VA State Delegate..."You're Going to Have to be Loud!"

(From the Danville Register and Bee 01/04/08)

Hogan Prepares SCC For ‘Uphill’ Uranium Battle

By Paula Bryant
Gazette VirginianSouth Boston

"I will put all my time and effort in this but you have to realize that other people on the other side are doing the same thing, and they’ve got $10 billion pushing them," Del. Clarke Hogan told a group of about 35 people attending a meeting of the Southside Concerned Citizens (SCC) Thursday in Halifax.
Hogan described the uphill lengthy battle that he will face in the upcoming legislative session as he represents Southside in a fight to keep uranium from being mined and milled in Pittsylvania County.
"We need all the friends we can get downstream. We need Virginia Beach, and we may have to hire our own lobbyists," Hogan said describing the multi-year battle as being "multifaceted."
SCC held a meeting Thursday prior to a Thursday night meeting of the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission when planners were slated to hear a special use permit request by Southside Cattle Company, which SCC identified as owned by Virginia Uranium.
Many of those attending the Thursday afternoon meeting also planned to attend the Pittsylvania planning meeting to see if planners would grant the request to allow the company to construct buildings, drill wells for water and create a septic field.
Virginia Uranium already has begun exploratory drilling on the land under the supervision of state mining regulators.
Thursday afternoon, Hogan told SCC members, "You are going to have to be loud."
He said although only one person in Halifax County had told him they believe uranium mining and milling can be done safely, "there are a fair number of people in Pittsylvania County who are for this. I’d say a significant portion there are for it, and a significant portion are against it."
He pointed out the company has hired two lobbying firms to represent the interest of Virginia Uranium who has set its sights on mining the 200-acre site despite concerns of SCC members and environmental groups.
"I never underestimate the ability of lobbyists to affect public policy," Hogan said. However, he said, "I kinda like my chances this session."
He warned those attending the SCC meeting that if the bill seeking a study to explore whether uranium can be safely mined in Virginia gets out of committee, "We won’t be able to stop it."
He said his strategy is to get this bill into the right sub-committee that will kill its chances of passage during this legislative session.
"But their lobbyists know how to play this game too," he said.
"If we can put it to bed quietly this session, that will be great," Hogan said.