A highly anticipated National Academy of Sciences report on uranium mining finished Monday that Virginia must overcome "steep hurdles" before it can guarantee that a rich deposit of the radioactive ore can be safely extracted and processed.
The 290-page report is probable to guide the 2012 General Assembly if it considers ending a 30-year ban on uranium mining. The report does not recommend whether it must be lifted, but makes clear the state must address a number of environmental and open safety issues before mining can occur.
The report points to many of the concern raised by uranium mining opponents, who have argue the East Coast's wet, hurricane-prone climate is a perilous environment for mining and milling, and for separating the radioactive ore from rock. Full-scale uranium mining has never occur on the East Coast, apart from as a byproduct of other mining.
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