NRC committee to meet to discuss uranium study

The National Research Council governing board’s executive committee will meet next month to discuss the study that would determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in Virginia.

The meeting will take place Nov. 10 in Washington and will be closed to the public, said Jennifer Walsh, spokeswoman for the National Academy of Sciences.

Walsh said she does not know if the committee will decide during next month’s meeting whether to approve the study.

Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. VUI, through Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research, would pay for the study’s first phase focusing on the technical and public-safety aspects of mining.

That first phase would cost as much as $1.4 million. Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research would handle the money and contract with the NAS for the study. The second part of the study, dealing with the socioeconomic aspects of mining, still needs to be developed by the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission. VUI would not fund the second part.

If the governing board approves the study request, the next step would be the NRC negotiating and entering into a contract with Virginia Tech’s Center for Coal and Energy Research. The board would then appoint a provisional committee of about a dozen scientific experts to perform the study and write its report.

There will be public comment regarding the makeup of the committee, William Kearney, NRC spokesman, said last month.

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/nrc_committee_to_meet_to_discus_uranium_study/15011/

Virginia Energy Resources Inc. Corporate (Investor) Presentation

You really need to read this. There are lots of pictures and graphs...it's not a difficult read. But it sure is an interesting one. Everything is falling into place just like dominoes, for Santoy/VERI, VUI, Va Tech, and all investors. There's plenty of space for tailings and a uranium mill. Tech is offering all sorts of student work experiences. It's amazing, actually, to read just how well, and how quickly, things are moving toward mining. It's as though nothing can possibly get in the way. We are fighting a HUGE machine here...one that's well-organized, well-oiled, and well-funded. When will the rest of the state wake up? It's imperative that Southside have the rest of the Commonwealth behind it in this fight. It's enormity has never been better presented than it is here:

http://www.santoy.ca/i/pdf/CorporatePresentation.pdf

Foundation may fund study on uranium's impact

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 8:53 AM EDT

DANVILLE - Danville Regional Foundation is considering funding a regional socioeconomic study of the impact of uranium mining and milling.

The foundation, formed in 2005 following the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center, last week issued a request for qualifications for a proposed study from interested firms, non-profit organizations and academic programs.

According to president and chief executive officer Karl Stauber, the foundation hopes to sponsor an "independent and rigorous socioeconomic examination" of the effects of the proposed uranium mine, mill, and long-term waste management on the people and institutions, including the economy, of its service region.

The foundation, which has $165 million in assets, serves Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, N.C.

"We're not taking a pro-mining position and we're not taking an anti-mining position," said Stauber. "We're taking a position that the people of this region need to understand the implications of uranium mining."

The proposed study would include the examination of three scenarios - best reasonable, worst reasonable, and reasonable - based on a variety of economic, social and ecological variables to be developed by the independent researchers.

It will look at uranium mining's benefits and dangers, including its effect on property values, taxes and institutions.

The proposed socioeconomic study would be conducted by an organization outside Virginia and without conflicts of interest, the proposal states, and would be separate from state studies.

The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy is working with the National Academy of Sciences on a statewide scientific study of uranium mining.

The study, which is expected to take about 18 months, will cost an estimated $1.2 million.

Virginia Uranium Inc., which announced plans two years ago to explore mining uranium at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham, has agreed to fund the scientific study through Virginia Tech.

Coal and Energy Commission Chairman Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County said a formal contract between Virginia Tech and the National Academy of Sciences should be signed soon, with the study beginning in about 30 days.

The National Academy of Sciences is part of the National Research Council, a respected institute that conducts research and advises government agencies.

Kilgore said the state also plans to conduct its own study of the socioeconomic impact of uranium mining.

The second study, which will address the effects of uranium mining on businesses, schools and the community, will be conducted by another organization and funded separately, the chairman said.

According to Stauber, foundation's regional study will not take the place of a broader state study on the socioeconomic impact of uranium mining.

"It's not our intention to replace the statewide socioeconomic study," he said. "We are supportive of both and want to see them done well. We hope this regional effort will build on that."

Stauber said the foundation plans to share the results of its study with residents and institutions throughout its service region.

"We felt that since this region will most directly benefit or be hurt, the people need independent, rigorous information," the president said.

The foundation's deadline for qualifications is Dec. 1.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/10/07/chatham/news/news51.txt

Conflict of Interest [re: study funding]

Caswell Messenger
Oct 06, 2009 - 06:25:03 pm CDT

To the editor:

I think it's a bit disingenuous for Dr. Karmis, the Director of the Virginia Center for Coal & Energy Research at Virginia Tech and a professor in its Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering to say Tech's nuclear engineering program has "nothing to do with Coles Hill."

Professors and graduate students of Virginia Tech's Departments of Geosciences and Hydrogeosciences have already been on-site at Coles Hill performing various studies and tests on the unmined uranium ore body. According to Dr. Robert J. Bodnar, a professor with Tech's Geosciences Department: "All of these studies are telling us something about the subsurface - the rocks, when the rock type changes, where the major faults are. All those pieces of information are critical to understanding the ore deposit as it exists today, and that will be very useful information as the company [VUI] starts to develop the deposit in the future." ("Beneath the Surface, Virginia Tech conducts research at Coles Hill" by T. Davis, Star-Tribune, Sept. 10, 2008. Online source: www.virginiauranium.com/pdf/Beneath_the_Surface.pdf )

Clearly Virginia Tech's studies at Coles Hill are contributing to the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the mining and milling of uranium.

Dr. Karmis is also well aware of the ongoing "nuclear renaissance" where the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear power production, is being promoted by nuclear power companies like Areva to have more nuclear power plants built. This, according to nuclear power proponents, is to offset the country's growing energy needs and dependence on fossil fuels. Areva, Dominion Power and Oakridge National Laboratories are working with southeastern universities like Virginia Tech to help meet the goal of training more nuclear engineers to run the planned nuclear power plants.

Let's not forget a "nuclear renaissance" would also benefit VUI in creating the need for more uranium. Increasing the "need" will raise the price of uranium and make it profitable to mine the ore body at Coles Hill.

Finally, Dr. Karmis' statement that nuclear engineers "don't care where uranium comes from" may be true, but Tech's having a domestic supply of uranium ore in its back yard, would complement its nuclear engineering program in no small measure. The waste management aspect (tailings, holding ponds and long-term storage, e.g., Superfund planning), I suspect, would turn up in Virginia Tech's curriculum.

As much as I admire Virginia Tech, for it is a fine institution of learning, I see a clear conflict of interest in its "implementing" the money VUI will pay to the NAS to perform a "research study."

Anne Cockrell
Danville, Virginia

http://www.caswellmessenger.com/articles/2009/10/06/opinion/opinion02.txt

Danville Regional Foundation pursues uranium study

By John Crane

Published: October 1, 2009

While the state anticipates approval of a statewide uranium-mining study conducted by the National Re-search Council, the Danville Regional Foundation is pursuing its own separate, regional analysis of the socioeconomic impacts of uranium mining and milling.

The foundation announced Thursday its request for qualifications seeking proposals from interested firms, nonprofits and academic programs.

“DRF is considering sponsoring an independent and rigorous socioeconomic examination of the effects the proposed mine, mill, and long-term waste management upon the people and institutions, including the economy, limited to the region served by DRF,” foundation President and CEO Karl Stauber said in a statement Thursday.

The Danville Regional Foundation, created in 2005 with the assets from the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center, serves Danville and Pittsylvania County as well as Caswell County, N.C. It uses about $165 million in assets to help transform the region culturally and economically.

Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. Virginia has a moratorium on uranium mining.

Mining supporters say an operation at Coles Hill would bring economic benefits to Southside and supply hundreds of jobs. Opponents believe the project would destroy the environment and threaten public health in Pittsylvania County.

Delegate Terry Kilgore, head of the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission, sent a written request in August to the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, to conduct a statewide study to determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in the commonwealth. NRC officials say the proposed study is worth pursuing.

VUI would pay for the state study’s first part covering the technical aspects of mining and milling. The state study’s second part focusing on the socioeconomic impacts has not been determined, Kilgore said. The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission or its Uranium Mining Subcommittee may meet in November to discuss the socioeconomic portion of the state study, Kilgore said.

Kilgore expressed support for the Danville Regional Foundation’s separate plans for a regional socioeco-nomic analysis of its own.

“I think it would be good for them to go ahead and do that,” Kilgore, R-1st District, said Thursday. “That, hopefully, will answer some questions for local citizens there in the Pittsylvania County area.”

The foundation’s study will not affect the state’s efforts, Kilgore said.

“The more information and knowledge we have on this issue, the more better off we’ll be,” he said.

Stauber said during an interview Thursday the foundation’s study will be different in scope and geography from the state’s. It will be more regional than statewide, with a focus on mining and millings impacts on local citizens and institutions, he said. The study will examine three scenarios under uranium mining and milling – best reasonable, worst reasonable and reasonable — and will based on its effects on employment, wages, property taxes, property values, churches, schools, retail businesses and other institutions, Stauber said. The survey will also analyze jobs and secondary industries that may result from uranium mining and milling.

Stauber said he doesn’t know how much the study would cost or how long it would take, but the foundation aims to be the primary funding source. The study, including the entity selected to perform it, scope, work-plan outline, results and analysis, will be public via the foundation’s Web site. Stauber said the foundation wants to make sure area residents and the General Assembly have the best information about the implications of uranium mining and milling for this region.

Stauber said he is not sure whether the foundation will formally submit results to the state.

The foundation seeks firms, nonprofits or academic organizations from outside the state to perform the socioeconomic analysis.

“We’re hoping that we will get proposals from around the U.S.,” Stauber said.

The foundation will review letters of interest and qualification and will invite full proposals from a small number of candidates. Inquiries should be directed to Karl Stauber, president and CEO, Danville Regional Foundation at kstauber@danvilleregionalfoundation.org . Letters of interest are due by Dec. 1.

Stauber said it would take up to three months to narrow interested firms down to three to five and up to another three months to make its final selection. Stauber the foundation would make its funding decision in June or July at the soonest. The foundation takes no position on uranium mining, he said.

Eloise Nenon, a member of Southside Concerned Citizens, a group that opposes uranium mining, said the foundation’s plans have the potential to be a good idea. However, the study should include extensive hearings for residents and plenty of public input, Nenon said.

Jack Dunavant, head of SCC in Halifax, said he is suspicious of the motivations for any study, but if it’s truly objective and independent, he has no problems with it.

“I wish them Godspeed and good luck,” Dunavant said. “We would be interested to see what any study would find.”

Patrick Wales, VUI spokesman and geologist, said the company hopes that whoever investigates the socioeconomic aspects of uranium mining will maintain the independence and objectivity that VUI supports.

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/danville_regional_foundation_pursues_uranium_study/14308/

Uranium study faces premature doubts [hunh?]

Let's review:

Nowhere on this earth has uranium mining been done safely.

The entity with the most to gain is paying for the study; the state of Virginia hasn't ante'd up one dime.

VUI and Virginia Energy are contributing to every conceivable politician and cause to further their position that Coles Hill should be mined.

Big-name pols are advertising Virginia as being "nuclear friendly" and are touting VA's "nuclear renaissance".

The relationships between politicians, lobbyists, company officials, some Va Tech faculty, and investors are so intertwined that they would appear as a big spider web if reduced to a chart.

So why is expecting that the study will favor mining in Virginia such a leap as to be called "premature"?

The Virginian-Pilot
© September 30, 2009

The respected National Research Council hasn't yet voted on whether to take on a study of uranium mining in Virginia, but the second-guessing has already started.

Some mining opponents in Pittsylvania County dismiss the results - which won't be available for nearly two years - because the study would be underwritten by Virginia Uranium Inc. The company stands to make billions if state officials allow it to tap the estimated 119 million pounds of ore in the county.

Residents are right to feel protective of their community. That's equally true of Virginia Beach leaders, who are concerned that mining could contaminate the city's water supply in Lake Gaston.

But no one has legitimately questioned the integrity of the NRC, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences, or suggested a better alternative.

It would be preferable for the state to pay the $1.2 million to $1.4 million for the study, but that's not a realistic option this year. Gov. Tim Kaine recently announced budget cuts that will cost nearly 600 salaried state workers their jobs. Core public safety and mental health services face funding reductions.

The only way to determine whether uranium can be safely mined in Virginia's rainy climate is to allow Virginia Uranium to pay for that assessment. It's an uncomfortable arrangement but one that can work with appropriate safeguards.

The mining company should be required to pay the full amount for the study up front, eliminating any temptation to retract its support if preliminary findings aren't favorable. It should also disclose the source of its money, identifying the investors who are fronting the funds for the study. That's important because no scientists should be permitted to participate in the study if they are employed by a mining company with a financial interest in the project.

William Kearney, a spokesman for the National Academy of Sciences, noted that the organization has a strict conflict-of-interest policy for participating scientists. But state officials must be full partners in preserving the integrity of the study, and they should require VUI to publicly identify its investors before work begins.

The governing board of the NRC is expected to vote on the study proposal in October or November. If it agrees to the project, it will then begin contract negotiations with Virginia Tech's Center for Coal and Energy Research, chosen by state lawmakers to coordinate the study.

The details of that contract, particularly its financial provisions, must be made public. Further, state legislators should hold a meeting to explain the contract and take comments. They should ensure that the scope of the assessment includes an examination of claims by Pittsylvania residents that exploratory drilling at the site has contaminated local wells. Equally important, the state should guarantee that a separate study on the mine's economic impact does not begin until questions of safety are fully addressed.

Opponents who repudiate a study before it even exists risk marginalizing themselves before the real debate begins. But that doesn't negate the fact that many thousands of Virginians who have been less vocal still want and deserve an open, transparent process that puts their health and safety above all other interests.

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/uranium-study-faces-premature-doubts

State Money [for uranium study] Must Be Part of Equation

Katie's message is right-on!

Danville Register & Bee
September 29, 2009

To the editor,

The author of, “Welcome funding,” (Sept. 24, page A8) is quite right that these are hard times in Virginia, and hard times call for a wise investment in the future so that things will improve. That’s exactly why it could make sense for the legislature to invest in a thorough and unbiased study of uranium mining. If the legislature wants to consider opening the [entire] state to uranium mining and milling, it should know whether uranium mining in Virginia is sure to lead to safe and sustainable economic development or might cause harm, regional stigmatization and boom-bust economic instability.

The author repeats the assertion frequently made by Virginia Uranium Inc. that the National Academy of Science is “beyond reproach.” The NAS does not make this claim. Rather, as a matter of policy, the NAS does not do studies for private, for-profit corporations or accept money directly from them. The NAS takes the appearance of influence seriously.

While acknowledging great respect for the National Academies, the Center for Science in the Public Interest in a 2006 report “found serious deficiencies in the NAS’ committee-selection process” and instances of “blatant conflicts of interest.” CSPI doesn’t write off NAS, but rather offers constructive recommendations to improve the study committee selection process to ensure independence and objectivity. The report is available at http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/nasreport.pdf. [emphasis mine...SB]

This isn’t a matter of “reproach”; it’s a matter of accountability — accountability for avoiding influence and the appearance of influence. It is appropriate that all participants in the study process, whether legislators, citizens, or the esteemed National Academies hold themselves and each other accountable.

Accountability will be equally important in the socioeconomic study.

Virginia needn’t cover the entire cost of a uranium study; any contribution by the commonwealth would have significance. Securing any state funds would involve an approval process that would confirm that the commonwealth wants the study and increase confidence that all evidence will be weighed fairly.

KATIE WHITEHEAD
Chatham

anriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/danville_letters/article/state_money_must_be_part_of_equation/14205/

Nuclear grant has more to it

VA Tech Collegiate Times

by Letter to the editor

Monday, September 28, 2009; 7:41 PM

Are there really no conflicts of interests here?

According to the article "Tech receives nuclear grant" (CT, Sept. 15), Virginia Tech is slated to "implement" the money Virginia Uranium, Inc. will pay to the National Academy of Sciences for its services in performing a research study, which is to determine if uranium mining and milling can be done safely in Virginia.

Tech's newspaper, Collegiate Times, recently featured a picture of a mushroom-shaped atomic bomb blast cloud with the title "Virginia Tech's History of Nuclear Energy" with the chronological dates of the program's inception (1953), its disbanding (1990s) and its revival (2007). Strangely included are the dates of the Three Mile Island disaster in Pennsylvania (1979) and the Chernobyl disaster in Russia (1986). It also lists the $850,000 nuclear grant money (2009) received from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The article by Liana Bayne relates the NRC nuclear grant money, $850,000, which will go toward hiring new professors to "revitalize" Tech's nuclear engineering program.

Now, I shudder to think what the school's newspaper was thinking to post such a photograph, but it should cause more than an uneasy pause for the members of the NAS governing board, which is currently deliberating whether its prestigious institution should contract with Tech to do a study when the school, as the above article states, is clearly enjoying "a taste of the nuclear renaissance."

Let's recap: VUI wants to excavate an $8 billion to $10 billion uranium ore body at Coles Hill in Chatham, Va., and is the only entity that has offered to pay for the proposed NAS study. Tech wants to revitalize its nuclear engineering program and is well on track in doing so by receiving nuclear grant money ($850,000) from the NRC. (This is on top of a $300,000 grant it received last year for this program.) Tech will utilize VUI's north and south mines at Coles Hill, and its milling facility, as field laboratories for its students, which will be part of the curriculum of the nuclear engineering program. (In the past, Tech graduate students have already been on the site doing various studies on the un-mined uranium ore body at Coles Hill.) Tech will be the conduit to "implement" the estimated $1.2 million to $1.4 million VUI plans to pay NAS for doing the research study - a study it needs in order to overturn Virginia's moratorium on the mining and milling of uranium.

I have to ask, are there really no conflicts of interest here? And what does a mushroom-shaped atomic bomb blast cloud have to do with Tech's revival of its nuclear engineering program? Will NAS disregard the obvious connection between the revival of Tech's nuclear engineering program and its role to "implement" the money VUI will pay the NAS to do a research study?

Does NAS have blinders on?

Anne Cocknell [sic]
Danville, Va.

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/14276

From Virginia Tech's college newspaper, The Collegiate Times

Naaa...there's no conflict of interest with Va Tech, VUI, NAS, the NRC and the upcoming study. They're all one big happy family!

VUI cares nothing about us

Amen, Jesse...amen.

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: September 22, 2009

To the editor:

The announcement that Virginia Uranium Inc. will be paying for the “study” of the feasibility of mining and milling uranium in Virginia only goes to point out how ridiculous this process has been up to this point. Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, sounded almost giddy with delight that this boondoggle has found a backer, even though having VUI pay for its own study is an obvious conflict of interest.

A look at the events leading up to this announcement is a textbook example of how big business controls government. In 2007, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors caved into Walter Coles’ request that they do nothing and ask no questions about his uranium-mining plan. Only Hank Davis and Marshall Ecker had the courage to raise doubts about what this might mean to the county. The rest of them bowed down and agreed to do nothing. They passed on their responsibility to the citizens of Pittsylvania County.

They and the county administrator sold us down the river to Richmond.

Then Chatham Town Council agreed to do nothing as well. Even though Mayor George Haley tried valiantly to persuade them to consider the consequences of acceding to the uranium interests, they as well chose the head-in-the-sand option. They sucked up Coles’ fairy tale of “a glorious new era for Southside” and were blinded by his promises of billions of dollars being thrown around like free candy at the Christmas parade.

As soon as the local politicians were dealt with, VUI focused its attention on the “study.” The Uranium Mining Subcommittee, appointed by the Coal and Energy Commission, set off on its own trip to Oz, with Del. Kilgore in the role of Dorothy. And that meant that we were not in Kansas anymore. The push for uranium mining had moved to Richmond and the bigger arena of the state legislature, where politics as usual dictates that what is done or not done is directly proportionate to the amount of lobbying dollars being thrown at the legislators.

So now we are at the mercy of the Coal and Energy Commission, the entity that has overseen the virtual destruction of much of Southwestern Virginia with mountain top removal coal mining, including in Del. Kilgore’s own Scott County. Now they are looking at Southside and licking their chops over the proposed uranium mine and mill. They finally have the money they need to set in motion a “study” of that mining that can only reach one logical conclusion, that uranium can in fact be mined safely with certain regulations in place — regulations that would be written with a large portion of help from the mining industry itself.

We don’t have to look far to see what a dismal record the mining conglomerates have regarding the environment and public safety. If they will allow the mountains of Southwest Virginia to be destroyed and the toxic waste products bulldozed into the streams and rivers of that part of the state, why would they care about what happens to Southside?

VUI paying for this “study” and the uranium industry crafting the regulations is akin to handing a 3-year-old a shotgun at the family reunion. Someone is likely to get hurt. In this case, what VUI is planning (“away from everything”) as Del. Kilgore claims in his ignorance of geography, a great many people stand to suffer, both near the proposed mine site and as far away as Virginia Beach. Obviously no one is paying much attention to the folks living within a mile, or five miles or 50 miles of Coles Hill.

If Coles is willing to destroy his own home and the land his family has owned for hundreds of years, it is foolishness to imagine that he or the Canadian mining conglomerate he sold out to would give even a passing thought to what might happen to the rest of us. This will not be the hometown business VUI has claimed it would be.

The Canadian speculators who would destroy Pittsylvania County do not care one way or another. To them, the people on the periphery are simply expendable.

And so it will be interesting indeed to see how this greatly anticipated and heavily burdened “study” will turn out now that we know who is putting up the big bucks. It is also interesting that the National Academy of Sciences has yet to agree to anything concerning uranium mining in Virginia.

But as Del. Kilgore said, “We’re hoping to get everything signed, sealed and delivered on the scientific, technical study.” That is exactly right — signed, sealed and delivered straight to VUI’s mailbox.

JESSE PYRANT ANDREWS

Halifax

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/danville_letters/article/writer_vui_cares_nothing_about_us/14040/

Flag this message Virginia Uranium Inc. will pay for mining study

What a sad day this is! Virginia has been sold down the river by a handful of greedy bastards. I hope someone will involve the Union of Concerned Scientists to provide oversight and report on any irregularity, no matter how small, to the people as proof positive of the folly of letting the foxes mingle with they call the chickens but which have no feathers.

By John Crane

Published: September 2, 2009

The chairman of the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission says Virginia Uranium Inc. will pay for the state study to determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in the commonwealth.

Delegate Terry Kilgore, R-1st District and chairman of the VCEC, said he will send a letter to the National Academy of Sciences to let officials there know VUI will fund the study.

Kilgore said he understands concerns about VUI financially backing the study, but the NAS’s research abilities are “great.”

“I think they will come out with a good study, a thorough study,” Kilgore said Wednes-day.

So far, the sole entity that has expressed willingness to pay for the study is VUI.

“It looks like that’s our only option,” Kilgore said.

The study’s first portion, which will examine the technical and public-safety aspects of mining and milling, will cost between $1.2-$1.4 million, Kilgore said. Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research will implement funding and will contract with the NAS for the study. The study’s first phase should begin by the end of the year, Kilgore said.

VUI seeks to mine and mill a 119-million pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. Walter Coles Sr., VUI chairman, said he has expressed willingness to provide funding for the study since the beginning, but has not spoken to Kilgore.

“We’ve had this offer on the table since day one,” Coles said, adding that he hopes the VCEC will continue to look for other funding sources.

Mining opponents say a study paid for with VUI money will not be objective.

“It certainly reduces the credibility of the study in a hurry,” said Eloise Nenon, a founding member of Southside Concerned Citizens. Nenon said the NAS is known to be pro-nuclear.

“The study is going to be tainted by the money,” said Jack Dunavant, SCC chairman. “We know [sic] this would happen all along.”

The study’s second part would focus on mining’s socio-economic impact, including effects on real-estate values and businesses, Kilgore said. The VCEC will seek another institution, such as George Mason University or James Madison University, to perform the second portion of the study. Kilgore said the second phase would probably begin in early 2010.

The scope of the study’s first phase includes, among additional items, examination of public-safety and health impact of uranium mining and milling; review of the geologic, environmental, geographic, climatic and cultural settings and exploration status of uranium resources in Virginia; identification and description of the main types of uranium deposits worldwide, including, for example, geologic characteristics, mining opera-tions and best practices; a review of global and national uranium market trends; a review of the state and federal regulatory framework for uranium mining, milling, processing and reclamation; identification of the issues that may need to be considered regarding the quality and quantity of groundwater and surface water and the quality of soil and air from uranium mining, milling, processing and reclamation; as relevant, water and waste management and severe weather effects or other stochastic events may also be considered.

http://www2.godanriver.com:80/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/virginia_uranium_inc._will_pay_for_mining_study/13632/

Virginia Uranium to fund state study 18-month study will cost $1.2 million

So much for the integrity of the NAS who just a few weeks ago was stating emphatically that it would not accept payment from any entity, including VUI, for any study in which that entity had a vested interest. Sooo sad that those with the greatest responsibility to protect the citizens, environment, etc. are now among those with the greatest difficulty with speaking the truth.

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 8:58 AM EDT

The question over who will fund a study on uranium mining has been resolved.

Del. Terry Kilgore, chairman of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy, said Virginia Uranium Inc. will pay for the study by the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, which is expected to take about 18 months, will cost an estimated $1.2 million, Kilgore said.

The Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg has agreed to serve as a repository for the funding.

Kilgore said a formal contract between Virginia Tech and the National Academy of Sciences should be signed soon, with the study beginning in about 30 days.

The National Academy of Sciences is part of the National Research Council, a respected institute that conducts research and advises government agencies.

It will help the commonwealth "determine whether uranium mining, milling, and processing can be undertaken in a manner that safeguards the environment, natural and historic resources, agricultural lands, and the health and well-being of its citizens."

No conflict

According to Kilgore, the academy has assured Virginia Tech that private funding will not influence the study.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about," he said. "The National Academy has a great reputation for being fair and up front."

Kilgore explored other avenues to underwrite the study, including state funding, but said the money just wasn't there.

"I wish we had other funding opportunities, but in these tough economic times it was just hard to find," the delegate said.

Virginia Uranium offered to pay for the study when it first announced plans two years ago to explore mining uranium at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham.

"Basically, that's what we've said all along," said chairman Walter Coles.

Coles doesn't see any conflict in having private industry fund the study.

"Groups do it all the time. States do it," he said. "They are scientists. Their reputation is at stake. It's too important."

'Pandora's Box'

Eloise Nenon of Chatham, a founding member of Southside Concerned Citizens, questioned the legitimacy of a study funded by the uranium industry.

"Generally speaking, the money behind something influences it," said Nenon, adding the National Academy of Sciences is "quite strongly pro-nuclear."

"This is a red flag," she said.

Nenon has little faith in a study.

"It ignores the people, it ignores the community, the history and traditions, and what's important to people here," she said.

"What's important for Virginia Uranium may not be what's important for citizens. Our life is a lot more than science."

Frank Benson of Gretna agreed.

"It's a Pandora's Box," said Benson, another member of Southside Concerned Citizens. "It's going to pollute the water, air and soil.

"We're going to lose businesses and farming. If they don't wake up, this is going to be a ghost town."

Katie Whitehead, chairman of the Dan River Basin Association Mining Task Force, said serious doubts remain about the study.

"We won't know if the National Academy of Sciences is willing to perform a study paid for solely by an interested party until someone representing Virginia sends the required letter formally requesting a study and officially identifying the funding source," she said.

"Only the National Research Council Governing Board has the authority to decide whether NAS does the study, and the board has not yet even considered the question."

Whitehead pointed out the academy's reputation depends on rigorous, thorough research, independence and objectivity, and on the avoidance of even the appearance of influence.

"The National Academies do not perform studies for private, for-profit corporations," she said.

"We don't know how the governing board will weigh the fact that the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission has looked for a year and found no one other than the uranium industry willing to support the study - if support means paying for it."

'Signed, sealed, delivered'

Kilgore said Virginia Uranium will fund the scientific study, but not an in-depth look at the socioeconomic impact of uranium mining.

A second study, which will address the effects of uranium mining on businesses, schools and the community, will be conducted by another organization and funded separately, the chairman said.

"We're hoping to get everything signed, sealed and delivered on the scientific, technical study," he said.

"As soon as we get this one nailed down, we plan to move on to the socioeconomic study."

Kilgore, who is from Scott County in far southwest Virginia, recently flew over Coles Hill on the way to a Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission meeting.

To satisfy his curiosity, the small plane landed in a field and Kilgore explored the site, one of the largest uranium deposit in the United States.

"I just wanted to visualize what we've been talking about," he said. "It's way out away from anything."

Final framework

The Coal and Energy Commission's Subcommittee on Uranium Mining voted 8-2 to approve a final framework for the uranium mining study in May.

The panel, chaired by Del. Lee Ware of Powhatan, made public safety a top priority.

The study will examine the scientific, technical, environmental, human health and safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, milling, and processing.

In particular, it will look at short- and long-term health and safety considerations from uranium mining, milling and processing.

It also will identify uranium mining "best practices" worldwide, review global and national uranium market trends.

The academy, however, will not offer a recommendation on whether uranium mining should be permitted.

That decision will be left to the General Assembly, which placed a moratorium on uranium mining in 1982.

The Coles Hill uranium deposit was discovered in the early 1980s by Marline Uranium Corp.

In 2007, the Coles and Bowen families formed Virginia Uranium Inc. in hopes of mining the uranium, which is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/09/02/chatham/news/news51.txt

Sen. Creigh Deeds Talks Sense on Uranium Mining

Map courtesy of the Piedmont Environmental Council

Original Author:

Eileen

Norfolk blogger Vivian Paige had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Creigh Deeds yesterday. At the request of a friend, she was able to ask Sen. Deeds about the issue of uranium mining. Here's her notes from the exchange:

I asked about uranium mining, a topic that I'm not too familiar with. Fortunately for me, Deeds is.

He mentioned that he practiced law in Danville in the early to mid 1980s and became quite knowledgeable about the issue during that time. Deeds said that energy independence is a part of our national security so he believes in a comprehensive approach, and nothing should be taken off the table. He said, though, that he is not convinced that we have the technology to make such mining safe.

Deeds said, when the issue came up in committee, he asked two questions, one he knew the answer to and the other he didn't. The questions were:

1. What about the terrain in Pittslyvania County has changed?
2. What about the science has changed?

The answer to question #1, which Deeds already knew, was nothing. The terrain is such that the mining may very well contaminate the groundwater and not just in Pittsylvania County. The problem could very well extend beyond, down to Hampton Roads.

As for #2, he would like to see a study done by the National Academy of Sciences. Such a study has been authorized but so far, the NAS has balked at doing it. They want the state to pay for it - as of now, the private sector would pay for it - and they want the request to come from the Commonwealth, as opposed to a General Assembly committee.

The other issue is that of radioactive waste. Deeds was quite concerned about this, saying that radioactivity lasts forever, and even if the technology exists to clean it up - which he was very skeptical of this being the case - the stigma of having radioactive waste in an area may be too much to overcome.

Unless the technology exists to make uranium mining safe, I think I understood Deeds' position to be that he would not support it.

As noted by the Southern Environmental Law Center:

Uranium occurs naturally in the ground, but when exposed to air and water, radiation is released into the environment. Virtually all uranium mining in the U.S. has occurred in the arid, sparsely populated regions of the West. In these areas and other parts of the world, uranium extraction and processing have caused serious problems, such as the contamination of groundwater and surface water and increased cancer risk for workers and the public.

There is no precedent for large-scale uranium mining in eastern states such as Virginia, where the population density puts more people at risk and where a wetter climate increases the chance of radiation contaminating streams and groundwater.

Virginia has no regulations for uranium mining, and the federal government has virtually no experience regulating the activity in a wet climate.

Because the proposed uranium pit is located upstream from Virginia Beach's water supply at Lake Gaston, the City Council of Virginia has unanimously voted in Resolution to oppose uranium mining.

"Thomas Leahy, Director of Public Utilities for the City of Virginia Beach, has two degrees in chemical engineering and has worked in water for years", writes the Appomattox Area News, July 24, 2009.

In an Virginian-Pilot op-ed dated June 13, 2009, Mike Cohen, a contract administrator with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding stated, "Indeed, the premise that our water supply is in danger reflects an ignorance of the water chemistry and material characteristics of uranium and its related products, which make such long-distance transport virtually impossible."

In a published response, Mr. Leahy stated, "Uranium mill tailings are uranium ore that has been crushed and pulverized into very fine sand and clay-like particles. Except for the radioactivity and toxic metals content, they are little different from the common sediments that are transported by rainfall and runoff downstream into Kerr Reservoir, through Lake Gaston, and through the Gaston pipeline every day."

"The average annual erosion rate for the upper Roanoke River Basin is 11,000 cubic feet of sediment per square mile of watershed. This is a volume of sediment about the size of two Mount Trashmores each year - all eroded and transported downstream by rainfall and runoff. Even the uranium mining industry has never suggested that rainfall and runoff would not effectively transport mill tailings downstream. Instead, they maintain that they can confine the tailings indefinitely, in sophisticated landfills that will withstand probable maximum precipitation (PMP) storm events."

The Appomattox Area News further points out that Mount Trashmore Park is 165 acres, 60 feet high, over 800 feet long. "The Coles Hill mine alone would generate 30 million cubic yards of mill tailings, roughly the volume of 20 Mount Trashmores. The problem, outside of the volume increase created by the mining and milling, is that the Coles Hill sediment will remain radioactive for more than 300,000 years", they write.

Mr. Leahy feels that any statewide study that is not site specific, such as the one proposed to use in a debate on lifting the statewide moratorium on uranium mining, is "insufficient to tackle site-specific issues such as Coles Hill and the responsibility to the public water supply in Virginia Beach".

On May 21 this year, the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy approved a study on the proposed uranium mining project to be conducted by the U.S. National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. It is expected to cost $1.5 million and last about 18 months. This study is not site-specific and is rather statewide study generally taking on the issue of uranium mining throughout Virginia.

It also remains unclear how the work will be funded. For as Sen. Deeds' has pointed out, NAS is insisting that it be state funded and directed by the entire General Assembly. And that is to be expected considering as the SELC points out, "Virginia has no regulations for uranium mining, and the federal government has virtually no experience regulating the activity in a wet climate". Serious issues means serious study means serious intent.

http://rootswire.org/content/sen-creigh-deeds-talks-sense-uranium-mining

Hold on a Minute, Mr. Secretary...Some Questions for You

This letter to Secretary Chu, and local news outlets, is in response to "Thank you Mister Secretary" written by Norm Reynolds, Virginia Energy (VUI) posted below (scroll down2 posts). As usual, Ms. Maute asks pertinent questions. We're hoping she gets full, honest responses...but we're not counting on it.

Honorable Secretary Chu,

Thank you for visiting Virginia.

Most of us in Virginia as are welcoming to federal dignitaries. However, we do not generally take kindly to their attempting to set state policy. We're even less excited to have to have an industry do it for us.

The letter from which I cite (printed in its entirty below) leads one to believe that perhaps that may be occurring.

Mr. Norm W. Reynolds has written a letter to local papers (Danville and Pittsylvania County) which appears to take liberties the purpose of your visit and President Obama's energy agenda. I am hoping you can set the record straight. I, and many others, await answers to the questions posed below.

Sincerely,

Karen B. Maute,

Danville, VA

Mr. Reynolds states, "U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not have picked a better spot than Pittsylvania County to sound his ringing call for “restarting” our nation’s nuclear energy program, as well as endorsing Virginia’s state-sanctioned study to assess the safety and feasibility of mining and milling uranium in the commonwealth.

Question: Was the purpose of your visit to Pittsylvania County, VA to"sound his ringing call for "restarting" our America's nuclear program?

Mr. Reynolds writes, Speaking to concerns that have been raised about mining in Virginia, Chu — a Nobel laureate in physics — explained that in “any kind of mining, whether it’s uranium, coal or nickel, or you name it, it has to be done in a way that protects the environment and protects the people. … there’s a study going on as to whether uranium mining in Virginia is going to do that. … we will wait for the results of that study.”

Question: Do you consider the coal industry as an example of mining in a way that protects the environment and people?

Question: To your knowledge where has uranium been mined and milled safely with a climate, watersheds and density of population similar to Virginia?

Question: Thousands of new uranium claims exist in historically mined areas in the US. Density of population appears less and the areas more arid.

Question: Why encourage mining in Virginia where millions stand to suffer water contamination if mining and milling of uranium occurs?

Mr. Reynolds states, "The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission is working with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study to address concerns of Virginians about safety to people, livestock, crops and the environment."

Question: Has the National Academy of Sciences entered into contract to conduct the proposed study?

Question: If so, with whom did they contract and how is the study being funded?

Mr. Reynolds writes,The secretary’s position on the uranium potential at Coles Hill seemed to reflect that of his boss, President Barack Obama. When the president was campaigning in Virginia last year, The Roanoke Times carried the following report:

“According to an e-mail from his Virginia communications director, Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining. But, he adds, ‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

Question: Who was the communications director who sent the e-mail stating that Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining?

Question: Is this President Obama's quote or from the un-named communications director, "‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

Mr. Reynolds writes, "On the larger subject of using nuclear energy to power America, Chu told the local audience of about 275 people that the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Energy are “very supportive of restarting the nuclear power industry,” adding that he believes it can be done safely."

Question: Does this mean that you, Secretary Chu, believe mining and milling of uranium can be done safely? If so, please elaborate reasons for that belief.

Mr. Reynolds writes, "For those of us who have worked long and hard on the Coles Hill project, it is gratifying that the nation’s highest energy official saw fit to come to Pittsylvania County and to endorse the scientific study and to state so unequivocally the Obama administration’s high commitment to getting nuclear back on track in the United States. We look forward to moving ahead hand in hand with such enlightened thinking."

Question: To what extent is the Obama administration involved with the uranium industry ?

Mr. Reynolds writes, "What Dr. Chu is talking about goes straight to the heart of energy independence for our nation. Yes, we need to move ahead on all fronts that make sense. But let us keep in mind that of the 55 million pounds of uranium needed to operate nuclear facilities for one year in this country, over 50 million pounds are imported. That is a frightening statistic in a world as unpredictable as the one in which we are living."

Question: Will the Obama administration and subsequent administrations require uranium mined at Coles Hill or in the United States to remain in the states for the sole purpose of American energy use?

Question: Can sale to foreign countries be prohibited?

Question: Why is the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission studying market trends for the uranium industry as part of its invironmental study?

U.S. to jump-start domestic isotope production

Sheldon Alberts, Washington Correspondent, Canwest News Service

Published: Friday, July 10, 2009

WASHINGTON - A Senate committee on Friday approved $20 million U.S. in spending to allow the United States to begin domestic production of medical isotopes, a response to global supply shortages being caused by the shutdown of Canada's nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont.

The money is included in a $34-billion Senate appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010. It marks the first proposed commitment of U.S. government funds to meet American demand for Molybdenum-99, the radioisotope used in medical imaging and cancer diagnosis.

Until its shutdown, Ontario's Chalk River reactor was the world's largest producer of medical isotopes.

The committee recognizes the shortfall in supplies of isotope Molybdenum-99 for the use in medical treatments, and provides $20,000,000 to advance the creation of a domestic supply of this isotope," the legislation says.

The effort by U.S. lawmakers to jump-start U.S. production follows signals from the Obama administration earlier this week that it will need up to $120 million over four years to fund the project.

"It's certainly gratifying, because it is exactly the kind of action we were asking for," said Alan Kuperman, director of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Program at the University of Texas in Austin.

Kuperman was among a group of American medical and non-proliferation experts who last month wrote Congress. urging them to speed ahead with U.S. production of medical isotopes in response to the May 15 shutdown of the aging NRU reactor at Chalk River, which is the world's largest isotope producer.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in June it's likely Canada will "get out of the business" of supplying isotopes by 2016 - and U.S. production could make that plan a certainty.

Even before a leak of heavy water forced the Chalk River reactor shutdown, the U.S. government had been eyeing the possibility of developing its own isotope production, using low-enriched uranium. Isotopes are produced from bomb-grade uranium at Chalk River.

The likeliest candidates for U.S. production facilities include one at the University of Missouri, and another proposed in Virginia by the private firm, Babcock & Wilcox.

"The recent supply interruptions (in Canada) have really accelerated that process and given it the political momentum," Kuperman said.

In a presentation to the National Academies this week, an official from the National Nuclear Security Administration said the U.S. - which gets about 60 per cent of its isotopes from Canada - was facing a "supply crisis" because of the Chalk River closure.

It was initially estimated that the NRU reactor would be closed only for three months, but Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. this week said repairs could take until late 2009.

Separate from the funding proposed by the U.S. Senate, a House of Representatives committee is reportedly recommending $12 million in first-year funding for isotope production. The two pieces of legislation will need to be reconciled before final approval of the isotope production funding.

"Regardless of what the amount ends up being, the most important thing is that the House, Senate and the Obama administration have expressed support for this," Kuperman said.

While the U.S. is spending cash to figure out a solution to the isotope-supply crisis, the Canadian government is waiting to hear from a three-person expert panel. That panel, appointed last month, will report to Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt this fall, and has been asked by the government to suggest what paths Ottawa could take to secure a reliable, long-term supply of medical isotopes.

The federal government did give Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. an additional $351 million in this year's budget, some of which was to be used to upgrade the facilities at its Chalk River Laboratories.

That money was allocated before the NRU broke down, and no new money has so far been designated for new isotope production.

McMaster University officials told a House of Commons committee last month that a research reactor at the Hamilton university could be producing all the medical isotopes Canada needs - and then some - in as little as 18 months.

But the reactor's manager, Christopher Heysel, said a speedy transformation of the McMaster reactor from a multi-purpose research machine to a high-volume isotope producer needs co-operation of other "stakeholders," including AECL, the federal government, and the nuclear-safety regulator. The transformation would be relatively cheap, as well, costing the federal government just $30 million over five years, Heysel said.

With files from David Akin

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=1779211

What's on the agenda for the Uranium Mining Subcommittee's May 21 meeting?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Chatham Star-Tribune

The Uranium Mining Subcommittee will meet in Richmond on May 21.

At the subcommittee's March 24 meeting, Dr. Michael Karmis of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research recommended that the uranium study be separated into two studies: a "technical" study and a social-economic study. The subcommittee agreed to first consider the technical study.

The subcommittee approved the first draft of the technical study scope as working document only. Dr. Michael Karmis wrote the first draft. He asked the subcommittee to let him get initial feedback from the National Academy before the subcommittee discussed any changes to his draft.

Discussion was cut short with the understanding that the real debate would come when a second draft - the draft from the National Academy - is available.

The subcommittee and Virginia citizens now have a chance to see this latest - not necessarily final - draft. The document will be available any day now for public review on the Coal and Energy Commission Web site: http://dls.state.va.us/cec.htm

This is the National Academy's first comment on studying the implications for the commonwealth of allowing uranium mining in Virginia.

The National Academy has tried to describe a study that the academy can do and that is what the Uranium Mining Subcommittee wants.

Dr. Karmis has represented the subcommittee in discussion with the National Academy. He has communicated what he thinks the subcommittee and Virginia citizens want studied.

The subcommittee can request changes to the academy draft. The academy process allows for multiple drafts in a back-and-forth process.

Only when there is mutual agreement does the academy develop a study budget. If the subcommittee then commits the funds, a contract can be signed.

The May 21 agenda does not mention the socio-economic study.

The subcommittee has not yet discussed the socio-economic study or who will pay for either study.

Katie Whitehead, Chairman

Dan River Basin Association Mining Task Force

Chatham

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/05/06/chatham/opinion/opinion01.txt

May 21: Uranium Subcommittee To Meet in Richmond

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2009
Time: 2:30pm
Place: Virginia State Capitol, House Room D, Richmond, VA

Directions

The following article is available on the Gazette Virginian website.

Uranium Subcommittee To Meet May 21
by Tim Davis, editor of the Star-Tribune

National Academy Of Science To Present Final Scope Of Study Recommendations By May 4

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission subcommittee studying the dangers and benefits of uranium mining will meet Thursday, May 21, in Richmond.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 2:30 p.m. in House Room D, said Del. Lee Ware of Powhatan, chairman of the Uranium Mining Subcommittee.

Dr. Michael Karmis will present the National Academy of Science's recommendations for the final scope of the study. Karmis is 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. He presented the proposed study draft to the subcommittee in March after reviewing information from two earlier public hearings, including one in Chatham.

The National Academy of Science is expected to present its recommendations by May 4.

"Accordingly, these recommendations will be made available for review on the Coal and Energy Commission's Web site well in advance of the meeting," Ware said.

The May 21 meeting also will include time for public comment, the chairman said. At the subcommittee's last meeting, members voted unanimously to proceed with a tentative draft of the study's objectives. Once approved, the study is expected to take about two years.

In addition to Ware, members of the subcommittee include 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.

Pittsylvania County is home to one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States. The Coles Hill uranium deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, was discovered in the early 1980s.

In 2007, the Coles and Bowen families, who own the ore, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. in hopes of mining the uranium, which at that time was 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.

The Uranium Mining Subcommittee held a public hearing at Chatham High School in early January to receive input on the study. More than 400 people attended the meeting.

The study objectives are "to assess the scientific and technical aspects of uranium mining, milling and processing in Virginia and associated environmental, human health, safety and regulatory issues."

According to the draft, the study will consider uranium supply and demand trends and projections, worldwide uranium deposits and operations, and uranium mining, milling and processing technologies.

It also will take into account occupational and public health and safety, environmental considerations, social and economic impacts, and security standards and procedures.

http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,266,2252,-1,html