Guest post by Laurence Verga, candidate for the Republican congressional nomination, Virginia’s 5th District
Pittsylvania County has the largest deposit of undeveloped uranium in the country, grabbing editorial attention from such heavy hitters as the Wall Street Journal. If uranium mining in the region is found to be environmentally safe, we must mine there if we are serious about energy independence and economic development in a region with an unemployment rate far above the national figure.
The National Research Council is finally set to begin an environmental impact study, which is expected to take 18 months. In the meantime the General Assembly should repeal its irrational, unconditional ban on uranium mining and replace it with code that awards immediate approval upon projects that successfully complete an environmental impact study.
This change will send the signal to corporations worldwide that Virginia is serious about economic development. Secondly it will ensure that there is no delay in the start date of mining if the study finds it to be safe. It would be immoral for the General Assembly, by not acting now, to delay an estimated $8-10 billion in economic development in an area that so desperately needs good-paying jobs.
I applaud my congressional opponent State Senator Robert Hurt, who represents the area in question, for voting to authorize the study. I now call on him to fight for the repeal of the ban on uranium mining, for the good of the Commonwealth and for the good of our country.
Unfortunately the Senator is on record saying that he opposes uranium mining. Let me be clear, this is a position that prevents job creation for southern Virginians and blocks us from taking sensible steps toward energy independence for all Americans.
