Conflict of interest in uranium study group
“Unfortunately, it appears that several members of the provisional committee may have conflicts of interest….”
(USA) Regional groups voice concerns over uranium study committee, By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune, August 25, 2010 The Roanoke and Dan River basin associations want the National Academy of Sciences to investigate the backgrounds and professional relationships of several appointees to a provisional committee that will study uranium mining in Virginia.
In addition, the associations asked the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, which is overseeing the study, to recruit additional members with expertise in hydrology, geo-hydrology, human health, and post-mining tailings management to serve on the committee.
Two national environmental groups, Clean Water Action and Natural Resources Defense Council, have raised similar concerns about the study committee as well.
Study contract
The National Research Council signed a contract for the long-awaited study with Virginia Tech in February.
The university will serve as a conduit for funding from Virginia Uranium Inc., which has agreed to pay for the $1.4 million study…….
“Unfortunately, it appears that several members of the provisional committee may have conflicts of interest that could significantly impair their objectivity and further damage the credibility of this study in the eyes of the public,” the associations said in comments to the National Academy of Sciences…..
Study’s impact
The study was commissioned by the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy’s Uranium Mining Subcommittee, and will examine the scientific, technical, environmental, human health, safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, milling, and processing.
The General Assembly is expected to use the findings to determine whether to lift a moratorium on uranium mining that has been in place since 1982, the river associations said……
Downstream, counties and municipalities whose drinking water could be affected by uranium mill tailings include Brunswick, Fairfax, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and communities in North Carolina, the associations said.
“Given the controversial nature of the issue and the potential impact on the entire state of Virginia and the communities in neighboring North Carolina, it is especially important that this uranium mining study is performed by a well-balanced and objective panel of scientists and experts who are free of any obligations to entities that may either benefit from or be disadvantaged by the findings of this study,” said Katherine Mull, executive director of the Dan River Basin Association.
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