Legislation establishing a two-year study on the safety of uranium mining has been sent to the Senate floor.

The Senate Rules Committee endorsed the study Friday with just one negative vote. The study could eventually result in lifting the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia.

The proposal stems from a company's desire to tap a huge uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County. It's the largest unmined uranium deposit in the nation, worth an estimated $10 billion.

Proponents of the study say the nuclear fuel would reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources. They also say it would be an economic boon to a region hit hard by declines in the tobacco and textile industries.

However, critics are wary of uranium's potential effects on human health and the environment.