Keeping Agriculture Alive in the Shadow of a Uranium Mine: Potential Effects and Regulatory Solutions for Virginia

By admin May 20, 2009
This is a preview of one of the upcoming Volume 34 notes

by Maggy J. Lewis

This Note deals with the emerging regulatory controversy over the potential mining of a uranium deposit located in rural Southern Virginia. The “Coles Hill” deposit is thought to be the largest deposit of uranium in the United States, but has been largely ignored since the Virginia General Assembly instituted a moratorium on uranium mining in the early 1980’s. The increase in the price of uranium in recent years has revived the debate on uranium mining. There is potential for the moratorium to be lifted in the near future and for uranium mining to be introduced to Virginia for the first time.

Virginia’s climate, topology, and climatology are substantially different from those areas in the Southwest where uranium historically has been mined. In addition, the location of the mine is in an area that, although considered rural within the state, has a significantly greater population density than the western mining areas.

The region of Southern Virginia where the proposed mine is located has historically been powered by nearby textile and furniture industries and agricultural production, especially tobacco. The present-day economy of the immediate region is comprised of more than a thousand farms, primarily producing tobacco, corn, wheat, and soybeans, and beef cattle and swine.

Although uranium mining has the potential to bring short-term economic prosperity to Southern Virginia, there are potential risks to the agricultural economy. The mining and milling process, as well as waste products, also bring significant risks of contamination to the surrounding environment. These risks which have been realized at other mining locations, and these risks may be exacerbated by the unique hydrological environment of Virginia. The increased exposure of crops and livestock has the potential to pose a significant safety and health risk to consumers of those products. More importantly, the public perception of risk or danger from uranium mining may also result in serious negative repercussions for the marketability of agricultural products from the nearby regions, regardless of whether those risks present any real threat.

This Note addresses the potential implications for agricultural production if uranium mining becomes a reality for Virginia by looking at scientific and sociological data at other mine sites, as well as public perception of food safety threats. There are gaps to be filled in both regulation and enforcement mechanisms as they apply to uranium mining’s effects on agricultural crops and livestock. This Note provides suggestions for means of regulating the output of agricultural products from the potentially affected regions of Virginia under the current statutory framework for developing state and site-specific protocols to ensure safety and preserve the public confidence in the food supply. By taking the proactive regulatory approach proposed by this Note, agriculture can continue to be a successful economic base of the Southern Virginia both during the uranium mining process and after it has come to an end.

The debate over Cole’s Hill will continue. Should Virginia tap these resources? How should Virginia protect farmers? What does mining Uranium say about Virginia’s balancing of energy needs and the safety of the food supply?


http://elpr.org/2009/05/20/keeping-agriculture-alive-in-the-shadow-of-a-uranium-mine-potential-effects-and-regulatory-solutions-for-virginia/