For Immediate Release: November 30, 2011 

Contact: Andrew Lester, 434-250-1185 

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT URANIUM STUDY FAILS TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS 

Danville, VA – Today, the RRBA thanked the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission for timely releasing a report prepared by Chmura Economics and Analytics on potential socioeconomic impacts of the uranium mining project proposed in the Roanoke River Basin watershed. Virginia has banned uranium mining since 1982. A foreign-backed company is seeking to lift the ban to develop a deposit located 14 miles southeast of Smith Mountain Lake.

The Chmura report states that its findings “are predicated on the assumption that the Coles Hill site will be continuously operated and ultimately decommissioned within established federal guidelines, which, by law, reduce environmental and public health risks to the surrounding communities to near negligible levels.” The report also acknowledges that “Chmura cannot model or predict the likelihood that these assumptions will hold true for the entire time the Coles Hill site is in existence.” Similarly, the report states, “we cannot predict with certainty whether the site will be maintained for centuries after its closure in such a manner that the toxic and carcinogenic substances stored at the former Coles Hill location will not adversely impact the environment or health of the surrounding communities.” These costs are likely to be the highest costs because they last perpetually, but they are not even estimated in this report.

The RRBA is continuing to review the report findings but is disappointed that the report has failed to estimate long-term costs to taxpayers for monitoring and maintaining 28 million tons of radioactive waste to be stored in the basin’s watershed forever, and provide estimated costs to communities in the event of an industrial accident at the proposed uranium site.

“While we wished for a more comprehensive study, the Chmura report findings are telling. The study estimates that the net cost to taxpayers under the study’s worst-case scenario would range from $6.6 billion to over $10 billion. And those numbers do not include the long-term costs,” said Gene Addesso, RRBA’s acting president.

The Chmura report also acknowledges that there is “a non-trivial chance that the uranium operation could suffer extended periods of reduced production or may be even idled” due to fluctuations in the price of uranium; however, it does not detail the costs to taxpayers and increased risks related to the lack of radioactive waste oversight during the periods when jobs and associated benefits would be completely forgone.

“In the Association’s view, proposed uranium mining presents an unreasonable risk to the economy of the basin’s communities. And the Chmura report does not seriously address this concern. The report only focuses on the best-case scenario and does not fully address the risks related to uranium price volatility, the industry’s inability to contain contamination and the lack of proper government oversight. The predicted jobs forecast is far rosier than actual experience of communities in current uranium mining communities in the United States. These three factors contributed to uranium operations turning into an economic disaster in western communities where uranium has been historically mined,” said Andrew Lester, RRBA executive director. “Coulda, shoulda, woulda qualification statements throughout this report do not present sufficient evidence to dismiss the unreasonable risks associated with uranium mining in Virginia.”

“We understand that the Chmura team was faced with a daunting task of evaluating a wide range of risks and scenarios. That’s why, they opted to focus on a hypothetical that assumed perfect conditions so far not replicated anywhere in the world. This may be a predictable shortcoming of any report dealing with such a complex issue,” said Olga Kolotushkina, RRBA regulatory and legislative advisor.

Additional Information:

The Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to be the voice for the development, use, preservation, and enhancement of the Roanoke River Basin’s resources. The RRBA represents the two-state region that would be the first uranium mining and milling site on the East Coast if Virginia’s 30-year ban on uranium mining is lifted. Hence, RRBA has taken a lead role in the investigation of the proposed uranium mining and milling in the basin. Contact: Andrew Lester, RRBA Executive Director, 434-250-1185, www.rrba.org

PRESS RELEASE 

For Immediate Release: November 17, 2011 

Contact: Olga Kolotushkina, 202-641-7835, oolukas@yahoo.com 

Proposed Uranium Project: Degradation of Water Quality and Increased Water Competition, Report Finds 

Danville, VA – Today, the Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) released a site-specific report finding that the proposed uranium mining and milling project at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County, VA would cause long-term, chronic degradation of water quality and increase water competition in the region. The report was prepared by Dr. Robert Moran, who has more than thirty-nine years of domestic and international experience in conducting and managing water quality, geochemical and hydrogeologic work for private investors, industrial clients, tribal and citizens groups, NGO’s, law firms, and governmental agencies at all levels. In the early 1980s, Dr. Moran was on the team conducting environmental studies on water quality and hydrogeology for Marline Uranium and Union Carbide.

Coles Hill that is located in the Roanoke River Basin watershed would host the first uranium mine and mill on the East Coast if the Virginia General Assembly lifts the existing ban on uranium mining in the Commonwealth. All of the publicly-available technical data and information for the Coles Hill proposed operations were collected by the mining companies or by consultants / contractors paid by these companies. Most of the publicly-available opinions on future impacts that might result from such operations also come from the companies or their paid contractors. This report is one of the few reports on potential impacts of proposed uranium mining in Virginia that has not been funded by the industry.

“Various aspects of uranium mining are expected to be addressed in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report due on December 1, 2011. However, the statement of task for the NAS panel explicitly excludes site-specific assessments, which prompted the RRBA to commission this report to assess risks and challenges associated with on-site water and waste management during the operations and post-closure.,” said Andrew Lester, executive director of RRBA.

“Unfortunately, the company seeking to lift the existing ban has so far failed to present any sort of detailed project proposal, in writing. The verbally-described plans have changed constantly, depending on the audience. Hence, we felt that an independent evaluation of the proposed project is needed,” explained Olga Kolotushkina, RRBA advisor.

Dr. Moran was tasked with evaluating site and project-specific risks and challenges the proposed uranium mining and milling project will pose for the region. The report identifies waste rock, uranium mill tailings, mine dewatering, and the use of explosives as potential sources of significant water contamination.

The report finds that the project as proposed may generate at least 28 million tons of solid uranium mill tailings and roughly the same amount of liquid waste. The solid wastes would remain on site forever, requiring maintenance forever. Uranium mill tailings would contain radionuclides, heavy metals and other toxic elements. Undiluted tailings liquids may contain 1160 to 1460 times the existing Safe Drinking Water Act standard for uranium.

The report also finds a potentially significant impact on the water availability in the region. According to the report findings, as proposed, the Coles Hill project would require over 5 billion gallons of water. During the start-up period, the project would use at least 525.6 million gallons per year. The company’s documents have failed to identify the sources of this water.

The report also finds a potentially significant impact on groundwater. “Seepage of acidic water and other chemicals should be the main concern,” warns Dr. Moran. The report also cautions that the confirmed presence of sulfides in the Coles Hill rock raises the possibility that long-term, active water treatment may be required, in perpetuity.

“Most U.S. uranium mining sites that I visited are located in desert or semi-desert, sparsely-populated regions. The Coles Hill site is wet, with annual precipitation equal to about 42 inches. Most importantly, within a radius of 2 to 3 miles, Coles Hill has roughly 250 private wells, at least one dairy and numerous hay / forage fields, which are liable to be impacted,” said Dr. Moran.

“The main takeaway from this report for the communities is that all such large-scale uranium projects involve trade-offs, usually some short-term jobs, etc. in exchange for long-term impacts (environmental, socioeconomic, etc.), most of which are paid by future generations. Thus, many of the long-term costs will be subsidized by the public,” said Dr. Moran.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Roanoke River Basin Association’s mission is to promote development, use, preservation and enhancement of the resources of the Basin in the best interests of present and future generations of Basin residents. RRBA believes that basin resource conservation can co-exist with managed economic growth. Contact: Andrew Lester, Executive Director, Roanoke River Basin Association, P.O. Box 10548, Danville, VA 24543. Website: www.rrba.org

Download the report: Report_Moran_Uranium_Coles Hill