No Toxic Mining

Uranium mining is toxic and dangerous

Uranium mining has a terrible track record of environmental damage. Usually reserved only for arid climates, toxic mining has still caused contamination of rivers, streams and groundwater, displaced or destroyed ecosystems, and leaves behind toxic waste for millenia.

Each and every uranium mine in the United States has required toxic waste cleanup; the worst have sickened dozens of people, contaminated miles of rivers, and required the cleanup of hundreds of acres of land.

Virginia is not the place for toxic mining

Virginia's climate is the opposite of other uranium mines in the United States. Virginia receives 42 inches of rainfall every year — far more than the average uranium mine with only 15 inches of rain per year. According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, “Virginia is subject to relatively frequent storms that produce intense rainfall. It is questionable whether currently-engineered tailings repositories could be expected to prevent erosion and surface and groundwater contamination for as long as 1,000 years.”

If we can't prevent a spill of radioactive waste even for 1,000 years, how can we consider releasing toxic chemicals into our environment for millenia?

We can protect Virginia's beautiful countryside

This session, the Virginia General Assembly is considering lifting its 30-year-long moratorium on uranium mining. We need our legislators to stand up for our environment and prevent toxic mining from contaminating our precious rivers and streams. At worst, our drinking water could be contaminated with radioactive chemicals for years; at best, uranium mining would destroy tens of acres of Virginia's most beloved countryside and leave radioactive and toxic waste in our Commonwealth for thousands of years.

We're working to ensure that the General Assembly will reject any proposals to begin uranium mining in Virginia.

Click here to join our campaign, and urge your leaders to reject toxic mining in Virginia.