Report: Va. uranium mining carries risks, rewards

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Uranium mining and milling in Southside Virginia would bring significant economic benefits to the region, but the increased prosperity could come with the potential of environmental risk, an independent study concluded Thursday.

The study was commissioned by the Danville Regional Foundation and conducted by RTI International of Research Triangle Park, N.C. The purpose of the study was to assess the potential socioeconomic impacts of mining and milling within a 50-mile radius of the Pittsylvania County mine. The study area includes several counties in neighboring North Carolina.

Several studies are being done as the General Assembly considers ending Virginia's 30-year ban on uranium mining, which it is expected to do next year.

Virginia Uranium Inc. has lobbied legislators to end the ban so it can mine the so-called Coles Hill site, a 119-million-pound deposit that is the largest known deposit of the radioactive ore in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It would be processed into yellowcake to be used to fuel nuclear power reactors.

"Overall, the proposed mine and mill present both potential risks and potential rewards to the study region," a report summary says.

The study said the mining operation could add an additional 724 jobs and $162 million to the region's economy each year for more than 20 years.

On the flip side, the report says, "Risks include both actual environmental risks and perceived risks that could hurt the region's reputation."

The report adds, however, that the risks could be "significantly reduced" if investments are made in design, pollution-control technologies and regulatory development and implementation, as well as frequent monitoring.

"If these investments are made," the report states, "with diligent and transparent mechanisms for communication, there could be a minimal adverse impact on the 50-mile radius study region.

If those investments are not made, the study warns, "the region has much to lose."

In assessing the environmental impacts of mining and milling — the separation of the radioactive ore from rock — the RTI report notes the proposed mine and mill is unlike any other. It would be the first uranium mine on the East Coast, though some uranium has been produced as a byproduct of other mining. Most U.S. uranium mining occurs in the arid West.

"Thus, it is not possible to make direct predictions of impacts of the proposed Coles Hill mine and mill based on mines and mills elsewhere," the report states.

Mining opponents have said Virginia's climate is too wet and subject to weather extremes, which could scatter radioactive-laden waste from the milling operation into the atmosphere, water and soil.

Other key findings of the RTI report include:

— Residents are concerned about safety, but find the promise of jobs in a high-unemployment region attractive. They feel they need more information about the project and its consequences.

— Even if the mine and mill meet and or exceed regulatory standards, detectable concentrations of uranium would be released into the environment. Those releases, however, would result in "finite increases" in risk to people and the environment.

— Construction and capital equipment purchase could add 559 to more than 1,000 jobs to the region initially, while the mine and mill would add from 385 to 889 jobs.

— The proposed mine and mill would increase state and local tax revenues by an estimated $11.2 million during operation. These new revenues would also come with "new responsibilities," such as developing a regulatory structure for the industry and upgrades to local infrastructure.

The RTI report is among a raft of studies involving the proposed uranium mine. The National Academy of Sciences is scheduled to release a highly anticipated study on Monday that takes a statewide look at uranium mining.

That study will not include a recommendation on whether Virginia should end the ban and allow uranium mining.

If the Virginia General Assembly decides to take up uranium mining in 2012, it is expected to be one of the most pitched environmental battles in years.

Steve Szkotak can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sszkotakap.

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Online:

National Academy of Science: http://www.nationalacademies.org/

Virginia Uranium Inc.: http://www.nationalacademies.org/