nuclear-news

Uranium-mining meetings questioned By: REX SPRINGSTON | Richmond Times-Dispatch  July 28, 2012  RICHMOND, Va. — Some environmentalists say the public was not adequately notified of six meetings scheduled in August to discuss uranium mining in
Virginia.

Some of the meetings require people to sign up by the end of Tuesday
to participate.

Dan Holmes, state policy director for the Warrenton-based Piedmont
Environmental Council, said Friday, “I don’t think the public has any
clue as of today that these are going on.”

He learned about the meetings Thursday…..
At issue are meetings the Virginia Department of Health will hold to
hear the public’s concerns on how uranium mining could affect streams
and wells.

The meetings — three lasting all day and three lasting two hours —
will be held in Chatham, Warrenton and Virginia Beach. The first will
be Aug. 7 in Chatham from 6 to 8 p.m.

The meetings are part of a state study ordered by McDonnell to look
into the safety of mining uranium in Virginia, particularly at a
proposed site in Pittsylvania County.

The website of McDonnell’s uranium-mining study group — supposedly the
main source of information on the issue — appeared to contain nothing
about the new meetings well into Friday afternoon.

“You can’t spend your whole life searching at random on the Internet”
for details about the study, said Robert Burnley, a former Virginia
environmental director now working as a consultant for an
environmental group.

“This doesn’t instill the kind of confidence in the process that I
know the administration wants,” Burnley said…..
The uranium study group will make its report to the governor in
December. He will pass it to the 2013 General Assembly, which is
expected to consider lifting Virginia’s 30-year uranium mining ban.
http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jul/28/tdmet02-uranium-mining-meetings-questioned-ar-2090503/

July 30, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general