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OUR PLEDGE: THE SAFEST MINE IN THE WORLD

December 11, 2011 12:10 am

CHATHAM

In 2007, a group of Southside farmers and longtime residents formed a company called Virginia Uranium Inc. to explore the development of one of the richest geologic treasures ever discovered in the commonwealth of Virginia. These families were guided by a dream that unlocking this treasure would contribute to the long-sought economic revival of our region. Nearly five years later, their vision finally appears within reach.

According to the state-sponsored socioeconomic study just released, the Coles Hill project will support more than 1,000 jobs in Virginia, with more than half in Southside alone. These are highly skilled, good-paying jobs that cannot be shipped overseas and will enable workers and spin-off businesses to invest in our community. Our operation will also generate nearly $5 billion in revenue for Virginia companies and more than $112 million in state and local tax revenue over the 35-year life of the project.

It is impossible to overstate the significance of this economic opportunity for the thousands of Southside residents who've seen their jobs disappear overseas and the hundreds of contractors and supply companies across Virginia struggling to survive in this economy. In so many ways, this is a providential opportunity that has arrived at the time and place that we need it the most.

The Coles Hill project, located on 3,500 acres in rural Pittsylvania County, also affords us the opportunity to contribute significantly to American energy independence. According to the Department of Energy, the U.S. imports more than 90 percent of its uranium from foreign countries, some of them highly unstable. As the U.S. and other developing countries like China and India build more reactors, U.S. dependence will only deepen unless we develop new sources of domestic uranium. Coles Hill is the largest untapped uranium deposit in the U.S. and contains enough uranium to fuel all of Virginia's nuclear power for nearly 75 years.

Our company has been committed to building the safest and most environmentally responsible uranium mine in the world. Our commitment to environmental stewardship and safeguarding the health of this community is more than a talking point; it is an ingrained way of life that has sustained generations of farmers around Coles Hill.

Through the use of the most advanced technologies available, our company will protect air and water quality, our region's rich agricultural resources, and the safety of our workers. Strict federal regulations will require us to use impenetrable, heavy-duty barriers at our facilities to ensure the protection of groundwater, surface drinking water, and soil surrounding the Coles Hill site.

We will also be required to conduct frequent testing of soil, water, air, and wildlife at the Coles Hill site, in the surrounding area, and at multiple downstream locations to ensure strict compliance with federal standards. These monitoring programs will be overseen, and in some instances administered, by various state and federal agencies.

Extensive studies conducted in the 1980s determined that uranium mining could be done safely in Virginia with minimal risks to public health and the environment. Uranium mining has been conducted safely and without harming the environment in Canada, France, and the U.S. with strikingly similar characteristics to Southside Virginia.

Nevertheless, our company has recognized the importance of updating those studies with an independent, scientific assessment by the National Academy of Sciences. That study will help Virginians assess the potential risks and benefits.

When I was growing up in Danville, I heard stories about how great Southside once was and how we used to be one of the richest regions of the state. It is time we focus more on the energy and economic challenges of our generation and recognize that solutions are literally and figuratively right beneath our feet. I look forward to when I can tell my children and grandchildren of how we helped pave the way to a brighter economic future.