Judge Chadwick Dotson in the Circuit Court of Wise County and the City of Norton ruled in favor of Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Virginia’s 38-year moratorium on uranium mining in the Commonwealth.
The judge concluded his opinion, issued on Thursday, by saying, “Clearly…the greater harm would be against the people. The common law supports it. Common sense supports it. To find otherwise would be untenable.”
“For almost 40 years, Virginia has maintained a moratorium on uranium mining in the Commonwealth to protect the safety and wellbeing of Virginians, our lands and our waterways,” Herring said. “Today’s ruling once again affirms that Virginia is well within its right to regulate mining activities in the Commonwealth, and I’m pleased we were able to yet again successfully defend Virginia’s environment and uranium mining moratorium in court.
In June 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Herring that Virginia has the right to enact a moratorium on uranium mining within its borders and upheld the Commonwealth’s ban on uranium mining.
Additionally, Herring has successfully defended the ban in both federal district court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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