Without doubt, the New Year and the economic challenges that encompass the entire U.S. economy have affected Virginia's state budget. Analyzing the depth of that challenge and reconfiguring state spending accordingly will be and should be the main focus of the Virginia General Assembly session, which opens on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in Richmond.
Gov. Kaine has estimated a $2.9 billion shortfall in the $77 billion state budget, though it is noteworthy that staff and leading members of both houses of the legislature say (for the second year) that those numbers are optimistic. I look forward to working with the governor and colleagues to craft responsible amendments to the budget. Whatever the final numbers turn out to be, they will require a realistic assessment of what is possible and will entail some painful cuts.
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As we look to the New Year, one of the new tasks I will undertake is chairing a subcommittee reviewing our generation-long moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia. Given the heightened challenge of energy costs and needs in Virginia and the United States, and the substantial deposit of uranium that exists in Pittsylvania County, a subcommittee of Virginia's Coal and Energy Commission has been appointed. We will undertake a comprehensive review of the environmental, scientifi c and economic costs and opportunities of uranium mining, assisted by professionals at Virginia Tech and the National Academy of Science. The study is expected to take approximately 18 months.
Read the entire article here: http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2009/0114/letters_opinion/012.html
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