Uranium mining study should consider health issues, residents say

CHATHAM -- Members of a state commission preparing to oversee a study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County were urged by area residents tonight to make sure the study fully addresses the health effects related to mining the nuclear fuel.

Residents also vowed to fight any legislative attempt to use the study to overturn a 27-year-old statewide moratorium on uranium mining.

"This subject is near and dear to our hearts -- it affects our loved ones, our land, our water," said Jack Dunavant, chairman of Southside Concerned Citizens, before a crowd of about 450, mostly opposed to uranium mining, in Chatham High School. "If Richmond tries to shove this down our throat, we will fight to the bitter end, till the last man falls."

A few others asked members of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy's Uranium Mining Subcommittee to ensure that the study takes into account the economic benefits of uranium mining.

Up to $10 billion worth of uranium may lie beneath the Pittsylvania soil -- potentially the nation's largest deposit -- and a group of landowners has formed the mining company Virginia Uranium Inc. in hopes of mining the ore. Proponents say developing the ore into nuclear fuel will help break the nation's dependence on oil.

Walter Coles Jr. , whose father owns a controlling interest in Virginia Uranium, told committee members that the study should be thorough, but should not be used to close the door on mining uranium. "What are the risks if this project is not allowed to go forward? We're dependent on foreigners for 90 percent of our uranium requirements."

But many residents fear that mining of the area's rich uranium deposit could contaminate the water. They also worry that wind will blow debris from a mining operation and contaminate the atmosphere and damage crops.

Environmental and health concerns prompted Virginia to impose a moratorium on uranium mining in 1982. But the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy opened the door to removing the moratorium when it agreed to study the issue last year.

The Uranium Mining Subcommittee hopes to enlist the help of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the study, which could take between 18 months and two years to complete. The subcommittee called tonight's public hearing in Chatham to gather residents' advice on what should be considered in the study.

-- Rex Bowman