Hundreds show up for uranium mining study hearing

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CHATHAM — About 500 people showed up Tuesday night to advise a state panel about how Virginia should study uranium mining, and several speakers accused the panel members of accepting campaign money from the company that wants to mine a nearby ore deposit.

Other speakers urged the panel to make sure scientists in the study take a close look at mining’s impact on water and air quality, the health of nearby residents and the economic benefits versus negatives of having a mine in Pittsylvania County.

Virginia Tech’s role in the study also came under attack, with several speakers saying the university has a conflict of interest because it is reviving a nuclear-engineering program whose graduates could get jobs if the study led to mining.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/hundreds_show_up_for_uranium_mining_study_hearing/12152/