It was an alphabet soup of regulatory acronyms as the governor?s Uranium Working Group held a joint public forum with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday night to explain how a uranium mine, like the one proposed at Cole?s Hill, would be regulated.
About 150 people ? most wearing ?Keep the Ban? stickers, but a noticeable percentage sporting ?Jobs, Mine Uranium, Energy? stickers ? gathered at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham to hear from representatives of different departments of the NRC talk about regulations and operations at conventional uranium mills, uranium recovery programs and how Virginia could opt to oversee regulations instead of having the NRC handle it.
The meeting started with Cathie France, deputy director for the state?s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and a member of the working group, giving an update on what the working group is doing.
France said feedback from the public has increased, with a petition being submitted with 317 signatures to keep the uranium mining ban in place in Virginia, while 290 postcards arrived in support of mining. The group?s website saw 31 new comments, France said: seven opposing mining, four supporting it and the rest asking for information.
France said the working group?s purpose is simply fact-finding, which will be replayed to the public via public meetings and on the group?s website, where several reports are already posted. Updates on where different meetings are being held around the state are also on the site.
Health, bonds and sureties, worker safety, economic development, water and air concerns will all be addressed at upcoming meetings, she said.
Larry Camper, director of the division of waste management at the NRC, pointed out the agency does not take sides, it simply regulates, ensuring protection of public health and safety.
Camper took issue with some statements in the National Academy of Science report on uranium mining, including a statement that said the NRC would do an environmental assessment, when what they would actually do is an environmental impact statement that would include public meetings.
The report also noted a ?gap? in uranium mining in Virginia, but Camper said while there might not be mining in the state, there are federal regulations in place at the NRC.
Other speakers included Bill von Till and Duncan White, of the NRC and Maureen Dempsey, the governor?s energy adviser and a member of the uranium working group.
Virginia Uranium would have to go through a raft of studies, reports, inspections and paperwork just to make it to a point where they could ask formal permission to mine uranium, and every one of those steps and multiple steps within them, von Till said. He also discussed the rigid rules for containing tailings in containers designed to last 1,000 years ? a contention that drew snorts of disbelief from some people in the crowd, though for the most part the crowd was quiet and listened intently throughout the long presentation.
After a brief break, during which people submitted written questions, the speakers were prepared to answer questions, fielded by moderator Joe Keiper, executive director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Members of the panel answered questions that mostly were directed toward health and environmental concerns. Some of the information the panel shared included:
? there are no set buffer zones around uranium mining sites, but there are limits to how big the mine can be based on the size of the site;
? there are stringent rules for tailing disposal;
? chemical smells that surround can be alleviated, and they are considered environmental issues;
? there does need to be a plan in place to protect animals and birds from getting to the evaporation ponds full of contaminated water;
? the National Council on Radiation Protection regulations are implemented to measure standards of contamination;
? there does have to be a plan in place to handle dust at the site;
? extensive monitoring of groundwater is required;
? the Virginia Department of Health, Department of Environmental Quality, DMME, NRC and other agencies all have requirements that have to be followed; and
? there are regulations in place to follow if a leak to the water supply happens, either during the mining operation or after it closes and tailings have been stored.
The next uranium-related meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at the courthouse in Chatham from 6 to 8 p.m. This meeting is being held by the Virginia Department of Health and focuses on uranium mining?s impact on water. The meeting is open to the public, who will be invited to make comments.
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