Monthly Archives: December 2011

PRESS RELEASE – RTI International Report on Impacts of a Uranium Mine and Mill

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For immediate release: December 16, 2011
Contact: Andrew Lester, 434-250-1185 or
Deborah Lovelace, 434-841-3736

Danville, VA – Today, representatives of the Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) and League of Individuals for the Environment, Inc. (LIFE) attended a presentation by RTI International (RTI) of its recently released report on socioeconomic impacts of a uranium mine and mill proposed 14 miles southeast of Smith Mountain Lake.

The RTI study, like the Chmura study, relied on the estimates of economic benefits provided by Virginia Uranium, Inc., a Canadian-owned company seeking to lift Virginia’s 30-year ban on uranium mining.

One of the most important conclusions of the RTI study is that “even if the mine and mill meet or exceed regulatory standards, detectable concentrations of uranium and other constituents would be released from the facility into the surrounding environment.” The study also describes the risks to the regions as “both actual environmental risks and perceived risks that could hurt the region’s reputation.”

“Although we at Roanoke River Basin Association, like other interested citizens, have not had the opportunity to read and digest this massive report, the RTI presentation this morning confirms our common-sense concerns that proposed uranium mining in our state would be detrimental to Virginia’s business climate and a threat to the public’s health, safety and welfare,” said Andrew Lester, RRBA executive director.

“We believe that a thorough analysis and venting of this report, as well as other issues, should take place over the next year or more. Further, we believe that a series of public hearings should be held throughout the state on a monthly basis for the next 18 months by an unbiased commission. Only fools rush in on a matter this monumental,” said Lester.

The study also finds that proposed uranium operations “would reduce groundwater levels in the area around the mine, and could affect nearby wells, springs, and surface water bodies.”

“The major concern for me personally is that the study concludes that the proposed operations would affect the water volumes and thus increase competition for water resources in the region. The question is how uranium mining is going to affect the water level on Smith Mountain Lake?” said Olga Kolotushkina, a part-time lake resident.

“Water is a major concern in all aspects of life from farming, businesses, industry and recreation,” agreed Deborah Lovelace, LIFE president. “We must make sure it is thoroughly studied. The state officials should insist on more studies to provide definite answers to questions not addressed in the RTI and other studies,” said Lovelace.

Kerr Lake Master Plan

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Selected members of the RRBA Board of Directors met, Thursday 12/09/11 with representatives of the USACE at the Kerr Lake visitor’s center to review, comment and advise on the updated plan which is in process.  The meeting was highly successful and the RRBA feels the final version will include appropriate changes and improvements.

The plan publishing is scheduled for the summer of 2012 and more details will be forthcoming. The RRBA would like to thank Michael Womack, COE Project Manager at Kerr for setting this session up.

For further information on the update, members can contact John Ryan, John Field or Gene Addesso. (click on Contacts)

 

12/10/11

2011 National Wildlife Federation Resolution #5

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Protecting Habitat, Wildlife and Water Resources from Uranium Mining

 

WHEREAS, the practice of uranium mining, the milling of yellowcake, and the disposal of radioactive waste continues to have negative impacts in the American West and Navajo Nation, including radon exposure and groundwater contamination, leading to  human health issues including lung cancer, bone cancer, leukemia, birth defects, weakened immune systems, hormone disruption, and damage to the kidney and liver; and

WHEREAS, uranium mining activities displace wildlife, fragment and destroy critical habitats, threaten water resources, and jeopardize hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreational values; and

WHEREAS, federal oversight of mining and milling of uranium has advanced little in the three decades since the National Wildlife Federation called on “responsible state and federal agencies to act [...] to ensure safe future disposal of such wastes”; and

WHEREAS, a study by the Michael Baker Corporation, a major engineering and consulting firm, reports that “uranium ore is mostly present at relatively low concentrations in the United States (0.05 to 0.3 percent),” meaning that uranium mill operations produce vast quantities of waste material known as tailings, which are highly radioactive; and

WHEREAS, the radioactive tailings are typically stored in impoundments formed behind containment structures such as dams that have not been proven to adequately prevent leaching of waste material into water supplies or otherwise entering the food chain;  and

WHEREAS, in July of 2009 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar placed a temporary moratorium on new uranium mining claims on one million acres adjacent to the Grand Canyon; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has maintained a state moratorium prohibiting the mining of uranium since 1982; and

WHEREAS, a mining company is now proposing to construct a uranium mine, milling and waste disposal facility in the Roanoke River watershed, which stretches from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, provides drinking water for 1.19 million people, and sustains more than 330 distinct bird, fish, and other aquatic species; and

WHEREAS, natural and wildlife resources are likely to continue to face threats from mining interests as uranium extraction and storage is pursued on public and private lands across the country; and

WHEREAS, all energy minerals located on federal public lands, except uranium, are governed under a federal mineral leasing system, with public participation and land manager leasing discretion authorities that are critical to protecting wildlife and the environment; and

WHEREAS, uranium continues to be the only energy mineral still governed by the antiquated General Mining Law of 1872, which (as previous NWF resolutions noted) fails to adequately protect the public lands, provide land managers discretion authority, and give citizens ample participation rights;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation at its annual meeting assembled April 14–16, 2011 in Washington, D.C., calls on appropriate state and federal policymakers to support the maintenance of moratoria on the construction and operation of uranium mines and mills adjacent to the Grand Canyon and in the watersheds of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, until such time as peer-reviewed, scientific studies prove that uranium mining, milling, and waste disposal can be safely carried out and secured; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the United States Congress to remove uranium from the General Mining Act of 1872 and re-designate it as a leasable mineral under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges appropriate state and federal policymakers to implement policies to safeguard wildlife, habitat and water resources against the negative impacts of mining, milling and storage of uranium.

Click here for a printable version of this resolution.

 

 

Uranium In Virginia Fact Sheet

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URANIUM IN VIRGINIA? 

Let’s set the record straight

For 30 years, Virginia has maintained a statutory ban prohibiting uranium mining. In 2012, the General Assembly may be asked to lift that ban and allow uranium mining and radioactive waste disposal in our Commonwealth.

The National Academy of Sciences has been studying the issue but will not complete its project—which includes extensive outreach and public meetings—until after the General Assembly adjourns.

Virginia Uranium, Inc. (VUI), which is currently focused on a uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County (the “Coles Hill” site), is spending over $600,000 on lobbying efforts that are obscuring the truth—at times making contradictory claims to different audiences. The attached document contains some questions and answers to set the record straight.

Uranium_inVA_Handout_1211_FINAL