Few present at uranium seminar, SCC undaunted

By John Crane, Danville Register & Bee

Published: October 10, 2008

Just a half-dozen Brosville area residents showed up for a uranium mining education seminar Friday night at Brosville Elementary School.

Gregg Vickrey, the seminar’s presenter and chairman of the Chatham/Pittsylvania County chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens, is still undaunted.

“We don’t have a whole lot of people here, but the people who are here are important to us,” Vickrey said.

Vickrey and the SCC oppose plans by Virginia Uranium Inc. to mine and mill a uranium deposit on Coles Hill about six miles northeast of Chatham. Uranium mining has been banned in Virginia since the early 1980s, but Virginia Uranium is calling for a study to determine whether uranium mining can be done safely in the commonwealth.

Vickrey linked former Danville Delegate Whitt Clement to VUI and its mining ambitions in the area, citing an Oct. 21, 2007, article in The Virginian-Pilot.

According to the article, Clement asked state Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, to attach uranium mining to his 2006 energy bill. Wagner said he put in the amendment and referred to Clement as “an old friend and colleague,” Vickrey cited from the story.

Clement said Thursday there was no lobbying to have the item added to the state’s energy plan. He also said he supports a uranium mining study.

Brosville resident Cindy Johnson said residents have told her mining and milling will not touch the community, but she opposes the plan because of potential health problems.

“What’s in the air is going to affect everybody,” Johnson said.

Her husband, Matthew Johnson, said mining would hamper economic development in the area.

“What concerns me is the future of the city,” he said. “Companies want to come here, but if they know there’s going to be uranium mining here, they won’t come here.”

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