair the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech with the National Academy of Sciences, according to The Associated Press. It will involve 15 to 20 scientists and take approximately one and a half years to complete, said Michael Karmis of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research.

Merricks noted that uranium mining is a big, divisive, emotional issue. He added that he is not a scientist, so he must rely on independent expertise. “Who do you believe? A study is the best thing you can do,” Merricks said.

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