Uranium mining across the country has been a source of great concern for decades. Some residents and workers living on land that was mined for uranium say they're still still suffering from the effects of unsafe mining practices and lack of regulations. Although uranium mining stalled following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, in recent years, the demand for the deposit has grown.
Now, a battle is brewing in Virginia, where pressure is building to overturn a 30-year old ban on uranium mining and create one of the largest and only uranium mines East of the Mississippi. VA Uranium, a group of landowners who bought up property where the ore deposits are located, estimate there's billions of dollars to be made. In some counties, where unemployment is high, residents see potential to create jobs and stimulate the economy. VA Uranium has promised hundreds of high paying low and high skill jobs, and say the mining operation that could provide tax revenue for the region. They also say mining practices are safer today than those used in the 1950s and '60s. But many public interest advocates argue the environmental risk is too great in the region's densely populated, moist and storm-prone environment and warn that agricultural and ground water poisoning is inevitable.
A panel with the National Academy of Sciences is studying the potential impacts, and convened hearings in Virginia. However, some are concerned about the heavy influence of Virginia Uranium, which financed the $1.4 million study, and the connections some panel members have to the nuclear power industry. The panel's report is due at the end of the year and could influence Virginia lawmakers in their decision to keep or overturn the ban
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