McDonnell: 'not thinking' of Va. uranium mining

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Don't expect anything soon on uranium mining from Gov. Bob McDonnell.

The governor said he's still focused on legislation reaching his desk from the 2013 session of the General Assembly and he's not going to give any thought to uranium mining until after an April veto session. McDonnell addressed the issue Thursday during a brief interview in Richmond.

The governor's office later released a letter from Sen. John Watkins and Delegate Terry Kilgore that encourages McDonnell to direct agency heads to develop regulations "addressing the potential mining of uranium" in Virginia. Bills to do just that didn't get committee hearings amid certain defeat.

Kilgore and Watkins insist the appeal to the governor is not "an end-around" attempt to end a decades-long ban on uranium mining.