There’s a huge debate brewing over whether to study the feasibility of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County. Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, has submitted a bill to create a 15-member commission to assess the benefits and risks. A proposal just to study uranium mining, it seems, is highly controversial. There are many people in Pittsylvania County, the location of North America’s richest uranium deposit, who don’t even want to open up the possibility of reversing a 25-year moratorium on mining. (See the Times-Dispatch story on the latest developments in the General Assembly.)
I don’t profess any expertise whatsoever on the environmental impact of uranium mining. Foes contend that uranium mining produces large tailings piles of water-soluble, radioactive waste. Not something you want leaching into the water table. On the other hand, there may well have been significant advances in engineering and technology that allow the uranium to be processed safely. How do we know unless we get someone to study the question?
There’s a lot riding on this issue. Uranium mining in Virginia could lead to investment in uranium processing facilities as well. Combine that with the presence of nuclear service and design enterprises in Lynchburg (and Newport News as well, now that Northrup Grumman is getting into the business) as well as nuclear power generation by Dominion. The potential exists to build a world-class industry cluster based on nuclear power — creating a major high-tech growth industry for Southside/Central Virginia where no other obvious candidate exists.
The prospect of creating a new industry cluster does not justify despoiling large swaths of Pittsylvania County for the next 10,000 or more years. But surely it is reason enough to take a second look. Surely the General Assembly can create a study commission with a balance of industry and environmental expertise that can go out and ascertain under what circumstances, and with what safeguards, and at what risk, uranium mining might be possible.