Uranium Mining Focus of Meeting in Danville

By John Crane

Published: April 28, 2008

A local environmental group will hold a seminar on the effects of uranium mining Wednesday night in Danville.

Southside Concerned Citizens is sponsoring the Uranium Mining Educational Seminar that will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the North Theatre at 629 North Main St. in Danville. The two-hour event is free and open to the public.

Gregg Vickrey, chairman of SCC’S Chatham/Pittsylvania County chapter and a scheduled presenter at the seminar, said the meeting will answer questions residents may still have about uranium mining and milling.

“There are still a lot of people that tell us they don’t know enough about uranium and uranium mining,” Vickrey said Sunday.

Walter Coles Sr., owner of Virginia Uranium Inc. in Chatham, said the seminar will be the same as past presentations and that he will not attend.

Besides Vickrey, presenters will include Jeff Johnson, a geologist with the Dan River Basin Association, and Allison Fisher, organizer with the energy program of Public Citizens, a Washington, D.C.-based group. Jack Dunavant, chairman of SCC, will introduce the speakers.
SCC has held similar events in Dry Fork, Halifax and Chase City.

Vickrey said he will speak on the history of how the idea of uranium mining started in the area in the early 1980s, discuss what happened in the last year, and talk about the upcoming General Assembly’s actions on the topic.

Virginia Uranium Inc. has proposed a uranium mining and milling operation for about 110 million pounds of uranium ore on Coles Hill about six miles outside Chatham, and sought a study from the National Academy of Science or other independent institution to determine whether mining can be done safely in the commonwealth. A bill that would have authorized a study died in the Senate earlier this year.

Opponents of the mining are afraid of its environmental effects, but proponents, including Virginia Uranium, say it could revamp the local economy. The potential for mining uranium in Virginia was proposed in both Pittsylvania and Orange counties in the early 1980s, but only Pittsylvania County has seen any serious interest in getting the statewide moratorium lifted.

The educational seminar also will address Virginia’s climate compared to that of other areas where uranium has been mined, the promise or failure of new technologies in mining, and effects on water, wildlife, crops, livestock and residents’ health.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/uranium_mining_focus_of_meeting/3212/