The area in question is approximately 100 miles southwest of where we live. There's an estimated $7 to $10 billion worth of uranium sitting underground. According to the newspaper, in the 1980's mining in this area was banned. Now, a company has funded a study about the feasibility of mining and milling the ore. It will take them a year to complete the study, with results ready in December 2011.
My home is upwind and upstream of the proposed mining site. It is 100 miles away. Supposedly our area remains unaffected no matter the outcome. That doesn't matter to me. I am still concerned about the potential environmental impact.
I sat down and read a bit this morning about uranium mining and its environmental consequences. It's currently done in the western portions of the United States, in sparsely populated areas, desert areas. I read reports and studies from Canada where it is also mined. The tailings or leftover rock from milling the uranium is apparently like fine flour and it easily becomes airborne, blown by winds into surrounding areas. In the arid desert this is deemed an acceptable risk. The concern for our part of the country is the risk of hurricanes and tornadoes; the strong winds could easily whip up the dust and deposit it in populated areas, in our creeks, in our rivers. Desert areas do not have watersheds that feed rainwater into major bodies of water; we do.
This is not some unpopulated desert area. There are major cities nearby and many farms that produce hay that feeds the beef cattle in the areas. Young cattle are raised here; this is where many beef cattle are born and raised. What would happen if the radioactivity in the area were raised even slightly? How would this impact the food chain?
Many of the forested areas are left undeveloped now and serve as areas for water to filter into the Chesapeake Bay. The area where I live, the piedmont area, consists of rolling hillsides and forests threaded with creeks and streams, all feeding into the major rivers - the James among many - which then feed into the ocean, into the bay areas. What would happen if even a small amount of radioactivity got into them? Is that possible? I don't know. What I don't know makes me worry.
I found articles online raving about the potential 350 jobs created in the area if the mines go forward. I am a big proponent of economic development, but I am not willing to risk the unborn, for whom radioactivity is particularly harmful, the wildlife, the environment, and the health of the workers and local people, for the sake of 350 jobs.
I will be keeping a very close eye on this study as well as the debate in the Virginia legislature, if it moves to that phase. I urge concerned citizens to visit the uranium mining company's website to hear their side of the story, as well as several local environmental groups following the story closely. In the meantime, I will be learning as much as I can about the issues and I hope you will, too.
Virginia Uranium Inc - the company behind the study who wants to mine the area - this is their website
Southern Environmental Law Center - uranium mining in Virginia
The Piedmont Environmental Council - has good maps so you can find the proposed mining areas, areas with former uranium mine leases and more
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