Please read the piece and follow up with comments, questions, and remarks to the sources Katie has provided. Make plans to attend the public hearing in Chatham on January 6. Citizen participation in the pre-study process will provide the best, if not the only, real oversight.
Both recent experience with uranium mining and Virginia ’s unique conditions should be thoroughly investigated.
By Katie Whitehead
The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee is responsible for overseeing all aspects, including the scope and design, of the study that will inform the General Assembly’s decision whether to reaffirm or lift Virginia ’s moratorium on uranium mining. The subcommittee met for the first time on Friday, December 12th in Richmond . The meeting included brief remarks by Dr. Michael Karmis, a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech and director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research. The meeting also included a public hearing to receive suggestions regarding points of concern that should be included in the scope of any study on the impact of mining uranium in the Commonwealth. Twenty people spoke representing citizen and/or industry interests.
Dr. Karmis offered his technical expertise to help the subcommittee write a "two-page" scope of work and "to see that it is adhered to" during the study process. He referred to "that deposit," suggesting he may think the study is supposed to focus on Coles Hill only. He mentioned that a typical National Academy of Science study takes 18 months. He did not discuss the cost of future work by his center, the NAS, or other research groups.
Defining the scope of the study will play a critical part in determining the value of the study results, since the scope determines what will actually be studied, what questions will be asked, and what evidence will be considered in answering them. This study should not be prejudiced by assumptions regarding a timeline, available funds, funding sources, interest in Coles Hill, or the preferences of Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI). A narrow scope, tight budget, or short timeline would leave out important questions, perhaps the very questions that ordinary citizens, their representatives in government, and industry experts most want answered.
We have an opportunity to learn from others’ experience with modern, regulated uranium mining. At the same time, we need to keep in mind that compared to most uranium mining sites Virginia has a wetter climate, more people per square mile, and different geology and hydrology. We need to be sure that both recent experience with uranium mining and Virginia ’s unique conditions are thoroughly investigated. For this to happen, we have to ask.
The subcommittee has the responsibility to structure an independent and thorough study based on evidence of all types – environmental, public health, and economic. Citizens expect the subcommittee and Dr. Karmis to define the study task without regard to VUI's budget, NAS's "typical" timeline, or the view that we only need and want to know about certain issues. Nor should the study be limited to Coles Hill, given that there are very likely other commercially viable uranium deposits in Virginia where mining permits may be pursued if the statewide moratorium is lifted.
Now is the time – before a study goes forward - to be sure your concerns are included. Don’t assume the subcommittee, Dr. Karmis, or members of the National Academy of Sciences know what should be studied. With all due respect to them and with every confidence that they want to do the right thing, they need the guidance of ordinary citizens in order to know they are addressing our concerns.
The Halifax County Chamber of Commerce formed a uranium study group in September to gather questions and issues that the community believes should be addressed in a study. The group presented its report Community Concerns Related to Uranium Mining in Virginia to the Uranium Mining Subcommittee at the December 12th hearing. The report recommends the study have a broad scope that focuses on actual evidence from existing uranium operations and mining communities. It is available on the Halifax Chamber Web site www.halifaxchamber.net. Many citizens expressed their concerns to the Halifax study group members, including twenty or more who submitted written questions and issues individually or working in cooperation with others. These written contributions are included in the report.
The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee will hold a public hearing at 6:00 pm on January 6th at Chatham High School in Pittsylvania County specifically to address the scope of the study. Only comments related to the study itself - what issues and what questions it should cover - will be allowed. The public is invited to ask hard questions and demand a full investigation.
Please attend the hearing; please speak in support of the scope recommended in the Halifax report. If you think the report does a good job of summarizing community concerns, please let the subcommittee know at the hearing or in a letter. If you think the report overlooks an issue, bring it to the subcommittee’s attention.
The outcome of any study turns on the issues studied and the questions asked. If you want to contribute to the decision of whether or not to retain the moratorium against uranium mining in Virginia , this is a good place to start or an important time to continue your efforts.
Katie Whitehead, a Pittsylvania County native, recently served on the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce Uranium Study Group, representing of the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA). She chairs the DRBA Mining Task Force. She participated in the 1980s uranium study as information officer for the Uranium Administrative Group in 1983. You can contact her at mkwhitehead@yahoo.com
Sidebar #1:
You can contribute.
The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee
needs to hear from us.
Here are three opportunities to act: read, write, speak.
1) Read the Halifax Chamber report:
Community Concerns Related to Uranium Mining in Virginia
The Halifax County Chamber of Commerce formed a uranium study group in September to gather questions and issues that the community believes should be addressed in a study. The study group’s report, submitted to the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee on December 12th, is available at www.halifaxchamber.net.
2) Write to the Uranium Mining Subcommittee regarding the study
As stated in their December 12th meeting agenda, the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee “welcomes written comment on the scope of the study until Monday, December 29th. Please send correspondence to the Coal & Energy Commission, c/o Ellen Porter, Division of Legislative Services, 910 Capitol Street , Richmond , Virginia 23219 or eporter@dls.virginia.gov.”
Written comments can also be handed to the subcommittee at the January Pittsylvania County hearing.
3) Speak at the public hearing in Pittsylvania County : January 6th at 6:00 pm at Chatham High School
The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee will hold a public hearing at 6:00 pm on January 6th at Chatham High School in Pittsylvania County specifically to address the scope of the study. Only comments related to the study itself - what issues and what questions it should cover - will be allowed.
For future meetings, click on the quick link labeled Meeting Schedule at the General Assembly Web site: http://legis.state.va.us
Sidebar #2:
Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy Uranium Mining Subcommittee:
Members:
Del. R. Lee Ware, Jr., Chair
Del. Charles W. Carrico, Sr.
Del. William R. Janis
Del. Watkins M. Abbitt, Jr.
Del. Kristen J. Amundson
Del. Clarence E. Phillips
Sen. John Watkins
Sen. Phillip P. Puckett
Sen. Frank W. Wagner
Mr. Harry Dean Childress
Del. Terry G. Kilgore, Ex Officio
Staff:
Ellen Porter (804) 786-3591
Division of Legislative Services
910 Capitol Street, Richmond , Virginia 23219
Bill Owen (804) 698-1540
House Committee Operations
P.O. Box 406, Richmond , Virginia 23218
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