Halifax Applauds Va. Beach [Anti- U Mining] Resolution

Halifax Town Council passed a resolution Tuesday night endorsing action this week by the City of Virginia Beach to oppose uranium mining in Virginia. Virginia Beach, which draws its drinking water from Lake Gaston, downstream from the proposed Coles Hill mine site in Pittsylvania County, said it would oppose mining in the absence of an unbiased, conclusive study on the potential effects.

In December 2007, the Town of Halifax adopted a resolution supporting the state’s moratorium on the mining and milling of uranium which was enacted back in 1983.

Virginia Beach pointed out in its resolution that it, along with Chesapeake, owns a raw water intake on Lake Gaston. Water from the Lake Gaston pipeline is intermingled with the water supplies of Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, the resolution noted.

If a flood of the magnitude of one caused by Hurricane Camille in 1969 were to fragment one or more tailings piles from the uranium mine and transport radioactive mill tailings downstream into Kerr Reservoir, then the Lake Gaston pipeline might be rendered inoperable for an indefinite period of time, the resolution noted.

In such an event, a worst case scenario would include abandoning the Lake Gaston project and terminate the water services contract with Norfolk.

Virginia Beach noted that such an event might mean the city would have to construct a seawater desalination plant to replace the abandoned water supply at a cost in excess of $500 million. The city noted that no mines or uranium tailings confinement cells have ever been constructed in locations such as Virginia that are subject to frequent tropical storms, hurricanes, and other storms that can and have produced such precipitation. Therefore the resolution said there can be no reasonable assurance under the present state of knowledge that uranium mining can be performed safely in Virginia.

Halifax Town Council’s resolution added that the entire study process must be open to the public and press and that Halifax, the City of Virginia Beach and other potentially impacted jurisdictions must be included as active participants in the study process.

Council was also advised that the Coal and Energy Commission, which is calling for the study, will meet this Friday at 3 p.m. in Richmond to hear public comment on the issue. Several Council members said they will be present.

According to Nancy Pool, Executive Director of the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce, the study which her group has been working on for the past several months will be presented to Delegate Clarke Hogan for him to present at the Friday meeting.

http://www.thenewsrecord.com/2008webfiles/20081211halifaxuranium.htm