Uranium Mining in Virginia...to uranium mining on non-federally owned lands 4. Gaps in legal and regulatory coverage 5. US federal government has only limited recent experience regulating

Uranium Mining in Virginia

Peter L. deFur, Ph.D ESC, LLC

Environmental Studies at VCU NRC Study Committee member

Summary and

highlights

From the

NRC report

Complex Charge- 12 items

FIGURE 3.6 Distribution of Middle to Late Proterozoic granites

and gneisses of the Blue Ridge belt, together with complexly

deformed mylonites, shear zones, and cataclasites. SOURCE:

modified from Lassetter (2010).

Fig. 6.2 Waste management (tailings) at JEB pit, McClean Lake in Sasketchewan

Virginia Physical and Social Conduct - Findings

1. Diversity

1. Geologically

2. Ecologically

3. Socio-culturally

2. Socioeconomic disparities

3. Extreme weather

World-wide Occurrences- mining

Kazakhstan,

Canada,

Australia,

Namibia,

Niger,

Russia,

Uzbekistan,

United States

Occurrences, Resources, & Markets - Findings

1. Only Coles Hill, Pittsylvania County

2. No in situ

3. 92% Ur from 8 countries

4. Track oil price trends

5. Last 50 years

Mining, Processing, & Reclamation -Findings

1. Techniques depend on land characteristics

2. Hydrometallurgical

3. Mine design- pit or shaft

4. Ur mining = Hard rock mining

5. Life-cycle analysis

Potential Human Health Effects - Findings

1. Mining & Ur risks

2. Radon decay

3. NIOSH

4. Other radionuclides

5. General population at risk

6. Internal/external exposure

7. 230^Th and 226^Ra 8. Epidemiological studies flawed 9. Millennia of radiation 10. Silica dust & diesel exhaust 11. Miners injuries 12. Waste management 13. Cumulative risk

Potential Environmental Effects - Findings

1. Water, air, soil, biota quality/quantity

2. Long-term risks

3. Extreme natural events, management faults

4. Specific site modeling

Regulation - Findings

1. Subject to a variety of federal and state laws

2. Lack of experience in Va and eastern US

3. There is no federal law that specifically applies to uranium mining on non-federally owned lands

4. Gaps in legal and regulatory coverage

5. US federal government has only limited recent experience regulating conventional uranium processing

6. Limited public involvement

Best Practices

Questions?