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Even absent a catastrophic accident or storm, state and federal regulators can’t protect our health
and environment from harm.

State leaders are under pressure to lift a 30-year moratorium on uranium mining, a vote that could have enormous consequences for generations of Virginians. In making such a momentous decision, it is crucial that Gov. Bob McDonnell and legislators carefully weigh the risks and the benefits. After studying hundreds pages of scientific and economic analyses by advocates and opponents of mining, as well as independent experts, we are convinced the threat to public health and the environment overshadows any potential gains.

The dangers are most obvious for the closest neighbors to a uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County, but the threat is not relegated to one community. Virginia’s two largeset cities, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, are justifiably concerned that their water supply could be compromised if Kerr Reservoir, located downstream from the mine site, is contaminated. The Roanoke Valley’s water is not similarly situated, the region must be vigilant to possible impacts from a catastrophic accident or storm.

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