Roundtable generates new-energy ideas for region

By Ray ReedMedia General News ServicePublished: April 10, 2009

RUSTBURG — U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello held a roundtable discussion for new-energy leaders in the 5th District on Friday, and about 60 of them spent four hours brainstorming ideas to make the region a center of economic recovery.

Perriello said he would use those ideas as the platform for a meeting he hopes to have with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to convince him that Southside Virginia should be “the model for the new-energy economy.”(without uranium mining, please!)

Southern Virginia is a resource-rich environment for renewable energy and independence, one discussion group said, dubbing it “the Perriello paradigm.”

Many of the business leaders and local-government officials in the room already were producing energy from farm products and methane gas from landfills.

Others, such as Bret Aker of Charlottesville, talked about ways to improve cars that run on electricity.

Energy resources in Southern Virginia range from farms that can grow fuel-producing switchgrass or canola, to research laboratories funded by the state Tobacco Commission in Bedford County, Danville and South Boston, participants said.

It also has high-wealth communities that can produce venture capital, one discussion group said.

Craig Nessler, who leads Virginia Tech research in biofuels, said he envisioned a new model for producing electricity: small generating plants running on locally produced biofuels in each of the Tobacco Commission’s 34 counties across southern and South-west Virginia.

Soils are suitable for the fiber-heavy plants that are needed, and the climate is warmer than in the Midwest where farms produce most of the corn now being used for ethanol, Nessler said.
Solar-energy panels also could be deployed in the region, particularly in flat terrain, participants said.

Three municipal electric companies, in Bedford, Dan-ville and Martinsville, could serve as prototypes for ways to manage a smart grid carrying power generated by different types of plants, others said.

John Kennedy, director of research at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, said the region’s intellectual assets have only just begun to be used.

“The Tobacco Commission has planted the seeds” of economic growth for the region, he said.

Energy!!

Energy!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder how much energy this country could save if each and every city were to turn off every other street light on their streets and highways at night.

Take 58 East to West in Danville, for instance. If every other street light were turned off, would we still be capable of driving 58?

Once you hit the county line, are we suddenly incapable of driving with out streetlights?

We have always been told to turn off our lights at home because this helps with energy conservation. I think the cities should practice this effort, too.

There are so many lights burning at night that are not necessary.

We could save countless dollars, oil and uranium use by turning them off.

We are under the threat of mining for uranium in our back yard for the sake of two years of energy with uranium.

We don't seem to learn from our past mistakes. We used fossil fuels and caused serious problems with the environment.

Now we are looking for another easy fix for our energy use by mining uranium.

We, as a people, are like water. We want to take the path of least resistance.

Let's not act like we are going to fix one crisis by starting another one with mining uranium.

I can't believe we can put a man on the moon, 40 years ago but we cannot find a safe alternative energy source TODAY that will not harm theenvironment. (What about solar and wind energy?)

The only thing about uranium that lasts forever is uranium tailings which produce radioactive waste. An accident is not an accident until it happens, then it's too late.

How many times have you done something and said, "If I could only go back again."

How much will your back yard be worth if there is an accident?

It is your back yard if you are reading this paper.

Lets turn off some city lights nation wide before jumping on the uranium for-profit wagon.

Berkeley Bidgood

Save The Date: Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 Evington

Southside Concerned Citizens

Public Presentation on Uranium Mining

Thursday, Jan. 15, at 6:30 p.m.

Salem United Methodist Church
(corner of Route 24 and Mason Mill Road)

Evington, VA

The event is free to the public.

Call 434-660-6603 for more information.

What topics should be part of a uranium mining study in Virginia?

It's been off limits in Virginia since the 1980's, but uranium mining is once again being looked at in Virginia.

Virginia's Coal and Energy commission wants to study whether uranium can be mined safely in the Commonwealth. Before they start, they're getting input from the public.

Hundreds packed a public hearing Tuesday at Chatham High School to give their comments about what should be included in the study.

The meeting was supposed to be a chance for lawmakers to learn what the public wants the state to include in its study. Some chose to discuss the pros and cons of uranium.

"Everything I've worked my entire life for is now in jeopardy because property values in the area are already plummeting at the threat of a uranium mine," said Pittsylvania County resident Linda Frank.

When questions veered off topic, the panel intervened. Coal and Energy committee chairman Lee Ware told the crowd: "We're here to conduct a serious hearing and a serious study."

While most speakers gave in to the scolding, others fought back. "Sir these questions come from my people," said mining opponent Jack Dunavant. "We put you there!"

Of the questions that were asked, some dealt with jobs. "It would be harder and harder for people like me to stay here without the jobs this project could offer," said Frances Hailey.

"What study will be done to determine how mining and milling will affect our ability to sell our products," asked Gretna resident Sue Poe.

Regardless of what comes from the meeting, most say they're just worried about what happens next.

Andrew Lester told lawmakers "nobody will remember you fellows (if you make the right decision), but if it's the wrong decision, you'll be damned by history."

"If Richmond tries to shove this uranium issue down our throats, we will fight to the bitter end. Till the last man falls," said Dunavant.

If you didn't make it out for tonight's meeting, you can still submit your comments in writing until January 19th at the following address:

Coal & Energy Commission
c/o Ellen Porter
Division of Legislative Services
910 Capitol Street Richmond, VA 23219

eporter@dls.virginia.gov

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=9628580

Uranium Discussion Heats Up in Virginia; Uranium Mining Study Should Consider Health Issues, Residents Say

Published: January 7, 2009

Members of a state commission preparing to oversee a study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County were urged by area residents last night to make sure the study fully addresses the health effects related to mining the nuclear fuel.

Residents also vowed to fight any legislative attempt to use the study to overturn a 27-year-old statewide moratorium on uranium mining.

"This subject is near and dear to our hearts -- it affects our loved ones, our land, our water," said Jack Dunavant, chairman of Southside Concerned Citizens, at Chatham High School before a crowd of about 450, most of whom were opposed to uranium mining. "If Richmond tries to shove this down our throat, we will fight to the bitter end, till the last man falls."

A few others asked members of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy's Uranium Mining Subcommittee to make sure the study takes into account the economic benefits of uranium mining.

Up to $10 billion worth of uranium may lie beneath the Pittsylvania soil -- potentially the nation's largest deposit -- and a group of landowners has formed the mining company Virginia Uranium Inc. in hopes of mining the ore. Proponents say developing the ore into nuclear fuel will help break the nation's dependence on oil.

But many residents fear that mining the area's rich uranium deposit could contaminate the water. They also worry that wind will blow debris from a mining operation and contaminate the air and damage crops.

Environmental and health concerns prompted Virginia to impose a moratorium on uranium mining in 1982. But the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy opened the door to removing the moratorium when it agreed last year to study the issue.

The Uranium Mining Subcommittee hopes to enlist the help of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the study, which could take 18 months to two years to complete. The subcommittee called last night's public hearing in Chatham to gather residents' advice on what should be considered in the study.

Walter Coles Jr., whose father owns a controlling interest in Virginia Uranium, told committee members the study should be thorough but should not be used to close the door on mining uranium.

"What are the risks if this project is not allowed to go forward? We're dependent on foreigners for 90 percent of our uranium requirements," Coles said.

Others suggested the study look at the impact of a uranium mine on property values, economic development, and agriculture. But many residents fear that mining of the area's rich uranium deposit could contaminate the water. They also worry that wind will blow debris from a mining operation and contaminate the atmosphere and damage crops.

"In the event that there is seepage into the groundwater, how is it going to be cleaned up?" asked Terry Andrews of Halifax County, who said she lives 15 miles downstream from the proposed mine site. "How are we going to get the water back to the way it was?"

Environmental and health concerns prompted Virginia to impose a moratorium on uranium mining in 1982. But the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy opened the door to removing the moratorium when it agreed to study the issue last year.

Pittsylvania resident Andrew Lester suggested that the committee listen to the advice of mining opponents to help them make the right decision: "If it's the wrong one, you'll be damned by history, and you don't want that."

The Uranium Mining Subcommittee hopes to enlist the help of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the study, which could take between 18 months and two years to complete. The subcommittee called tonight's public hearing in Chatham to gather residents' advice on what should be considered in the study.

Contact Rex Bowman at (540) 344-3612 or rbowman@timesdispatch.com .

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/article/URAN07_20090106-223015/170821/

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/URANGAT061_20090106-203005/170620/

Uranium Subcommittee to Hold Public Hearing Jan. 6 in Chatham

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:20 PM EST

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining Subcommittee will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. at Chatham High School to receive public comment on its study of uranium mining.

"Subcommittee members want to hear from all interested parties what environmental, economic, scientific, engineering, and related topics should be included in the study," said Del. Lee Ware Jr. of Powhatan, chairman of the subcommittee.

Ware, however, stressed it's too early to receive testimony on the "pros and cons" of uranium mining, but said the subcommittee wants to hear from the public on the scope of the study.

In addition to Ware, the subcommittee includes Del. Watkins Abbitt of Appomattox, Sen. John Watkins of Midlothian, Del. William R. Janis of Glen Allen, Del. Charles W. Carrico Sr. of Galax, Sen. Phillip P. Puckett of Tazewell, Del. Clarence E. Phillips of Castlewood, Del. Kristen J. Amundson of Fairfax County, Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach and Harry D. Childress.

Childress, a citizen member on the Coal and Energy Commission, is the former head of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Abbitt was a member of the original commission that studied uranium mining in the 1980s.

The commission's chairman, Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County, also serves on the subcommittee as an ex-officio member.

The study itself, while overseen by the subcommittee, will be conducted by Dr. Michael Karmis, a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

According to Ware, Karmis will work directly with the National Academy of Sciences.

The study is expected to take about two years.

Pittsylvania County is home to what is believed to be the largest uranium deposit in the United States.

The Coles Hill deposit was discovered in the early 1980s about six miles northeast of Chatham.

Two years ago, Walter Coles, who owns a majority of the deposit, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to eventually mine the uranium deposit, which is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Before the deposit can be mined, however, the General Assembly would have to lift Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining, which has been in place since 1982.

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/12/18/chatham/news/news47.txt

Halifax Chamber Presents Uranium Study Concerns

The Uranium Study Advisory Group formed by the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce presented its final report entitled "Community Concerns Related To Uranium Mining In Virginia" to the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission's Uranium Mining sub-committee on Friday, Dec. 12, at the General Assembly Building.

This was the organizational meeting of the sub-committee, chaired by Del. Lee Ware and consisting of eleven delegates, senators and one citizen member.

"It was a fairly good sized crowd present for the meeting," said Nancy Pool, Executive Director of the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce. Pool said she spoke during the meeting as did about 19 others, the majority of whom opposed lifting the state's moratorium on uranium mining. She added that she was encouraged by Ware's assurances that he would carefully review the study. An aide to Ware also said he would review it.

The Chamber's study includes 18 pages of questions and concerns covering four areas: health and the environment, economic effects of the mining, the scope and methodology of the study and the impact of mining on the local quality of life. Another 20 pages list references from researchers.

Those studies, from reputable researchers, governmental agencies and medical organizations, construct a point-by-point case for the proposition that pollutants associated with uranium mining are hazardous to human health.

The study details a 15-year track record of the US Department of Energy in cleaning up groundwater pollution under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978. Fifteen years later, DOE had demonstrated ground water cleanup compliance at only eight of the original 18 sites covered in the study.

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission passed a motion on November 6 to appoint a sub-committee of its members to oversee a study of the impact of uranium mining in Virginia. The Commission entered into an agreement with the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research to contract with the National Academy of Sciences or other comparable scientific or academic institutions independent of the Center, to conduct a wide-ranging study on the impact of uranium mining in the Commonwealth.

The Commission, through its sub-committee, will study the economic, environmental, public health and social issues affecting nearby communities, the region and the Commonwealth as a whole. Additionally, the subcommittee is directed to hold appropriate public hearings as it considers the issues and develops its recommendations.

In September, Del. Clarke Hogan asked the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce to create a Uranium Study Advisory Group to solicit written input from area residents and to ascertain and present those related issues that are of concern to Halifax citizens.

"It is important to our community that any study that may be undertaken is fair and objective, and that it answers the many questions people have," said Delegate Hogan. "The Halifax County Chamber is a highly respected organization in our area. I am confident that they will ensure that the questions that need to be asked will be asked.

"The Chamber's advisory group began meeting in September, researched the issues, met with various experts and interest groups, and solicited input and questions from area residents. We believe the resulting product that is being presented to the Committee today is thorough, comprehensive and credible. A great deal of work has gone into developing and articulating the issues In a coherent way, and we hope the information and recommendations contained will be of value to the Committee," said Pool, Chamber president.

"We are going to remain involved in the issue of uranium mining in our area and in Virginia, and we look forward to participating in the public part of the process, and to reviewing the work of the sub-committee and the study as it goes forward," said Dr. Michele Ah, chairman of the Chamber's board of directors. "I served on this committee and know the amount of work that went into creating the scope of study defined in our document. If it is used, citizens can be assured every concern will be addressed."

The Chamber's board of directors will meet on Dec. 18, and will address the issue of uranium mining at that time. It is expected that a resolution will be forthcoming.

The full text of the Chamber Advisory Group's document can be found on the Chamber's web site www.halifaxchamber.net or www.thenewsrecord.com.

http://www.thenewsrecord.com/2008webfiles/20081215chamberuranium.htm

Worried about uranium mining

Another excellent letter from a concerned citizen! Thanks for speaking out!

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: December 5, 2008

To the editor:

I am greatly concerned about the possibility of uranium mining and milling here in Pittsylvania County, which is currently under consideration and dispute. History has clearly shown that uranium mining cannot be done safely. Areas where uranium mining has occurred have seen destruction of the environment (air, soil and water quality); an increase in serious health issues for humans and animals, including livestock; a decline in the ability to safely use the land for agriculture for farming or raising livestock; and the rapid decline of property values, and subsequently economic growth. Uranium mining affects the surrounding environment, the health of those who live there and an area’s economy for generations to come.

I much too frequently hear local residents talk about how difficult it is to convince young people to make their home here in Pittsylvania County because the economy is so bad. Well, the economy here is only going to get worse if uranium mining is allowed to occur here in our backyard. Who would want to buy or eat produce grown in a contaminated area? Who would want to purchase a home in an unhealthy area? Those of us who are homeowners will not even be able to sell our home and move away to protect the health of ourselves and our families. The exodus of the young people from Southside — who take their energy, education and dreams with them — will only further erode our local economy.

I am incensed that uranium mining is believed to be OK to do in rural areas which are not densely populated. The large corporations and investors believe that those of us who live here in Southside will not be smart enough to recognize the inherent risks associated with uranium mining and milling.

They think that because many of us have families who have lived in the area for generations, because we have strong moral values and religious faith that makes us want to trust and believe in others, and because we may have lower incomes and/or less education than those in other areas of our state and nation, that we won’t know any better and that we will simply be happy to have a new employer in town.

Well, that new potential employer in town will be offering Southside residents a job in exchange for their health, their families’ health and the value of their home and property. They think they will blindly believe them when they say “uranium is safe or we wouldn’t do it.” That’s absurd! We all know better. Don’t let outsiders ruin our future — and that of our children and grandchildren — for their own personal gain.

DEBORAH L. GUERIN BARKSDALE
Chatham

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/danville_letters/article/worried_about_uranium_mining_and_the_bailout/7819/#When:10:54:15Z

Has The Public Had Its Fill of Uranium Pro-Mining's Special Interest Group?

Let me put this into perspective: In 2002, I was one of two "legislative agents" ( lobbyists) for a local of the American Federation of Teachers representing community college faculty and staff before Kentucky's legislature. The local was not a collective bargaining agent nor was membership mandatory although the issues for which we lobbied stood to benefit all faculty and staff within the community college aspect of Kentucky's community/technical college system (it's an oddly trifurcated system). We both drove to Frankfort 3-4 days a week, 110 miles round trip each, to meet with legislators, attend committee hearings, etc. (and we drove separately since we lived in opposite directions). In the evenings, we prepared "position papers" (using our personal computers and printers) for distribution to whichever chamber we were focusing on the next day. We were not kin to, or friends with, anyone in the legislature although my partner had lobbied in Frankfort before for the same local. In 2004, I was the local's sole legislative agent. My salary for the entire session each of those two years was $4,200.00 from which I also paid all of my expenses; neither of us had an expense account with which to "entertain" legislators. I was not otherwise employed during the terms of the sessions; my lobbying partner took unpaid leave from her full-time employment. The issues on which we worked certainly were not as grave as uranium mining...they were far more arbitrary whereas uranium mining is pretty cut and dried...do it or don't do it...but the issues were still important to the faculty and staff who stood to gain or lose; for less than $10,000 combined in 2002 (and just me...$4200.00...in 2004), we were their voices. We were surprisingly effective...we exceeded everyone's expectations. Why? Because we had strength in numbers behind us. We broadcast emails to union members and other interested faculty and staff so that they could call, email and write to their individual senators and representatives, both to their legislative offices and their home offices. We had members show up for committee hearings. We used grassroots organizing techniques and they worked. They worked so well that the local no longer employs any registered agents to lobby...the members rely on themselves to send their message.

Now...let's look at VUI. They've spent close to $100,000.00 on lobbyists and yet last year, their mining study bill was soundly defeated. Why? Because SCC and other anti-uranium voices were heard loudly and clearly by the General Assembly in Richmond. Citizens wrote and called and traveled to Richmond for committee hearings. Grass-roots organizing worked. In fact, it worked so well that VUI had to figure out a way to circumvent the Assembly for the 2009 session, at least where the mining study was concerned.

The letter below poses some excellent questions and makes some excellent points. Read it. Send it to eveyone you know. Print it out and give it to eveyone you see. Why? Because while money does talk, grassroots efforts can talk louder...and that's the voice...your voice...that must be heard in Richmond, now and during every GA session until the mining moratorium is firmly cemented into place.

Many of you are quite active in the fight...more of you are needed. You've got strong leadership...experienced leadership...grassroots leadership. Take advantage of it! Join SCC...subscribe to the Yahoo Group...keep up with the blog. When the 2009 session of the General Assembly convenes in January, 2009, the voices of everyone who opposes the destruction of Southside (and points beyond) must be heard in unison. Let VUI spend its money...SCC and the anti-uranium movement can make enough noise to be heard without trying to outspend VUI.

Mr. Hoffman says it all.

To the editor:

In the story, “Report tackles lobbying efforts,” (Nov. 24, page A1), it was reported that Virginia Uranium Inc. has paid nearly $100,000 to lobbyists in order to determine the safety of uranium mining in Virginia.

Would a full and open disclosure by VUI show the mining corporation to be (as quoted by VUI geologist Patrick Wales) “a small, locally-owned company” instead of a subsidiary of Canadian and French mining interests and control?

Regarding the reported $100,000 VUI spent to pay lobbyists, Wales was also quoted as saying, “Doing business in Richmond, unfortunately, requires someone to guide you through that ‘process.’” If I were a skeptical person, I might ask, “Is that another way to say money talks?”

Has the general public finally had more than its fill of special corporate interests thrown at them on the uranium mining issue?

All of us must remember to remind our elected officials that they were put into office by us, the voters, and not by corporate lobbyists. We do not want Southside Virginia and beyond ruined within 10 years by a uranium mining and milling corporation.

Uranium mining does terrible, irreparable damage to people, animals, the environment and the economy. It doesn’t cost $100,000 to prove that!

In fact, it doesn’t cost anything but thinking people’s time in research, learning and caring. The caring issue means we need to demonstrate how much we care about our family, our neighbors, our homes, our animals, our communities, our acres and acres of beautiful land and our streams and rivers.

We will demonstrate this by just saying, “no” to uranium mining and milling in Southside Virginia — and Virginia as a whole. The risks to all are not worth the potential wealth for a few.

TOD J. HOFFMAN

Chatham

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/danville_letters/article/great_service_having_your_fill_and_worried/7781/

URANIUM MINING IN VIRGINIA?

FACING SOUTH - Online Magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies (Durham, NC)

(links are live and interesting...SB)

A company that wants to mine radioactive uranium in rural Virginia successfully lobbied a state commission for a study of the matter after the legislature refused over public health concerns.

Members of the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission unanimously approved a motion [pdf] last month asking the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech to join with the National Academy of Sciences "or other comparable scientific or academic institutions" to study the impact of uranium mining in the state. The motion also calls for public hearings on the practice, which Virginia has banned for the past 25 years.

The study was requested by Virginia Uranium, a privately held company seeking to overturn the state ban so it can mine and mill uranium for nuclear power plants on a 200-acre site near the farming community of Coles Hill in Virginia's Pittsylvania County. The site lies just north of the City of Danville, Va. and near the border with North Carolina's Rockingham and Caswell counties.

Formed two years ago, Virginia Uranium belongs mostly -- 78% -- to the Coles and Bowen families that own the farmland where the uranium was found three decades ago. Private investors hold another 12% of the company, while employees, managers and directors own 10%.

The Pittsylvania County site is believed to represent the largest undeveloped uranium deposit in the United States and the seventh largest in the world. It holds an estimated 60,000 tons -- enough uranium to power all the commercial nuclear power plants in the country for about two years.

The company estimates the ore's long-term value at about $10 billion.

COMPANY CONTRIBUTED TO COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO OK'D STUDY

Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine supports a uranium mining study, which also won the approval of the state's Democratic-controlled Senate. But the Republican-led House defeated the proposal after hearing the concerns of a GOP delegate who represents constituents that get their drinking water from the targeted area.

As the Washington Post observes, Virginia lawmakers' comfort with uranium mining seems to increase with their distance from it:

The issue divided legislators along geographic lines rather than partisan ones. Many who represent areas where uranium has been found or whose drinking water could be affected voted against it, and many from other regions, including Northern Virginia, voted for it. The Coles Hill area supplies drinking water locally and to parts of Hampton Roads and North Carolina.

Virginia Uranium has vigorously lobbied state legislators to support the study. During the last legislative session, the company paid almost $100,000 to 15 lobbyists to try to get the uranium mining study approved, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. When those efforts didn't work, the company pursued the study through the Coal and Energy Commission, whose members are appointed by the state House and Senate leadership and the governor.

Several members of the commission that approved the study also received campaign contributions from Virginia Uranium, VPAP data shows. The Commission's vice chair, state Sen. John Watkins of Richmond, got $1,000 on June 11. Other commission members who took contributions from the company were state Senate President Pro Tem Charles Colgan of Manassas ($1,000 on June 30), Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach ($2,000 on June 10), and Delegate Timothy Hugo of Fairfax County (two $500 installments on Jan. 4 and Jan. 8).

In all, Virginia Uranium contributed almost $30,000 to Virginia state legislators this year.

A LEGACY OF DISEASE AND DEATH

Company officials say they believe the Pittsylvania County uranium can be mined safely. Other proponents of the plan have gone so far as to dismiss worries about uranium mining as exaggerated. They include Max Schulz, a senior fellow with the free-market Manhattan Institute and a former speechwriter for U.S. Energy Secretaries Samuel Bodman and Spencer Abraham, who penned an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal in which he called uranium mining "relatively harmless":

Handled properly, the yellowcake that is extracted is no more hazardous than regular household chemicals (and unlike coal, it won't smolder and combust).

James Kelly, who directed the nuclear engineering program at the University of Virginia for many years, says that fears about uranium mining are wildly overblown. "It's an aesthetic nightmare, but otherwise safe in terms of releasing any significant radioactivity or pollution," he told me. "It would be ugly to look at, but from the perspective of any hazard I wouldn't mind if they mined across the street from me."

But the record shows that uranium mining is not as environmentally benign as Schulz would have us believe. While it's true that the yellowcake ore is not as radioactive as processed uranium, the way in which it's extracted from the earth and turned into a useable product has a record of creating serious health problems for miners as well as nearby communities, including:

* Chromosome abnormalities in residents of Karnes County, Texas, where uranium was mined commercially starting in the 1950s;

* An increase in birth defects in babies born to mothers who lived near a uranium mine waste dump in New Mexico;

* Excess risk of cancer mortality in communities near uranium mills in Spain; and

* An increase in lung cancer risk for residents living near uranium mines in Germany.

Uranium mining also presents a serious threat to drinking water, as illustrated by the disaster that took place at Church Rock, N.M. in 1979, just 14 weeks after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.

On July 16 of that year, at a uranium mining and milling complex owned by the Virginia-based United Nuclear Corporation, a state-of-the-art dam holding uranium mining waste burst, sending more than 1,100 tons of the toxic discards known as "tailings" and 90 million gallons of contaminated liquid into the Rio Puerco River. Once an important drinking water source for nearby Navajo communities, the river remains dangerously contaminated today.

Uranium mining's impact on drinking water is a concern for Virginia as well -- especially given a climate far wetter than the desert Southwest. In Virginia Beach, for example, officials recently announced their opposition to the mining plan over concerns that a tropical storm or hurricane could breach the mine waste impoundments, polluting downstream waterways including Lake Gaston, the city's drinking water source.

Environmental groups also oppose the uranium mining plans for Virginia. They include the Southern Environmental Law Center, Piedmont Environmental Council, Southside Concerned Citizens, the Virginia Conservation Network and the Sierra Club.

By Sue Sturgis on December 3, 2008 10:23 AM

http://www.southernstudies.org/2008/12/uranium-mining-in-virginia.html

Why Wait? Protect Southside Virginia Water Now

by: Kathy Gerber

Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 04:34:44 AM EST

Virginia Uranium, Southside Cattle Company or whatever they call themselves this year say that they want to proceed with uranium mining in the Chatham area only if it can be done safely. Excellent.

Assuming this claim is authentic, their full support of strong water protection legislation will be welcome. At the very least Virginia deserves a bill that ensures reasonable environmental protections by requiring mining companies across the board - including potential uranium mining companies - to clean up after themselves and restore groundwater quality. Restore it completely.

We deserve laws that carefully define "abandonment" and other catchy terms. Laws that contains timelines. Laws crafted intelligently enough to preempt loopholes and escape clauses where the key players behind a made-in-Virginia storefront create a hopeless mess, declare bankruptcy, pack their carptetbags and aim their sites on greener global pastures.

It wouldn't be the first or even the second time this pattern has played out. We can learn from other states out west that have already been led down this road, a road that ends up with the public shouldering the responsibility for hazardous sites that can't be cleaned up. Over the span of decades those sites suck up millions of dollars of taxpayers' dollars to cover just the bare bones of disaster containment.

Taking out ads and running a full throttle media blitz for the fast track is not enough. And studying safety in an unprecedented scenario is no more than hypothetical modeling. We need to insist on safety protections. And we need to require those protections well ahead of saddling Virginia with the speculative risk of high flying prospectors. Do our legislators have what it takes to insist on safety and responsibility now? Or will they wait until it's too late and Chatham becomes Virginia's own Little Summitville?

http://www.democraticcentral.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2875

Coal, Energy Commission Moves Forward on Uranium Study

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 8:21 PM EST

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission voted 12-0 Thursday to study uranium mining.

The decision will have far-reaching consequences for Pittsylvania County, which is home to what is believed to be the largest uranium deposit in the United States.

Marline Uranium Corp. discovered the Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, in the early 1980s.

Two years ago, Walter Coles, who owns the land and a majority of the ore, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to explore the possibility of mining the uranium, which is now worth an estimated $8 billion.

The commission, chaired by Del. Terry Kilgore of Scott County, met at the General Assembly Building in Richmond.

"This is a very important issue," said Kilgore. "There is a lot we don't know about uranium mining. That's why we are doing the study."

In a statement last month, the chairman said the need for independent American sources of energy is "a matter of national security and economic prosperity."

"We know that Virginia has a significant, high-quality uranium deposit, and, as Virginians and Americans, we have a responsibility to study the feasibility of mining it safely."

Kilgore noted that the Coal and Energy Commission conducted a similar study on uranium mining in 1980s.

"We need to leave no stone unturned on this," he said. "If it's not safe, we don't want to do it."

Kilgore appointed a subcommittee to oversee the study. The subcommittee is chaired by Del. Lee Ware of Powhatan and includes Del. Watkins Abbitt of Appomattox, Sen. John Watkins of Midlothian, Del. William R. Janis of Glen Allen, Del. Charles W. Carrico Sr. of Galax, Sen. Phillip P. Puckett of Tazewell, Del. Clarence E. Phillips of Castlewood and Harry D. Childress.

Childress, a citizen member on the commission, is the former head of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Abbitt was a member of the original commission that studied uranium mining in Virginia.

Kilgore said the commission will rely on the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy at Virginia Tech to develop a blueprint for the study.

The study also will likely involve the National Academy of Sciences.

"The question we want to answer is this," said Kilgore: "Is uranium mining safe at the site in question and what effect will it have on the environment, economy and quality of life on the area."

Kilgore plans to hold public hearings in the county to listen to residents' concerns before the study begins.

"We're going to try to get as much public input as we can," the chairman said.

Kilgore said the commission hopes to receive contributions from environmental groups and the uranium industry to fund the study, which may cost $1 million and is expected to take 18 months to two years.

Last year, Virginia Uranium offered to pay for a state study, and chairman Walter Coles said the company is still willing to contribute.

Coles attended the meeting in Richmond and said he was pleased by the Coal and Energy Commission's decision to move forward on an independent, scientific study.

"We've been after this for a long time," he said. "We think it's the right thing to do."

Del. Danny Marshall of Danville attended the Richmond meeting along with about 20 people from Pittsylvania and Halifax counties.

"To me, this is not just a study on the science of uranium," said Marshall. "It needs to be broader and take in the health and welfare of citizens, not just in Pittsylvania County but those downstream as well."

Marshall told commission members the study should consider the social and economic effects of uranium mining on jobs, property values and enrollment at two prestigious private schools in the area, Chatham Hall and Hargrave Military Academy.

He also urged the commission to hold public hearings in the county before beginning the study.

"I want to make sure citizens can express their concerns so they can be incorporated into the study," the delegate said.

Even if the study proves favorable, lawmakers will still have to lift Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining, which has been in place since 1981.

"The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission has no legislative power," said Marshall. "They cannot lift the moratorium on uranium mining. Only the General Assembly can do that."

Del. Don Merricks agreed.

"An independent study is the only way to get the facts necessary to make an educated decision about mining and milling uranium," Merricks said in a letter to the commission.

"I am not in favor of lifting the moratorium nor will I be until a study proves to me this can be done safely without harm to the economic, social and environmental aspects of the area."

Sen. Robert Hurt also supports a study.

"This is one of the most important issues of our time, and I think it's extremely important to take a sober, careful look at seeing if it can be done safely and in a manner consistent with our high quality of life," said Hurt.

Ninth District Del. Charles Poindexter, who represents the western part of the county, said a study may put the issue to rest once and for all.

"I don't see why anyone would object to learning more about anything," said Poindexter. "I think we need to proceed with the study and come up with scientific facts.

"If a study shows that uranium mining goes against public health and safety, then the legislature won't go forward."

Local leaders also weighed in on the study.

Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Coy Harville said a study is a "great idea."

"We need to get a study on the way," said Harville. "We need to get some information to the public."

Chatham Mayor George Haley was a little less enthusiastic.

"I've never been against a study," said Haley. "It just depends on who does it and if it's a real, true study and not political. I just wonder about our state government and how political it is."

Haley hopes to convince Chatham Town Council to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance aimed at uranium mining.

Halifax Town Council became the first locality in Virginia to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance last year.

"I'm still concerned that we need a chemical trespass law," the mayor said. "We should have one."

Opponents worry that the study will be a whitewash, and fear that it's just a prelude to lifting the state's moratorium.

"It will be an experiment and all of us will be the guinea pigs," said Greg Vickrey, chairman of the Chatham-Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens.

"I don't know what they are going to study. Virginia Uranium has not presented a plan. There's nothing to study."

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

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/11/11/chatham/news/news39.txt

Virginia Commission OKs Study of Uranium Mining

11/06/2008

By STEVE SZKOTAK / Associated Press

A state commission approved a study Thursday to examine the impact of mining a rich uranium ore deposit in Virginia believed to be the largest untapped trove of uranium in North America.

The unanimous vote by the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission could be the first step toward ending a 1980s moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia. The study will center on a deposit in rural Southside Virginia that contains 119 million pounds of uranium ore valued between $8 billion and $10 billion.

The U.S. now produces only 4.7 million pounds of the 65 million pounds of uranium ore used domestically each year, according to Mick Mastilovic, vice president of operations for Virginia Uranium Inc., the Chatham company that wants to begin mining.

The yellow cake ore is primarily used for nuclear power plants, which now rely on uranium from Canada, Australia and Russia.

The study will pair the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech with the National Academy of Sciences. An independent study supported by Virginia Uranium failed in the General Assembly earlier this year because some feared it was tilted toward mining.

Del. Terry G. Kilgore, chairman of the legislative panel that approved Thursday's study, said the commission's examination would probably take 18 months to two years to complete and would include significant public involvement.

"We need to leave no stone unturned on this. If it's not safe, we don't want to do it," Kilgore said of the mining.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1981, two years after the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2, which remains the most serious commercial nuclear power accident in the United States. The accident and the nuclear power protests that followed virtually ended the building of new nuclear power plants in the U.S.

The nation, however, has seen a renewed interest in nuclear power and energy independence, and President-elect Barack Obama has said he does not oppose the energy source. The price of uranium has increased.

At a brief hearing before the commission, Sarah Motley said her family homestead dating back 150 years is within 2 miles of the uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County, near the North Carolina line. She opposed mining 25 years ago and still worries about its environmental toll.

"We don't know what the right thing to do is, but we still have concerns," she said after the meeting.

The Southern Environmental Law Center, which supports the moratorium, said uranium mining is often a surface operation susceptible to severe weather. The environmental group is concerned about uranium mining's impact on groundwater, livestock and the health of local residents.

"We've got to proceed with caution because were are heading into uncharted territory," said Cale Jaffe, a senior attorney for the law center.

Whit Clement, representing Virginia Uranium, said the two Virginia families who own a controlling interest in the company are mindful of the worries of those who oppose the mining. He said the independent, science-based study will determine "if it can be done safely."

"You can rest assured that the environmentalists will make sure that not only is everything studied, but they will oppose it in the end," Clement said.

http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D949M8CG0.html

Speaker to Discuss Effects of Uranium -- Chatham Community Center -- Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:00 pm

Folks, this is an extraordinary opportunity to have local ostriches and doubters hear the bad news about the health effects of uranium mining from someone who speaks with authority. Spread the word to everyone you know! The Chatham Community Center should be packed to capacity Saturday night!


By TIM DAVIS/Chatham Star-Tribune Editor

The Dan River Basin Association will sponsor a free educational program on the health effects of uranium mining Saturday, Nov. 8.

Douglas M. Brugge will speak about the effects of uranium mining and milling on human health at 7 p.m. at Chatham Community Center.

Brugge (pronounced "Briggy") is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

His credentials include a doctorate in cellular and developmental biology from Harvard University and a master's degree in industrial hygiene from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Brugge also testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about uranium issues in 2007.

A question-and-answer session will follow Brugge's talk.

Katherine Mull, executive director of the Dan River Basin Association, said she hopes Brugge's program will expand residents' knowledge on uranium issues.

"There's a lot we don't know," she said. "We're just trying to bring in experts to present good, factual information."

Mull said the association hopes to present a future program on ground and surface water migration.

Annette Ayres, a volunteer with the association, learned about Brugge after contacting a college in New Mexico while trying to find more information about the effects of uranium mining and milling.

Ayres later learned that Brugge worked on a health study about natural uranium exposure.

Asking him to speak about his study and his experiences, she said, seemed like one way to help residents find answers.

"It's a rare opportunity for residents and local officials to ask questions of a respected public health scientist who has done extensive research about this issue," Ayres said.

Saturday's program is free and open to the public.

http://www.wpcva.com/chatham/

The Foxes Voted 12-0 to Study the Hen House

A state panel voted today to study whether uranium can be safely mined in Virginia.

The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy voted 12-0 for the study.

A state House of Delegates committee killed a study proposal in March. But the commission's chairman, Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said that panel is probably the best group to oversee a study.

Mining supporters say roughly $8 billion worth of uranium may lie underground in Pittsylvania County in south-central Virginia. They say mining it would help address America's energy problems.

Opponents say mining could pollute waters, land and crops with radioactive waste.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-11-06-0215.html

Southside Citizens Need to Fight Uranium

As the Coal and Energy Commission prepares to meet tomorrow, November 6, to consider authorizing a study of mining Coles Hill, SCC member Jesse Andrews has written an excellent guest editorial urging local citizens to continue to fight uranium mining.

Altavista Journal

Wednesday, November 5, 2008


The reason Virginia Uranium Inc. is not willing to engage in a debate with Southside Concerned Citizens is because the officials at VUI know that they have no answers to the real questions that would be posed in such a debate.

They are unable to answer even the most fundamental questions about the safety and health hazards uranium mining inevitably carries with it. They are not able to address these issues because the honest answers to those questions would reveal that they really don't know what they are doing.

VUI has a nice slide show for the public, which is in reality more about nuclear power plants than about uranium mining and milling. But we are not facing the possibility of a nuclear power plant at Coles Hill. We are instead facing an extremely dangerous and untried possibility, a uranium mine and mill.

And now, VUI is attempting to make an end run around the state legislature and ask the Coal and Energy Commission to conduct their "study" of uranium mining. This is the commission that did the same study in the 1980s and concluded that uranium mining would be a fine thing for Virginia. It was only through the vision and foresight of the legislators at that time that we were spared the fate of being radioactive guinea pigs.

And the Coal and Energy Commission will probably say once again that they see no problem with uranium mining and milling in Pittsylvania County. Keep in mind that this is the same group of folks who have overseen the virtual destruction of Southwestern Virginia by the coal mining industry. All anyone has to do is drive out to those counties where coal has been mined to see what a mess has been made of those places. The landscape is devastated, the communities abandoned, and the streams and rivers flowing with the runoff from the mining and processing of coal. The frightening thing is that coal is not radioactive like uranium. Coal mining is bad enough, but at least it is not deadly poison.

And it looks to me as if the people of Southside, and especially the people of Pittsylvania County and Chatham, are willing to sit by and let this happen. The majority of them just don't seem to care. That is the real tragedy to me, that complacency and ignorance are allowing this travesty to proceed, questioned only by a few of us who are labeled as tree-hugging nut cakes. Well, I for one have been called worse. And if that makes me a person who loves his home and family, then I will gladly accept that label.

The citizens of Southside will get what they deserve, based on their own actions or lack thereof.

If, after this amount of time, the people who will be most affected by having a uranium mine and mill in their backyard don't care enough to speak up, then they WILL HAVE just that, and they will have to live with it for better or for worse.

And VUI has done nothing to convince me that their uranium would enrich anyone's life but the owners of and investors in VUI.

Wake up, folks. This is your home, your family, your future. Protect it while you still can.

Jesse Andrews

Halifax

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/11/05/altavista/opinion/opinion04.txt