Virginia Uranium Mining Ban Goes to Supreme Court

In May, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear mining companies’ attempt to overturn Virginia’s ban on uranium mining in the next court session.

Virginia put the ban into effect due to concerns about radioactivity in 1982. The plaintiffs — Virginia Energy Resources, Inc. and similar companies — claim that the ban violates the 1954 Atomic Energy Act, which gives the federal government the final say on matters of nuclear safety. Yet the 1954 act is specific to federal land, and the Pittsylvania, Va., deposit in question is on private land. The deposit is estimated at 119 million pounds, and is valued at around $6 billion. The Trump Administration has supported the plaintiffs in this case. — By Sara Crouch