The long-awaited report on uranium mining by the National Academy of Sciences is long and technical. Initial reaction to it was not.
Knee-jerk opponents of lifting the state's ban on such mining greeted it with delight. Those inclined to favor lifting the ban conceded it raised serious concerns that will have to be addressed. The NAS was not going to write a Pangloss by any stretch, but the reactions suggest it has done more to dampen enthusiasm than to bolster it.
Virginia could lift the ban tomorrow, and mining still would not commence for several years. Time is needed to put in place the regulatory apparatus for state oversight. Even so, the General Assembly should not rush into a decision one way or the other. The state's experience with electricity deregulation — and then re-regulation — should serve as a cautionary tale on that score.
Mining interests already have rented out entire platoons of lobbyists to make their case for lifting the ban — and they have a good case to make. But opponents have a case as well, and pro-mining legislators should not breezily brush it aside. There is no need to reach a final decision within the next two months.
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