Keeping our Commonwealth's cities and communities safe

September 12, 2012

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorializes, "The city of Chesapeake this week is expected to join Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Suffolk in opposing uranium mining. This may not get the attention of local legislators, many of whom are Republicans and tend to tut-tut environmental concerns. But the worries of Greens are being spun as a threat to a different kind of green: cash generated by tourism, the military and global shipping. The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, perhaps by next month, could come out against mining as an economic peril, making it a lot easier for self-styled pro-business Republicans to just say no to [uranium mining at] Coles Hill."

Progressive Point: Our leaders are elected to promote and protect our safety. Corporate interests and their lobbyists are pushing politicians to get rid of the ban on uranium mining, a ban that protects our clean drinking water. Communities across Virginia are rejecting uranium mining in Virginia and it's time for our leaders to do the same.

We need leaders who work for us--and will prioritize keeping us and the water we drink safe from radioactive waste--not the special interests who paid for their campaigns and have the most lobbyists. The middle class jobs of the future are in clean energy manufacturing. We should be creating these jobs now to stay competitive with countries like China. Clean energy will keep our economy moving forward and keeping the ban will keep Virginia safe without risking our communities' health.

Get the Facts:

• Those communities against removing the uranium ban will include Chesapeake this week, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 12, 2012) The South Boston Town Council also approved a second $5,000 contribution this week to help keep the ban. (Gazette-Virginian, Sept. 10, 2012)

• Virginia Uranium, the company seeing to mine uranium in Virginia, has hired over a dozen lobbyists from five different firms and has donated over $150,000 to political campaigns in the last 4 years. (VPAP)


• Del. Donald Merricks, Del. Danny Marshall III, Del. James Edmunds, Del. Tommy Wright, and Sen. Frank Ruff all said in a letter to Virginia's General Assembly that the risk of uranium mining to the people of Virginia and its environment is too great and that the ban should not be lifted. (Virginian-Pilot, January 3, 2012)


• A recent NAS study validated the concern that a flood, hurricane, or earthquake could result in an uncontrolled release at a uranium facility--all three of which Virginia experienced last year. (Cale Jaffe, senior attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center, Keep the Ban, December 19, 2011)


• In 2009, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors called for "a study to determine no harm would come to the county and its residents before the moratorium could be lifted... The resolution being discussed at Tuesday's board meeting stated the NAS study showed Virginia has no experience with uranium mining and there's no guarantee there would be no release of radioactive sediments downstream of the Coles Hill site and, therefore, the criteria of the original resolution in 2009 have not been satisfied." (Danville Register and Bee, September 5, 2012)

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