Uranium Subcommittee to Hold Public Hearing Jan. 6 in Chatham

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:20 PM EST

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining Subcommittee will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. at Chatham High School to receive public comment on its study of uranium mining.

"Subcommittee members want to hear from all interested parties what environmental, economic, scientific, engineering, and related topics should be included in the study," said Del. Lee Ware Jr. of Powhatan, chairman of the subcommittee.

Ware, however, stressed it's too early to receive testimony on the "pros and cons" of uranium mining, but said the subcommittee wants to hear from the public on the scope of the study.

In addition to Ware, the subcommittee includes Del. Watkins Abbitt of Appomattox, Sen. John Watkins of Midlothian, Del. William R. Janis of Glen Allen, Del. Charles W. Carrico Sr. of Galax, Sen. Phillip P. Puckett of Tazewell, Del. Clarence E. Phillips of Castlewood, Del. Kristen J. Amundson of Fairfax County, Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach and Harry D. Childress.

Childress, a citizen member on the Coal and Energy Commission, is the former head of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Abbitt was a member of the original commission that studied uranium mining in the 1980s.

The commission's chairman, Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County, also serves on the subcommittee as an ex-officio member.

The study itself, while overseen by the subcommittee, will be conducted by Dr. Michael Karmis, a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

According to Ware, Karmis will work directly with the National Academy of Sciences.

The study is expected to take about two years.

Pittsylvania County is home to what is believed to be the largest uranium deposit in the United States.

The Coles Hill deposit was discovered in the early 1980s about six miles northeast of Chatham.

Two years ago, Walter Coles, who owns a majority of the deposit, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to eventually mine the uranium deposit, which is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Before the deposit can be mined, however, the General Assembly would have to lift Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining, which has been in place since 1982.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/12/18/chatham/news/news47.txt