News & Publications
State Study Nov. 2011
State Study Points to Economic Benefits of Uranium Mining
Report cites benefit of Va. uranium mining
Study: Uranium could yield 1,000 jobs
Study reports uranium economic benefits
Study assesses impact of Virginia uranium mining
Uranium study shows economic benefit for Southside Virginia
The Uranium Mining Subcommittee of Virginia’s Coal and Energy Commission unanimously selected Chmura Economics and Analytics to conduct a thorough, independent study on the potential social and economic impact of uranium mining and milling in Virginia. The aim of the study is to provide a framework for Virginia’s legislators to evaluate the potential for uranium mining in Virginia. A grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission funded the study. You may read about the key findings of the study below.
Key Findings Of
A Study by Chmura Economics & Analytics
Prepared for the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission
November 29, 2011
- The Chmura study identified four possible scenarios based on various levels of environmental impact, and based its main findings on an assumption of the most likely scenario that the Coles Hill site will operate continuously and within strict federal regulations, which effectively reduce environmental and public health risks to “near negligible levels.” Chmura used this as the “baseline scenario” for the study.
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Under the baseline scenario, the Coles Hill project will “bring substantial and much needed economic benefits to Pittsylvania County, the immediately surrounding areas, and the state,” including:
- 323 jobs and $35 million of annual positive economic impact during the three-year construction phase
- 1,052 jobs annually in Virginia, including 510 in the Southside region, during the 35-year operational phase
- Annual economic benefit of $136.7 million, including $102.9 million in the Southside region, during the operational phase
- $5 billion in revenue for Virginia companies over the 35-year life of the project
- $3.2 million each year in state and local tax revenues, or $112.3 million over the life of the operation
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By complying with strict federal milling regulations and industry best practices, the Coles Hill operation will pose “minimal” risks to the environment and “negligible” risks to public health. Specifically,
- The project will not increase cancer rates in the region;
- Regional agriculture and tourism will not be adversely impacted;
- Chatham Hall, a boarding school in the vicinity, “is unlikely to experience any long-lasting stigma effects”; and,
- Wildlife and fishing and hunting in the region will not be adversely impacted.
- The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has adequate resources and technical expertise to manage the mining of uranium including oversight of worker safety, environmental protections and public health.
- The Coles Hill project “will not adversely affect the image of the region nor erode the quality of life for the residents of Pittsylvania County.”
- The local and regional African-American community is “unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Coles Hill operation.”
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