Jan 29 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Mason Adams The Roanoke Times, Va.

A Senate committee heard more than an hour of testimony on uranium mining Monday, but its decision on whether to approve a bill to study the pros and cons will wait until next week.

At stake is the future of what is believed to be the largest concentration of uranium in the country, now several miles underground in Pittsylvania County. Advocates say mining the site could bring jobs and revenue to that part of the state; opponents say mining the uranium could pose a health risk.

Senate Bill 525 would establish the 17-member Virginia Uranium Mining Commission to study the "risks and benefits of developing Virginia's uranium resources." The commission would consist of three senators, five delegates, six citizens appointed by the governor and three ex-officio members.

"Nuclear power plays an important role in Virginia, not just as an energy source -- a clean energy source -- but also as a huge, huge job producer within the commonwealth of Virginia," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. "One of the things Virginia has, blessed or cursed or however you want to view it, is one of the larger untapped stores of uranium. ... What we are asking is to take a look at it in a nonpartisan, nonbiased way."

Others disagreed with that description.

"This isn't really about nuclear power," said Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County. "It's about whether you can mine uranium in Pittsylvania County and whether it's safe."

Virginia placed a moratorium in 1983 on uranium mining, which remains in effect. Wagner said his proposed study commission won't affect the lifting of that ban, which would have to be removed by the General Assembly.

"You're a long way away from getting to that point," Wagner said. "You're talking two years just to do the study."

While all parties generally agree that new techniques have greatly improved uranium mining over the past 25 years, they differ over whether the practice presents a danger for those who live nearby and downstream.

Gov. Tim Kaine favors the study, but has said he does not support lifting the ban until more is known about potential risks.

Critics of Wagner's bill say the study is merely the first step in a process to allow Virginia Uranium Inc., a Chatham-based company, to mine large stores of uranium about six miles north of the Pittsylvania County seat.

"The driving force here is not nuclear power," said Georgia Herbert, general counsel for the Piedmont Environmental Council. "The driving force ... is the market for uranium: It's gone up again."

Coy Harville, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, touted the idea.

"Scientists tell us that this uranium deposit is the largest in the United States and the second largest in North America," Harville said. "At today's prices, it has a value of around $10 billion. The activity surrounding the mining and milling could go on as long as 40 years."

That activity could revitalize a Southside economy weakened by the loss of "most all of our core economic engines," Harville said.

But several members of an opposition group called Southside Concerned Citizens expressed worries about the project.

Eloise Nenon said that Virginia Uranium has released few details about its plans for Pittsylvania County. The study should be focused on a proposed plan rather than the more general risks and benefits of uranium mining.

Pittsylvania County native Katie Whitehead said the state must act to protect residents who live near the proposed site.

"The local citizens who will live with the consequences of uranium mining must be assured that their health, livelihood and community will not be sacrificed for what may be a falsehood of contributing energy independence and climate stability," Whitehead said.

After extensive testimony, committee chairwoman Sen. Patsy Ticer, D-Alexandria, appointed a five-member subcommittee to discuss the study and return with a recommendation next week.

The subcommittee will be led by Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry County, and includes Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, whose district includes areas downstream from the proposed uranium mine, and Sen. John Watkins, R-Chesterfield County, who was a freshman when the General Assembly passed the uranium mining moratorium in the early '80s.