Supreme Court Upholds Virginia’s Ban on Uranium Mining

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — The United States Supreme Court today upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Virginia’s 37-year-old ban on uranium mining in the Commonwealth.

“We have long supported Virginia’s decision to protect its communities from the environmental and economic risks of uranium mining,” said Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Mark Sabath. “We are pleased that the Court respected that decision and recognized that it was one for Virginia to make.”

The Southern Environmental Law Center submitted an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of the Roanoke River Basin Association, Dan River Basin Association and Piedmont Environmental Council supporting the Commonwealth’s defense of its uranium mining ban. The ban had been challenged by Virginia Uranium, Inc., which sought to mine a large uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County in southern Virginia.

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For more than 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With more than 80 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org