Danville City Council passes on uranium resolution

Comment: The county and city leaders do not get it! We do not want our taxpayer's monies that may enable a foreign uranium corporation for an uranium mill or mine at anytime, we want a resolution now to stop future mining or milling, this has nothing to do with the study, if the study comes back and says VA can mine uranium, we do not want the Mega Park to be mine or milled! WE DO NOT WANT MINING OR MILLING OF URNAIUM EVER, NOT ON TAXPAYERS MONIES! Why are the uranium mining group attending these meetings, they have not been seen at meetings until we started requesting the Mega Park resolution! Did RIFA look at other lands near the Danville Expressway, RT 29 or Rt 58, where highway infrastructure, water, gas and electricity is located or just buy land with former Marline Uranium Leases!! No to uranium mining or milling EVER! Thanks everyone for working on the Mega Park Resolutions but keep it coming, never give up!
By Denice Thibodeau
Published: February 16, 2010

Danville City Council discussed the possibility of enacting a resolution prohibiting uranium mining or milling at the Berry Hill Road mega park at a work session Tuesday night, and decided to hold off on taking any action.

Deborah Dix, the Pittsylvania County resident who has been campaigning for such a resolution from the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, the Danville Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority and City Council, addressed council members during the public comment period at the beginning of the regular meeting.

“Uranium mining and milling is not a fit for Virginia,” Dix said, exhorting them to do their part to make the region safe for future generations.

Dix said uranium mining and milling could affect the health of residents, contaminate the water supply and prevent businesses from moving to the region. She also pointed out that taxpayer money is paying for the park, and taxpayers’ voices should be heard on this issue.

During the work session, council members agreed the mega park is being designed to house large manufacturing industries, not mining operations. They questioned whether a resolution was needed to ban something that was not in the plans anyway.

Tomer said while he agrees with Dix’s statement that taxpayer dollars are building the park, creating a resolution against something that is not currently legal anyway is “probably jumping the gun.”

“Our intent all along is to develop a quality technology park,” Councilman Fred Shanks said. “The ordinance is well written, but not necessary.”

After the work session, Dix said she was disappointed in the outcome, which matched the decisions of both the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors and RIFA, which also declined passing a resolution banning uranium mining at the mega park.

“Taypayers should have a say,” Dix said. “(City Council and the Board of Supervisors) should take care of their citizens. We feel like we don’t have a voice.”

Patrick Wales, project manager for Virginia Uranium, also attended the work session.

“We have nothing to do with the mega park,” Wales said. “I’m just an observer, listening to the debate tonight.”

Comments:
Posted by DanHoodVirginia on February 17, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I wonder how many uranium mines will be up and running once the already written study is presented claiming that it can be mined safely.

You think there will be only one uranium mine in a state as rife with uranium ore as Virginia?

There could be hundreds of uranium mines, all belching radioactive dust into the air and water. All of our elected officials are in league with the devil. (the uranium industry) Time to replace them all.

Comment Posted by woc1 on February 17, 2010 at 5:06 am
These elected official have to go .... Vote them out of office. They are not looking out for us or spending tax payer money wisely if they will not agree to ban mining at Berry Hill.

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