Supporters of Virginia uranium ban rally against new threat

The Roanoke River Basin Association and the Dan River Basin Association, represented by SELC, filed a motion on Friday to join the Virginia Attorney General in maintaining the state’s longstanding ban on uranium mining.

A new attack on the ban, in place since 1982, came last month when Virginia Uranium, Inc. filed a suit aiming to cast the state moratorium as unconstitutional. For years the company has tried various failed strategies to overturn the ban, despite vocal opposition from local residents, public health experts, business leaders, and elected officials.  

The Roanoke River Basin Association and the Dan River Basin Association have long been active in their local communities, and are committed to preserving and protecting the natural and aquatic resources of the region. The Roanoke River Basin Association’s Upper Reach program has improved access to the Roanoke River for handicapped paddlers, while the Dan River Basin Association’s Trout in the Classroom initiative has provided environmental education opportunities for almost 10,000 children. The river groups’ concern for their communities, combined with the baseless nature of Virginia Uranium’s suit, led to an additional filing by SELC and our partners on Friday to dismiss the company’s case outright.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 6.

Watch Andrew Lester's interview with WSET here.