Developmen t of the Coles Hill Uranium Deposit with Sustainability as a Cornerstone - 9441

Uranium mining has not been very active in much of the world for the past 30 years. With the nuclear renaissance, the uranium mining industry has undergone a renaissance as well. There are a handful of uranium mining companies that have been operating since the last uranium boom that are taking forward thinking approaches and retrofitting their businesses to approach mining in a more sustainable manner. However, with the nuclear renaissance, there are hundreds of juniors in the mix that are ripe for implementing sustainable practices in their operations from the beginning. The Coles Hill uranium deposit site in Pittsylvania County is on land that has been owned by the families living there for generations (some as far back as the 1780s). Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI) owns the Coles Hill uranium deposit. Concern for the community’s progress and respect for the environment are deeply ingrained in VUI values. VUI’s business decisions are guided by their core values which are expressed in seven guiding principles. This paper will present an initial approach to sustainability that is incorporated into a company’s operations from its inception, an approach that is the only option from the perspective of the owners of VUI.