Opponents of Va. uranium mining to speak

Posted to: Environment News Virginia
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The Associated Press
© May 12, 2011

RICHMOND

Opponents of ending a 1982 ban on uranium mining in Virginia are mobilizing to keep that moratorium in place.

Representatives of the Southern Environmental Law Center and activists from Southside Virginia plan today to discuss their efforts to keep the ban in place. Collectively they call themselves the Keep the Ban Coalition.

Virginia Uranium Inc. is proposing to mine a rich deposit of uranium in Pittsylvania County. First, however, it must convince the General Assembly to end the nearly three-decade ban on uranium mining.

While the company insists mining can be done safely, opponents contend mining would threaten water sources and open up other parts of the state to mining.

The National Academy of Sciences is expected to deliver a report by year's end on uranium mining.

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So after our water is poisoned by Uranium mining

Submitted by wildhorses on Thu, 05/12/2011 at 11:05 am.

where are we going to find clean water? Import it?

Funny, I didn't know that

Submitted by EX-VA BEACH GUY on Thu, 05/12/2011 at 11:21 am.

Funny, I didn't know that Coal, Natural gas or uranium was anywhere NEAR the water?

And CANADA has No problem obtaining OIL onland....."right down the street from Alaska"? We buy a HUGE amount of oil from Canada?

Just gotta support those foreign countries?

Oh my god. Groundwater. You

Submitted by Live1767 on Thu, 05/12/2011 at 1:33 pm.

Oh my god. Groundwater. You know, that stuff that 75% of the world gets their drinking water from. When you lived in VA Beach, you were lucky enough that rainfall was enough to fill the reservoirs, but in a lot of this country, well water is the primary source of drinking water.

This mining operation also threatens river water due to the runoff that will occur. EVERYTHING ends up in the water system at some point, whether it gets there directly or through runoff. You ever looked in a culvert and counted the shopping carts? That's what your drinking, bud.

Yes to Uranium prospecting in Virginia

Submitted by frankr27401 on Thu, 05/12/2011 at 10:52 am.

The Southern Environmental Law Center and activists from Southside Virginia are a major player in high energy prices - in order to satisfy their personal environmental special interests. They don't care what energy costs you.

Until your drinking water is

Submitted by Live1767 on Thu, 05/12/2011 at 1:38 pm.

Until your drinking water is contaminated and you're forced to drink and bathe in bottled water.

All they're trying to do is have the energy companies comply with regulations intended to prevent environmental disasters. It's all good until a short-cut intended to maximize profits fails. You know, like that whole Gulf mess? Look, we environmentalists don't want to make energy prices too high, we just want to reduce the number of screw-ups. We just want to inform the public of the risks and let you judge whether the risks are worth the benefits.