County seeks public input on comprehensive plan; first community meeting scheduled Monday

Comment: Article follows Gregg's opinions!

Subject: Re: meetings for comprehensive plan
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:01:31 -0700 (PDT)

Another worthless diversion:"County seeks public input on comprehensive plan

Remember that it was the "planning commission" that sent a recommendation to Pittsylvania County BOS, recommending that they NOT approve a special use permit to VUI for uranium exploration. The BOS, in it's wisdom, declared that, since VUI was already exploring for uranium, it was in the public's best interest that they authorize the permit. So much for "planning"!

It's interesting to note a couple of things:

1. This article only quotes the ASSISTANT County Administrator. This shows the level of priority that the County BOS gives to this process. It must not be that important, how the land is used, because it has been relegated to a minor appointed talking head (no offense meant to Mr. Sides, he is only doing his job - representing the will of VUI's elected county officials). This attitude in a time that how the land is used by foreign and domestic (wholly owned by the foreign corporations) companies, now and in the future, is critically important to the lesser (human) beings that live, work, try to protect their families and give them a good life, maybe even give them an inheritance.

2. The plan is reviewed every 5 years. Not a big deal unless you have uranium mining and milling snuck through because people (real, live people, not corporations. Yea, YOU!) have been complacent in letting the worse, short-term fix to the economy, be put into play.

"Through the public input process, citizens will have an opportunity to designate areas most suitable for various land uses, such as multi-family housing developments and industrial areas, and will be able to identify areas in transition such as residential areas that are experiencing commercial development," Sides said. This means that you will get to have input, but IT WILL BE IGNORED! How do I know this? Analyze Mr. Side's statement. ... (sic) and will be able to identify areas in transition such as residential areas that are experiencing commercial development" If our Land Use Plan, and our zoning LAWS (not feelings, not hyperbole, but LAWS that, at some point in time or another, were put into place to protect citizens by the citizens), and these LAWS and Land Use Plans were effective, why would " residential areas" be "experiencing commercial development" The powers that be - you know who they are, can anybody say "gang of 4" - do not want you to pay any attention to this Comprehensive Plan and the resulting Land Use Issues. They want you to:

A) Remain Silent.

B) If you really must have an opinion, and if you really must express it, then you must confine yourselves to the plan as outlined! The BOS will be happy to listen. The BOS will then do whatever they feel like doing. This is already proven. Why else would VUI be granted the authority to explore for a substance that is illegal to mine in Virginia? At the potential risk of the public at large? Remember, you don't get any money for this exploration, but you do get to shoulder the risks. You will have no recourse if the worse happens because the corporation is a Limited Liability Company, sanctioned by your (their?) elected officials. Why else would it take the BOS so long to follow up on water concerns? I know, these concerns were addressed to the satisfaction of VUI and the BOS, as dutifully reported by the local print media. Still, I'm just asking..... So what if one corporation, with lots of money, but not allowed to vote (VUI/Santoy/and the Canadian Corporation that wholly owns them, Virginia Energy Resources. That has a nice ring to it, don't you think?) despite having more rights and considerations as compared to us replaceable, in-the-way sacks of flesh & blood people that actually do get to vote - on whatever their (VUI's and other corporation agendas are. Typically, we get to choose between bad and worse) has controlled our political processes to maximize profit? Profit is what makes the world-go-round! Whatever is good for the corporation must be good for us - NOT!

What would happen if all of the flesh & blood people showed up at every one of these meetings, holding anti-uranium mining and milling signs high, refusing to speak on the "Land Use" issues, except to say "I DO NOT WANT URANIUM MINING & MILLING IN PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY! DO NOT ALLOW THIS THROUGH ZONING!” What would happen if ALL of the people did this, despite admonitions from the powers that be, to only say "ditto" if you are repeating or agreeing with another speaker? Do you think VUI's elected officials would get the message? Probably not, but it's a beginning and, I think, worth a try.

I will watch developments with interest and help our cause (this is a Statewide issue) any way I can. I know that I am no longer relevant in the local battle, but I will be there for you. All you need to do is to let me know what you need for me to do.

Take Care,

Gregg

PS: If you think that this idea has any merit, please put your own spin on it and send it out to your personal email lists. All of us count! All of us MUST take ownership of being the opposition. ALL of us must recruit and get people involved! PLEASE, help us to help us. Nobody else is going to do it...................

Gregg Vickrey
THE Alliance
(434) 250-5437
alliance123@ymail.com
http://thealliance123.blogspot.com

County seeks public input on comprehensive plan; first community meeting scheduled Monday

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:32 AM EDT

Pittsylvania County Planning Commission will hold the first of five community input meetings next week as part of a two-year process to update the county's comprehensive plan.

The first meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at John L. Hurt Elementary School.

A second meeting is planned Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Chatham Middle School.

Remaining meetings will be held Monday, Sept. 28, at Dan River Middle School; Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Tunstall Middle School; and Thursday, Oct. 1, at Gretna Middle School.

All begin at 7 p.m.

According to Assistant County Administrator Greg Sides, the county held five community meetings in November 2007 at the beginning of the process to gather public opinion and develop overall goals for the comprehensive plan.

"The upcoming round of meetings will mostly focus on developing the future land-use portion of the plan, which looks at current growth patterns and projects how the county should grow, change and develop in the future," Sides said.

The comprehensive plan, which must be reviewed every five years, consists of a thorough analysis of the current character of the county and assessment of recent growth trends.

Sides said the updated plan will be used by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors as a guide for making future land-use decisions such as rezonings and special-use permits.

"It's blueprint for future growth to help elected officials make decisions on how the county develops over time," he said.

The plan, which extends to 2030, also helps officials make decisions on transportation improvements, public facility and economic development investments, and utility infrastructure projects.

At the five public input meetings, citizens will have an opportunity to review maps and recommend desirable future land use patterns, Sides said.

Maps will show the current zoning of land parcels in 10 identified growth areas, which were outlined based on population density and utility infrastructure, said the assistant county administrator.

The updated comprehensive plan also is required to include a Future Land Use Plan, which will be a series of maps showing areas suitable for residential, commercial and industrial development.

"Through the public input process, citizens will have an opportunity to designate areas most suitable for various land uses, such as multi-family housing developments and industrial areas, and will be able to identify areas in transition such as residential areas that are experiencing commercial development," Sides said.

"There will also be an update on the overall comprehensive plan project, and citizens will be able to comment on the plan's six major goals and objectives and strategies."

Sides said when the overall draft plan is ready for review, it will be posted on the county's website and there will be another opportunity to offer comments online.

As the draft plan is finalized, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and vote whether to recommend it to the Board of Supervisors, probably around the end of the year.

Supervisors will hold another public hearing before voting on the plan.

For more information, call Sides at 432-7974.
tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/09/17/chatham/news/news54.txt

Supervisors to meet Monday

Comment: We must attend these meetings to protest against uranium mining and give facts about the problems of uranium mining!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 10:10 AM EDT

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors will meet Monday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. in the General District Courtroom of the Edwin R. Shields Courthouse Addition in Chatham.

The agenda includes:

_ Public hearing on restricted truck traffic on Ringgold Road;

_ Pittsylvania Youth Sports;

_ Workforce Investment Act;

_ Electronic poll books and printers.



http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/07/30/chatham/news/news63.txt

Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors

Comment: Demand the board to ban uranium mining and milling! Tell the VA ATTORNEY GEN. to read the Virginia and America Constitution! It is WE THEE PEOPLE!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 9:40 AM EDT

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors will meet Monday, July 6, at 7 p.m. in the General District Courtroom in Chatham.

The agenda includes:

_ Beer and wine sales on Sunday - Ingram.

_ Whispering Pines/Inman Road - Barber.

_ Carryover funds, Sheriff Mike Taylor, wellness program.

_ Carryover funds, Sheriff Mike Taylor, sheriff's department and jail annex.

_ Health department permit - Gretna Day Care.

_ USDA grant application.

_ Budget amendment, electoral board.

_ Budget amendment, school bond fund.

_ Appointment to Recreation Advisory Board from Callands-Gretna District

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/07/01/chatham/news/news61.txt

Supervisor Marshall Ecker's report

Comment: Thanks to Mr. Ecker's for the letters, the personal meetings and sending another letter to the EPA! Everyone should contact the Board of Supervisors and demand every one of them call the EPA! The Gross have to buy or bring water to their house everyday! Please everyone in the County and the City Of Danville need to attend the Supervisor Meetings! Some of the supervisors are Pro-Uranium and milling and what happens in the county will not stay in the county! The wind will blow uranium dust to Danville and the rumor is the Uranium Mill will be located on Berry Hill Road RT 863, Danville water will be ruin but you may not have any water left to drink, uranium milling is a water hog!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:47 AM EDT

At the June 1 Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting, during hearing of citizens, County Administrator Dan Sleeper was asked to send another letter to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Pittsylvania County Health Department about lead levels at Allen Gross's residence.

Those letters were sent on June 5.

I was informed by Mr. Gross that the health department will be taking several samples at different times.

It would be nice if they can locate the source of lead levels. I will keep you posted of results.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/06/24/chatham/opinion/opinion04.txt

Attorney general opinion casts doubt on local uranium ban

The article below explains the thoughts of Virginia leaders and their plan to start uranium mining throughout the state. Look at Virginia's Energy Policy; it includes Nuclear Power and uranium mining. The Virginia Leaders do not care about their people, their care only about their power over MONEY and us!!!! HECK NO, WE WON'T GLOW!!! WRITE ALL LOCAL AND STATE LEADERS AND DEMAND THEM TO BAN URANIUM MINING AND MILLING IN VIRGINIA!!!

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 10:36 AM EDT

Pittsylvania County does not have the authority to ban uranium mining, according to a recent opinion by the Virginia attorney general's office.

Late last month, County Administrator Dan Sleeper, acting on behalf of the Board of Supervisors, asked Sen. Robert Hurt to request an attorney general's opinion on whether the county could pass an ordinance banning uranium mining. (well, who is Rob's daddy, well duh, shareholder of the local uranium company!!!)

Hurt contacted the attorney general's office, which referred to a formal opinion issued on Nov. 14, 2008, that says localities cannot enact any law that "nullifies or pre-empts state or federal law." (Well, duh, what about "WE THE PEOPLE, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT OURSELVES AGAINST CORPORATE RAIDS!!!)

To do so without express permission from the General Assembly would be unconstitutional, the opinion states.

The same opinion cast a shadow over so-called "chemical trespass" ordinances, which some localities, including Chatham, were considering for protection against uranium mining.

The idea for a ban on uranium mining was suggested by Karen Maute of Danville, a well-known zoning and environmental advocate.

Other residents opposed to uranium mining also have called for an outright ban.

Supervisors' Legislative Committee met in March to explore tightening the county's zoning ordinance, but tabled a possible ban.

"I think we need to address the issue and look at it closely and not make any hasty decisions one way or the other," said the committee's chairman, Staunton River District Supervisor Marshall Ecker.

The committee also includes Banister District Supervisor William Pritchett and Chatham-Blairs District Supervisor Henry "Hank" Davis Jr.

Davis recently pushed for a stronger resolution from supervisors on uranium mining.

The resolution, adopted unanimously in February, recommends that a state study determine uranium mining will cause "no damage or harm" to the county.

It was sent to the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining Subcommittee, which is conducting a comprehensive study on the dangers and benefits of uranium mining. (SENT TO SUB AFTER IT WAS TABLE!!!)

The Coles Hill uranium deposit about six miles northeast of Chatham is one of the largest deposits in the United States.

Even if the Coal and Energy Commission determines uranium mining can be done safely, the General Assembly would have to lift the state's moratorium, which has been in place since 1982.

The board's chairman, Westover District Supervisor Coy Harville, said it's a state issue. (COY, IT IS A LOCAL ISSUE, URANIUM MINING WILL RUIN OUR WATER, AIR AND LAND, LOOK AT CANADA NOW WITH THEIR PROBLEMS WITH URANIUM MINING!!!)

"Right now all we can do is listen," he said. "The state has a moratorium and I respect that. They have more authority than we do." (WIMP!)

According to the attorney general's opinion, "a Virginia locality may not enact an ordinance that diminishes, alters, or eliminates legal rights, particularly where the state or federal government may be said to 'occupy the field," unless given specific authority to do so by the General Assembly or the Congress of the United States."

The four-page opinion was issued at the request of Del. Riley E. Ingram of Hopewell. (ANOTHER PRO URANIUM DUDE!!!)

The attorney general said county and municipal ordinances must be consistent with the laws of the commonwealth.

"Thus, if an entity operates in compliance with state law, a Virginia locality cannot impose a criminal liability on that entity," said the attorney general.

"Likewise, a locality may not prohibit or limit the authority of state or federal agencies to carry out their duties as prescribed by law."

Supervisors could still ban uranium mining, but a ban would likely be overturned in court. (WELL, WE WILL GO DOWN FIGTING TO PROTECT OUR HOMES, AIR AND LAND BECAUSE THE STATE OF VIRGINIA WANTS TO BE THE NEXT NUCLEAR SUPER POWER FOR SOME STRANGE REASON - OLD IDEAS, GIVE GREEN ENERGY A CHANCE, INTSTEAD THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD WAY!!!)

Even if the General Assembly eventually lifts Virginia's moratorium, state and federal laws would govern uranium mining and processing.

Supervisors also would have to rezone the Coles Hill property and Virginia Uranium Inc., which is hoping to mine the deposit, would have to obtain a special-use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Hurt said it appears the attorney general's opinion addresses the county's question on a possible ban on uranium mining. (WHO'S YOUR DADDY, MR. HURT? MAYBE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST???)

However, in a June 3 letter to Sleeper, the senator said, "In the event that you do not believe this opinion fully answers your request , I will be happy to follow up with the attorney general's office." (WELL, DUH, AGAIN, "IT'S WE THE PEOPLE, NOT WE THE CORP!!)

tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com
(434) 432-2791

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/06/10/chatham/news/news51.txt

Public forum to outline community's right to block uranium mining

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Thursday, April 30, 2009 12:35 PM EDT

The anti-uranium group The Alliance will sponsor a public forum for residents and elected officials titled "Who Decides Whether Southside Virginia will be Sacrificed for Uranium Mining?" Friday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Chatham High School.

The forum will be presented by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a Pennsylvania-based community rights organization.

"Who decides whether the people of Southside Virginia should have to endure uranium mining and its catastrophic impacts on human health and our environment - the citizens or the corporate officers of Virginia Uranium Inc., enabled by the Virginia legislature?" said Shireen Parsons, an organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and adviser to The Alliance.

"That's the question that will be posed to the citizens and elected officials of the Southside communities that would be directly affected by the proposed mine in Pittsylvania County," she said.

Presenting the case for decision-making by the people will be attorney Thomas Linzey, founder and executive director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and Mari Margill, associate director of the Legal Defense Fund.

Since 1995, the Legal Defense Fund has assisted community groups and local governments in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington state and Virginia draft municipal ordinances that prohibit corporate activities determined by the citizens to be a threat to their health, safety, environment and quality of life.

Ordinances have tackled issues including mining, ground water withdrawals, factory farms, land application of sewage sludge and corporate waste dumping.

Last year, Halifax became the first town in Virginia to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance aimed at uranium mining.

Chatham considered a similar ordinance, but abandoned the idea following an attorney general's opinion that the law is unconstitutional.

Friday night's presentation will bring the necessity for action to the forefront, said Parsons, who lives in Christiansburg.

"Gathering data, writing to legislators, petitioning regulatory agencies, testifying at public hearings - these are not self-governing activities, but grievance procedures," she said.

Participants will learn about the origins of rights-based community organizing, about the structure of law - including Dillon's Rule - that prohibits communities from saying "no," what has been achieved in Virginia and in other states, and the next steps in rights-based organizing in Pittsylvania County and other Southside communities.

"There is no hero waiting in the wings to save our communities from ruin," said Parsons. "We are the ones we have been waiting for. The time is now. "

The Alliance is led by Gregg Vickrey, who previously served as chairman of the Chatham-Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens.

Southside Concerned Citizens was formed 30 years ago when one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States was discovered in Pittsylvania County.

The Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Three years ago, the Coles and Bowen families, who own the land and ore, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to explore the possibility of mining uranium.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982.

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission recently agreed to study the dangers and benefits of uranium mining.

The study, which is just getting under way, is expected to take about two years.

Last week, The Alliance launched a petition aimed at forcing the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to ban uranium mining.

If supervisors refuse, they will have rendered themselves "illegitimate" under the Virginia Constitution, the petition states.

The Alliance then plans to ask residents to elect 11 representatives to draft a constitution for the county that bans uranium mining while recognizing the right to community self-government.

County residents would be asked to ratify the constitution.

If supervisors fail to adopt the constitution, it would "automatically become the new governing law of the county" and a mandate for new elected representatives.

"This is democracy built from the ground up," said Parsons.

The Alliance hopes to get a majority of county residents - at least 30,000 - to sign the petition before presenting it to supervisors.

County Administrator Dan Sleeper called the petition misguided and said there is no such thing as a county constitution.

tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/04/30/chatham/news/news46.txt

It’s time for supervisors to take action

Comment: Great article! Attention Board of Supervisors, protect our county and find out the source of lead in our wells, pass an chemical trespass ordinance to protect our county!!

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: April 19, 2009

Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Hank Davis wants to know why lead levels have been rising in the Gross family’s well in Sheva.

It’s a question everyone in Pittsylvania County should be asking.

To opponents of uranium mining in the county, the circumstantial evidence points to Virginia Uranium Inc.

VUI has drilled exploratory holes at Coles Hill to learn more about what is believed to be the largest uranium deposit in North America. Lead levels in the Gross’ well started to rise after the drilling started.

But that doesn’t prove anything. It only makes further investigation more important.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s caused by the uranium,” Davis said this week. “What’s important is finding what’s causing it and getting those people help.”

To get the basic questions answered, Davis wants the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Health to investigate. (yes, we need to find out answers now but the EPA's water laws are weak!)

That’s a smart use of public resources to answer questions that pertain to everyone who drinks well water in the county. We strongly urge other supervisors to get behind Davis on this issue. (yes, the Supervisors better stand up with Davis, and that means all of them!)

For its part, VUI has said that the Gross’ well is located upstream from Coles Hill and the exploratory drilling could not have been the source of the rising lead levels.

Today, we know of no scientific evidence that links VUI and its exploratory well drilling to any environmental problems in the area. The company deserves the benefit of the doubt.

But this well water issue has become a challenge for VUI — and Pittsylvania County.

For Virginia Uranium Inc., this accusation puts the company on the defensive as the state undertakes a study of the safety of uranium mining. We believe the company should join with Davis and the Board of Supervisors and ask for the EPA and the state health department to investigate.

For Pittsylvania County, this accusation is a test. Virginia Uranium has been accused of damaging local water wells. The Board of Supervisors has proclaimed that the company’s activities must not harm the community.

It’s time for definitive answers.

We don’t know why there were 2.83 parts per billion of lead in the Gross’ well before VUI started exploratory drilling, and why there were 17.9 parts per billion last September.

If the company had something to do with that, the community needs to know.

If the company had nothing to do with that, the community needs to know that, too.

It’s time for answers, and one way to get them is for the Board of Supervisors to follow Davis’ lead and bring in the outside help the county needs to get to the bottom of this issue.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/editorials/danville_editorials/article/its_time_for_supervisors_to_take_action/10490/

Let’s make entire county a uranium mine

Comment: Great Article!

By Published by The Editorial BoardPublished: April 8, 2009

To the editor:

First of all I’d like to say that we need to go to the Board of Supervisors and apologize to certain members for us being wrong about uranium mining. Apparently, it’s good for us and, after all, they know what’s best for the citizens of this country.

And after that we can go to the General Assembly and tell them we want our own mine in our yard. Why should Coles be the only one to profit?

When we come back from the General Assembly, we’ll stop at Wal-Mart and pick up a Mr. Fusion. I know you’ve watched the movie “Back to the Future.”

When we get home, we’ll mount them on our vehicles, and use uranium to fuel our cars. Why buy gas?

And if you are worried about the water you have at home, buy a couple cases while you’re there.

I understand that heavy metals are good for you, if you want to drink your own.

With the extra profits we can make with our mines, we can donate some of our earnings to the Board of Supervisors to go toward the budget and the Mega Park.

We have seven empty ones already. What’s one more?

And what’s one more study on uranium mining? It’s only been around for 60 years.

And if you don’t want to donate your profits to the Mega Park, put it toward the study.

Someone has to pay for it.

And as far as the jobs go at Coles Hill, do the work yourself on your own mine and share it with the family. Why pay the middle man? And don’t worry about the mineral taxes; it’s just pennies on the dollar.

And as far as trying to sell your house, don’t be concerned if you have to disclose there could possibly be a uranium mine in the area.

That could be used as an incentive to buy or sell a house.

As far as schools go, there won’t be many left in the area.

That will also help the budget.

After Hargrave and Chatham Hall close up, we can use those facilities as industrial parks, too.

I wouldn’t want to pay $30,000 a year for my kids to be six miles from a uranium mine.

So let’s praise Canada, VUI and a few members of the Board of Supervisors for trying to enrich us with their vast knowledge on this subject.

After all, they know what’s best for us and the country.

TIMOTHY F. STUART
Chatham

Beccaria residents upset that officials reject ordinance

Comment: The article below are about a local citizens requesting ordinance to protect their homes and their board of supervisors are failing to protect them plus calling them names, mobs, sort like some of us are being called by the local uranium people and some of our county leaders, and some of the local leaders will not pass an ordinance to ban uranium mining and milling, we should demand them to pass the ban!!!!


Wednesday, April 08, 2009

By Timothy Nebgen Staff Writer


UTAHVILLE - A hundred-plus residents in Beccaria Township left the municipal building red faced, tear-stained and generally disgusted with the board of supervisors last night for failing to act on a "Local Control, Sewage Sludge and Chemical Trespass Ordinance" presented for the board's consideration by the "Not in My Backyard" committee.

Residents were hopeful the adoption of the ordinance would stand in the way of efforts to apply biosolid material as a fertilizer during the reclamation project at Lyncroft Mine.


Before recognizing committee spokesperson Richard Snyder, supervisor Chairman William Oshall asked if the organization had elected officers or developed a charter. When Mr. Snyder and Joe Banco, also a member of the committee, both replied they had not, Mr. Oshall said it was easier to deal with an organized group and said he preferred to do so.


"This is a mob as far as I'm concerned," he said as tensions rose later in the evening, a statement that raised the ire of the group of constituents who already perceived his earlier statement as a stall tactic.


When Mr. Snyder was given the floor, he read from a prepared statement that explained Tom Rathbun of the state Department of Environmental Protection informed the committee the Lyncroft reclamation project was on DEP's agenda for many years and that the board of supervisors was aware of it as early as 2007, reiterating the public's concerns that the board was aware the project was in the works and failed to inform its constituents.


The statement went on to say DEP was required by law to seek the consent of adjacent landowners to move forward with the project.


One resident in attendance said he is an adjacent landowner but never received notification the project was in the works.


Mr. Snyder continued by stating the board approved the use of biosolids after a meeting with Kyler Environmental Services in November and also received correspondence dated Jan. 28 from Earthtech Inc., and DEP in February that gave notice the applications for processing and applying the biosolids had been received and were being processed.



He acknowledged the board did vote unanimously in favor of sending a letter to DEP and the state legislature voicing the public's opposition to the application of biosolids at the site.


Mr. Oshall established ground rules at the beginning of the meeting that, owing to the large number of people in attendance, each speaker would be given five minutes to speak on their subject. Residents were irked when Mr. Oshall informed Mr. Snyder his five minutes were up, and several yelled out that they were yielding their five minutes in order for him to continue.


Mr. Snyder, however, surrendered the floor to Mr. Banco, who reiterated points made at the committee meeting held March 31 in the Coalport Community building.


Those points included a description of what biosolids, or sewage sludge, is and its potential harmful effects to residents of the community. Either term describes the solid material collected by screens in a wastewater treatment plant that contain all of the heavy metals, pesticides and countless other chemicals and materials flushed down the drains by residential and commercial structures connected to the sewer system.


It was common practice for sewage sludge to be taken out by ocean going tankers and dumped into the deep sea prior to legislation banning the process. That legislation came into being after scientists discovered the practice had created a "dead zone" the size of Connecticut in the area the dumping took place.


Dianne Misiura St. Clair was given the floor, and she said that while the harmful effects of biosolids at Lyncroft mine would have an impact on all residents that she would be highly susceptible to those effects because she is a heart transplant recipient. She said her immune system was weakened to the point that is virtually non-existent and that the biosolids will be that much more detrimental to her health than others.


"I will no longer be able to live in Beccaria Township," she told the board. She said she does not want to leave since she returned to the area little more than a year ago, but she said she will have no choice if the application of the sludge moves forward.


Mr. Snyder appeared poised to present the ordinance for the board's consideration when Mr. Oshall said the meeting had gone way off track and that the meeting was not a venue for resolving the sludge issue.


The crowd was outraged by the remark and demanded the board consider the ordinance. "We elected you!" cried out one resident in attendance. "You speak on our behalf!"


There were several minutes of back and forth between the crowd and the board in which Mr. Oshall told the audience "It's not your meeting" and that the board decides what business will be discussed.


The crowd reminded Mr. Oshall several times that the board serves at the will of the people and that the people are entitled to voice their concerns.


Mr. Snyder was eventually given the floor and said there were two options. He said the township and its constituents could let it go or they could pass an ordinance to stop it.


He explained the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund drafted this and 78 other such ordinances for townships such as Beccaria Township. He said only two of these ordinances have been challenged and that the courts upheld both. The other 76 as yet remained unchallenged.


Mr. Snyder stated his opinion that it was unlikely this ordinance would be challenged by the state because Act 38 of 2005 only entitles the state Attorney General authority to file a lawsuit against municipalities that adopt ordinances prohibiting the land application of biosolids for agricultural purposes. He said the fact this ordinance addresses the use of biosolids for mine reclamation would lessen the chances of such a suit and that thus far the only defense the Attorney General has presented against such ordinances is that municipalities do not have an inalienable right to self govern.


Mr. Oshall responded that the township has no authority to supercede state mandate and said the committee should approach the state legislature if it wanted to change the law. He also pointed out a letter sent by state Rep. Camille "Bud" George, D-74 of Houtzdale, to Mr. Snyder in which the representative stated he was far less concerned with type A sludge than he was with type B sludge.


Audience members who attended the March 31 meeting in Coalport offered the rebuttal that, according to Ben Price of CELDF, there is no difference between the harmful effects of the different types of sludge.


Mr. Oshall then read from the abstract of the ordinance, which states the ordinance, if adopted, would protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens "by removing claims to legal rights and protections from corporations within the township."


"That's treason, sir." Mr. Oshall said, a remark that elicited a collective groan from the audience.(sound familiar?)


"I just don't know why you're doing this to me, to friends," said Ansley Stahlman, a senior at Glendale Junior Senior High School who cried as she spoke at the meeting.

Ms. Stahlman said she has asthma and that while she would like to stay in the area and raise a family in her home, the application of the sludge would make it difficult, if not impossible, to do so.

Mr. Oshall said he didn't bring any of this on the township, but Ms. Stahlman noted that he was also refusing to do anything to oppose it.

The meeting culminated with one resident calling for the supervisors to tender their resignations for failing to act on the ordinance. (local guys pay attention to us)

After several minutes of heated argument between the supervisors and the audience, Mr. Oshall motioned for adjournment.

Santoy takes over 'Uncle Walter and his homegrown uranium patch'

March 25, 2009 9:27 AM EDT

In November 2007, when Walter Coles announced the formation of Virginia Uraniun Inc., uranium mining in Pittsylvania County was promoted as a "hometown industry," just a few local folks trying to make a little pocket money and intending, as Coles himself put it, "to create a glorious new era for Southside Virginia.

"It all sounded so wonderful, so promising, so clean.

Uranium would replace tobacco and textiles as the economic base for Southside, and we would all live happily ever after in the glow emanating from Coles Hill.

Now, two years later, VUI has merged with a Canadian mining conglomerate, Santoy Resourses Ltd., a move that many believe VUI had planned all along, in order to get the big boys on their side.And so they have.

Santoy has big plans for Southside.

No longer is it kindly Uncle Walter and his homegrown uranium patch.

Uranium mining in Pittsylvania County has moved into the real world of dog-eat-dog corporate business.

And business means one thing to Santoy: making money.

That is exactly why they are here, ready to set up and start digging.

And make no mistake about it, Santoy has little regard for what happens to the people of Southside, or for the land on which many of us have lived for generations.

They are profit driven, and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply naive.

What Santoy sees in Pittsylvania County is not the beautiful place where almost 70,000 people live and work, but a spot on the map where there is uranium to be had, profits to be made, and a place to establish themselves in order to begin mining the other numerous uranium deposits in Virginia.

Some members of the Pittsylvania Board of Supervisors have done everything they could to accommodate VUI's agenda.

They seem not to have noticed that Santoy has been added to the picture.

Chairman Coy Harville, after two and a half years, is still claiming that he does not know enough about the uranium issue to make any kind of decision.

William Pritchett, who represents the district where the uranium mine would be located, is also willing to sit by and let someone else make his decisions for him.

They innocently believe that the legislature in Richmond is going to make a decision for them that will be in the best interest of the people of Pittsylvania County, based on a "study" paid for and set up by VUI and the Coal and Energy Commission, who, by the way, have overseen the pollution and destruction of much of Southwest Virginia by the coal mining industry, just as Santoy plans to do with Southside.

Now, my question to the people of Southside is this: Are you willing to sit by and let a foreign corporation, known for its aggressive pursuit of uranium in Canada, come into Pittsylvania County and ruin our land, our water, our air, and our heritage for all time?(Heck No, We Won't Glow!!!!!)

If you are willing to let this happen, then call Walter Coles and sign up for that activity.

He certainly needs all the help he can get.

But if you believe that the ruination of your home solely for the profit of that foreign corporation and a few local investors is a bad idea, then here is what you can do to help yourself:

Go to every supervisors' meeting, sign up to speak, and demand that they ban uranium mining in Pittsylvania County and in Virginia once and for all.

As voters, you have a right to stand up and tell the supervisors what you want. You have a right to control your own destiny.You do not have to live with decisions made by people who don't even live here, or decisions made by local politicians who are, as they readily admit, not informed enough about uranium mining to make any decision at all.

Go to them and tell them that you do not want uranium mining in Pittsylvania County.

The supervisors are supposed to be working for you and in your best interest, not in the interest of a Canadian mining company.

Pittsylvania County is being invaded in order to profit at the expense of your health and your wellbeing.

If a thug broke into your home, would you just sit there and let him take your valuables and do harm to you and your family? Probably not.

This situation is no different from that.

But you must be willing to defend yourself.

You must tell the supervisors that you will not tolerate being violated by a foreign mining conglomerate or by local mining speculators.

Every voice counts. Stand up and protect yourself.

No one else will.

Jesse Pyrant Andrews
Halifax

Supervisors reject third uranium resolution

Comment: the so call Chairman said no more resolutions so we want an ordinance to ban uranium mining and milling instead!!!


TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune EditorWednesday,

March 25, 2009 9:26 AM EDT

The third time wasn't the charm for another uranium resolution before the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday night.Supervisors rejected it 4-3.


Voting no were Westover District(Where is Westover District, I thought the City of Danville annexed back in the 1980's, there is not a County Westover District, maybe we need to rename the district!!!) Supervisor Coy Harville, Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber, Banister District Supervisor William Pritchett and Dan River District Supervisor James Snead.

Chatham-Blairs District Supervisor Henry "Hank" Davis Jr., Staunton River District Supervisor Marshall Ecker and Callands-Gretna District Supervisor Fred Ingram supported the resolution.

The resolution was similar to one adopted unanimously by the board in February, but went further by asking the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission not to accept as evidence "experimental or unproven" mining practices.Proposed by Davis, it also urged the study committee not to consider mining practices in "environmental, demographical, topographical, geographical and meteorological environmental conditions inconsistent with those at the proposed Pittsylvania County mine site.(Thanks, Mr. Davis, at least you are trying to protect us!)


"The Board of Supervisors is resolved to do all within its power to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of Pittsylvania County," the proposed resolution stated, "and thus condemns any mining practice lacking in empirical data or resulting in experimentation....

"Pittsylvania County is home to one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States.The Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, was discovered in the late 1970s and is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.The Coal and Energy Commission agreed to study the dangers and benefits of uranium mining in November.Its Uranium Mining Subcommittee met Tuesday in Richmond to define the study, which is expected to take about two years.

"We don't want to be a guinea pig for mining," said Davis.

"The main thing is we want to keep our citizens safe.

"Other supervisors, however, have had their fill of uranium resolutions.

"I can't support any more resolutions," said Harville, the board's chairman. "Every time we turn around we've got another one.

"Harville supports the uranium mining study.(He always wants the so call jobs from uranium mining, are the uranium miners laid off at this time???))


Pritchett agreed."I'm totally against uranium mining if it can't be done safely," said the Banister District supervisor, "but I think we need to let the study go ahead."

Ecker said he didn't see any harm in sending another resolution to the study committee.

"We need to make sure we have exercised everything we can do," he said.

In February, supervisors adopted a resolution calling for no damage to residents of the county, its businesses, institutions and environment from uranium mining as opposed to a "cost-benefit approach or accepting minimized damages."

Davis, who presented that resolution as well, said it expressed "zero tolerance" for hazards from uranium mining.Supervisors' first resolution in 2007 called for a neutral, comprehensive legislative study on uranium mining.

Several residents spoke about uranium mining at last week's meeting in Chatham.

Emily Watlington, who lives in the Whittles community between Chatham and Gretna, asked supervisors to "prayerfully and intelligently" consider the consequences of uranium mining.

"It may be greater than Pandora's box," she said. "This may be a mistake we can't correct.

"Phillip Lovelace of Gretna warned that uranium mining could hurt property values, which in turn would lower tax revenue for the county.

"If you ruin our beautiful county by letting our real estate values drop, you're cutting your own throat," he said.

Deborah Dix of Blairs said the county needs ordinances, not resolutions. Dix urged supervisors to ban uranium mining.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982

.mailto:1982.tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com

Uranium Mining

The board takes a big step

To the editor:

On Feb. 17, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution setting forth a zero tolerance standard for negative impacts from uranium mining in Pittsylvania County. That resolution signals a new attitude on the part of the supervisors. It seems that they are finally beginning to realize the seriousness of the highly questionable prospect that Virginia Uranium Inc. has brought to the table.

They should have taken this step much sooner, but the fact that they passed this resolution at all is reason enough to congratulate them — Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Hank Davis in particular — for standing up to VUI and establishing a precedent of allowing no room for error if uranium mining should proceed. The resolution will send a strong message not only to the uranium study group, but also to the legislators in Richmond.

VUI contends that they, too, want uranium mining to happen without harm to the public or to the environment.

But they are wishing for something that cannot be, because they are limited to mining practices (namely, open pit mining) that have never been done without severe environmental consequences as well as inevitable negative impact on the health of people living within 30 miles or so of such mines.

VUI claims to have knowledge of “new technologies” that would make their mine different from those in other places. But they have not been able to put a name on those new technologies, nor have they been able to cite even one place where uranium has been mined safely. They cannot, because safe uranium mines do not exist anywhere.

VUI has given us no solid reason to believe that uranium mining at Coles Hill would be anything but one huge experiment, with the residents of Pittsylvania County and Southside serving as their lab rats.

And so I say, “congratulations” to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors for deciding that uranium mining might not really be the wonderful thing VUI would have us believe.

This resolution is definitely a step in the right direction.

JESSE ANDREWS

Halifax County

By PUBLISHED BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Published: February 19, 2009

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors has made its strongest statement yet on a proposed uranium mine and mill.

Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution that “no damage or harm will be done to Pittsylvania County, its businesses, institutions, environment and its citizens by uranium mining, as opposed to a cost-benefit approach to this issue or simply accepting minimal damages … ”

With those 35 words, supervisors said they want what the county has today. While they are certainly willing to accept the jobs, tax dollars and the resulting economic rollover effect a successful uranium mine would bring to Pittsylvania County, they don’t want those benefits at the cost of losing what Pittsylvania County has right now.

No damage is a much higher standard than simply weighing the costs versus the benefits of a project or accepting a small amount of damage.

The no-damage motion was pushed by Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Hank Davis. It followed a previous board motion — and the community’s consensus — that the proposed project should be studied by the state.

That study is already being developed, and one of the proposed motions before supervisors Tuesday would have thanked the Coal and Energy Commission’s Uranium Mining Subcommittee for meeting in Chatham to hear citizen comments.

But that could be handled with a lovely note written on county stationary and dropped in the mail.

Resolutions don’t have the force of law, but they do speak loudly about intentions, motivations and concerns.

Clearly, a lot has changed in the past year on the uranium mining issue to convince the Board of Supervisors that they needed to do more than simply support the state study.

The Board of Supervisors has set a high standard for what it will accept from a uranium mine and mill. Davis and the other board members should be congratulated for taking a tough, proactive stance on an issue of community concern.

They know what it’s about

To the editor:

How stupid does the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors think we, the county citizens, are?

When the board voted not to discuss the proposed uranium mining study at its meeting Feb. 2, it showed an utter lack of courage and a more than frightening absence of knowledge.

Dan River Supervisor James Snead stated, “I don’t know what it’s about. … I don’t know how we can consider anything when there’s no information.”

How could anyone who is an elected county official not know “anything” about this topic?

Moreover, that there were enough votes to postpone the discussion indicates a majority of the supervisors are, at best, woefully uninformed or at worst in collusion to prevent the citizens from expressing their concerns about uranium mining.

It appears that our board would rather the Uranium Mining Subcommittee take the heat by simply passing on the problem to the group where we have no representation.

This action by the board mirrors those of County Administrator Dan Sleeper, who disclosed the leachate leak at the landfill 10 months after the leak was discovered.

He did not think the amount of the leak warranted informing the citizens!

What our officials can learn from this is that they must become better informed about the mining of uranium, be willing to open the discussion to the citizens and be forthcoming with the truth.

What we the county citizens can learn from this is vigilance is of the utmost importance because it seems that our elected representatives are asleep at the wheel.

It is never too early to inform ourselves about the process of a recall — let’s not wait for the next election to show our disgust!

LARRY WILBURN
Pittsylvania County

Public Is Awake And Aware

Paula Bryant

Public Is Awake And Aware

Halifax Town Councilman and Halifax County’s Southside Concerned Citizen (SCC) Chairman Jack Dunavant has brought to our attention what he terms as “the bureaucratic disregard for public safety that is abroad” that he experienced during last week’s meeting of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

According to information provided in the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors’ executive summary for their January 20 meeting, under the topic of discussion, it says, “In July 2008, on one of our closed landfill cells, during an inspection of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), an area was discovered that appeared to be wet and possibly be releasing leachate.”

The DEQ document beginning on the next page, under Section C, #1 reveals that DEQ staff actually discovered the seep on March 21, 2008.

Jack believes this three-month discrepancy in discovery date “must be corrected for the record.”Also in the DEQ document, under Section C, #4, it says “the seep was indeed landfill leachate, and was contaminated with ‘metals and organic constituents.’”

The Halifax Councilman points out the DEQ must reveal the list of those contaminants by name and percentage.Section C, #5 also mentions “a significant volume of leachate.” How much, exactly? Jack wants to know.

It also states that the “periodic checks” by “facility personnel” – county employees -- “were not sufficient to detect failures of this nature.” According to the SCC chairman, it is incumbent upon the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to reveal to whom these “facility personnel” reported.

What was in the know about this problem? Section C, #6 said the county replaced the leachate pump impeller, installed leachate flow meters and instituted procedures to check the meters weekly. When was this accomplished?

And how long was the leaching allowed to continue? Section C, #9 says, “County representatives and their environmental consultants met with DEQ staff on July 31, 2008 to discuss the noncompliance issues and the corrective action undertaken to address the same.”

Does this mean that the leaching (which had been ongoing for how long?) was allowed to continue from March 21, 2008 until after July 31, 2008 -- four months -- before any “corrective action” was taken?Approximately how much leachate was released?

That’s the SCC chairman’s prime concern. Although this leaching occurred in Pittsylvania County, Jack wants to know did DEQ test the Banister River to determine how much “metals and organic constituents” seeped into the river that flows downstream into Halifax County?

If so, those test results must be revealed to the public, Jack adamantly believes.

However, the DEQ maintains the seepage did not get into the stream or river.

Will the $1,300 civil charge be paid with county tax dollars, or can county officials and staff be held responsible for picking up the tab? That’s another question that taxpayers in Pittsylvania County should be asking.

According to county staff recommendations, the board of supervisors was asked to authorize the county administrator to sign the consent order and pay the $1,300 civil charge out of the operating budget.

Pittsylvania County’s SCC Chairman Gregg Vickrey finds this latest development “outrageous in light of the potential uranium mining and milling in our area.”

“If the ‘newest’ technology and regulations can’t keep a landfill from leaking, what makes anyone confident, no matter what a ‘study’ shows, that the Coles Hill Uranium Project can be done in such a way as to keep the citizens and natural environments safe?” he asks.

Citizens have the right to know and must demand all the facts regarding this landfill leak, and if the two SCC chairmen are any indication of whose watching, politicians will quickly learn a concerned public is awake and aware

Uranium opponents lash out at county

Comment: Why did the board put the Uranium Statement on the Agenda and then pull because according to the following statement:
“I don’t know what it’s about,” Snead said

By John CranePublished: February 2, 2009

CHATHAM — The leader of a local group opposing uranium mining blasted the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Monday night after the board voted not to discuss a uranium-mining study commission listed on its agenda.

‘We don’t trust you,” Gregg Vickrey, president of the Chatham/Pittsylvania chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens, said to supervisors during their regular meeting Monday night.

Vickrey warned the board not to “give the impression you’re sweeping things under the carpet.”
“We will take appropriate action when it comes time to vote,” he said.

Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Hank Davis had put the item on the agenda, but Dan River Supervisor James Snead requested it be removed because there was no explanation of the topic in the board’s agenda packet.

“I don’t know what it’s about,” Snead said. “I don’t know how we can consider anything when there’s no information.”

Vickrey, along with two other mining opponents, voiced their displeasure to the board when it came time for residents to address supervisors about topics not on the agenda.

Vickrey drew parallels between the county’s delayed public notification of a leachate leak at the county landfill in Dry Fork and the implications it could have for a possible similar incident at the proposed uranium mining and milling operation at Coles Hill. Virginia Uranium Inc. wants to mine and mill a uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill about six miles northeast of Chatham.

“What if it took almost a year for the public to find out about a spill at Coles Hill?” he said.
After the meeting, Davis said he will bring the topic back to the board at a later date. Davis would not reveal why he entered the agenda item.

Walt Coles Jr., executive vice president of VUI, said opponents’ attacks on the company’s plans are unfair.

“All we’ve ever proposed is a state-sanctioned study,” Coles said after the meeting. “We need a fair chance to do something safely.”