U.S.Supreme court takes up challenge to Virginia uranium mining ban

May 21, 2018

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether states have the right to ban uranium mining for public health reasons in a dispute over a moratorium Virginia put in place on the radioactive metal in 1982.

The Associated Press reported that the court will hear a bid by a Virginia Energy Resources Inc subsidiary and other owners of the largest U.S. uranium deposit to revive a lawsuit thrown out by a lower court that sought to invalidate Virginia’s ban because it conflicted with a federal law that regulates nuclear power generation.