UPDATE: McDonnell won't make recommendation on uranium mining
By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: April 05, 2012
Updated: April 05, 2012 - 2:02 PM
Published: April 05, 2012
Updated: April 05, 2012 - 2:02 PM
RICHMOND, Va. --
Gov. Bob
McDonnell will make no recommendation on whether the General Assembly should end
the state's 30-year ban on uranium mining, a spokesman said today.
McDonnell's
press secretary, Jeff Caldwell, said the governor will simply pass along
the findings of an administration study group that is investigating
uranium-mining safety.
“His role is
not going to be a bully pulpit role to say to the General Assembly, 'This is
what I think you should do,' “ said Caldwell.’
He added,
“That’s been the position all along.”
A key member of
McDonnell’s study group, Cathie J. France, said in early March that the group
would make a recommendation to the governor, who would in turn make a
recommendation to the General Assembly.
Administration
officials say that was not accurate.
Robert Burnley,
a former Virginia environmental director now working as a consultant for an
environmental group, found the no-recommendation position surprising.
“If the
governor is not using this information (from the study group) to make a
recommendation to the legislature next year, I'm not sure what the purpose of
all this work is,” Burnley said.
The officials spoke in a one-hour meeting that was itself unusual. It was called on two days' notice. Most of the public was not invited. And McDonnell officials declined to talk to the news media afterward.
"I don't think that's openness," said Olga Kolotushkina, a representative of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. She said McDonnell officials are "making it up as they go along."
Others were more kind.
The meeting "was better than I expected," said Andrew Lester, executive director of the Danville-based Roanoke River Basin Association. "I think (McDonnell officials) mean well, but these are uncharted waters. … They are going to make a lot of mistakes."
http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/apr/05/7/tdmet04-mcdonnell-officials-discuss-uranium-study--ar-1819700/
■ 04 April 2012 | 9:30 PM
Not all critics appeased by McDonnell uranium roundtable
Ranking members of Gov. Bob McDonnell's staff Wednesday invited a group of lobbyists and environmentalists for a uranium mining chat in an effort to dispel notions that Virginia's mining evaluation is occurring outside the public view.McDonnell subsequently called for a state uranium mining analysis with a report due in time for review by the General Assembly by the 2013 session.
Wednesday, two ranking members of McDonnell's administration -- chief of staff Martin Kent and deputy secretary of natural resources Maureen Matsen -- presided at the forum.
Both stressed to the collection of lobbyists in attendance that the administration's goal is to be transparent during the ongoing review process.
However, the open house didn't quiet every critic of Virginia's uranium evaluation.
A statement issued by the Roanoke River Basin Association after the meeting complained that local citizen groups are being excluded from the discussion and some stakeholders received little advance notice of the meeting.
Association executive director Andrew Lester was in attendance.
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/not-all-critics-appeased-mcdonnell-uranium-roundtable
McDonnell officials explain how uranium study group will operate
By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: April 04, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. --
Officials in
Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration met Wednesday with environmentalists and
others to explain how a uranium-mining study group will operate.
Administration
officials and some of those attending agreed that the study was unusual, in part
because the public is being asked to comment on a Pittsylvania County mining
proposal that is not yet specific.
The study “is a
black box right now,” said May Fox, who represents concerned business leaders
and others in the Halifax County-South Boston area. “We don't know what's coming
out of the other end of it.”
Fox said she
didn't learn anything new in the meeting but, “It's a good idea to get people
talking to each other.”
Administration
officials declined to answer questions after the one-hour meeting in the Patrick
Henry Building at Capitol Square.
The study group
will report its findings late this year to McDonnell, who will recommend whether
the General Assembly should lift a 30-year-old uranium mining ban.
After criticism, McDonnell holds open meeting on uranium mining
This post has been updated.
After being criticized for starting to develop regulations on uranium mining behind closed doors, Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration has opened a meeting to the public Wednesday on Capitol Square.
Activists said they welcome the meeting, announced late Tuesday, but note it arrived with less than 24 hours notice. McDonnell's office said the invitations to activists were issued Monday for the Wednesday meeting.
A hastily-called single meeting should in no way be held up as compliance with the (National Academy of Sciences’) best practices recommendations of openness, transparency and public participation,” said Glen Besa, director of the Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter. Administration officials say they will provide information about the regulatory process for mining at Coles Hill in Southside Virginia and review opportunities for the public to give and receive information.After being criticized for starting to develop regulations on uranium mining behind closed doors, Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration has opened a meeting to the public Wednesday on Capitol Square.
Activists said they welcome the meeting, announced late Tuesday, but note it arrived with less than 24 hours notice. McDonnell's office said the invitations to activists were issued Monday for the Wednesday meeting.
The meeting will take place Wednesday afternoon at McDonnell’s office complex in the Patrick Henry Building. The media is invited to observe, but was told by McDonnell’s office that there is no time for interviews.
“A decision that could leave the commonwealth with a 10,000 year legacy of toxic waste should not be rushed at any stage in the deliberations,’’ said Dan Holmes, state policy director of the Piedmont Environmental Council. “The gravity of the choices, rather than some artificial timeline, should guide the entire process.’’
Va. officials, critics discuss uranium study group
Posted: Apr 04, 2012 7:01 PM EDTUpdated: Apr 04, 2012 7:01 PM EDT
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A state panel examining the prospect of uranium mining in Virginia met with critics who feel the process is not sufficiently transparent. A few remained skeptical.
Members of the Uranium Working Group met Wednesday with environmentalists and others who have concerns about how the group is conducting its business.
Leaders of the panel insisted they are committed to openness.
After the meeting, several in attendance said they weren't satisfied.
Some also pointed out that the proposed mining area is near North Carolina and could affect that state
McDonnell officials explain how uranium study group will operateGoDanRiver.com
Bob McDonnell's administration met Wednesday with environmentalists and others to explain how a uranium-mining study group will operate. Administration officials and some of those attending agreed that the study was unusual, in part because the public ...
Bob McDonnell's administration met Wednesday with environmentalists and others to explain how a uranium-mining study group will operate. Administration officials and some of those attending agreed that the study was unusual, in part because the public ...
The Roanoke River Basin Association and local residents were confounded they weren't notified of Wednesday's informational meeting on the uranium work group in Richmond. The Piedmont Environmental Council, the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club and ..
It is apparent that local citizen groups are being excluded from the discussion. We and many other citizen groups in Southside Virginia and North Carolina are at the ground zero; our concerns should be the number one priority for the governor’s administration,” said Gene Addesso, RRBA’s vice-president, in a news release
http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2012/apr/04/local-group-wanted-uranium-meeting-ar-1819315/
Uranium Mining Meeting Draw Skeptics, CriticismRichmond, VA-- A state panel examining the prospect of uranium mining in Virginia met with critics who feel the process is not sufficiently transparent.
A few remained skeptical.
Members of the Uranium Working Group met Wednesday with environmentalists and others who have concerns about how the group is conducting its business.
http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/223388/57/Will-Uranium-Mining-In-VA-Affect-NC
Va. officials, critics discuss uranium study group
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
McDonnell administration officials assured critics Wednesday that a study of uranium mining's impact in Virginia will be conducted openly, but several who attended the meeting were not convinced.
Members of the multi-agency Uranium Working Group hastily called the meeting amid mounting criticism that too much of their work is being conducted privately, with scant opportunity to follow their progress.
Maureen Matsen, the governor's senior energy adviser, and Gov. Bob McDonnell's chief of staff, Martin Kent, each told environmentalists, municipal representatives and others they want to hear suggestions from those gathered at the meeting and that the public is also urged to relay concerns to the group and at public meetings and on its website.
"We think it is a very transparent, open and public process," Matsen told the group.
After the one-hour meeting, some said they were not confident their concerns would be heeded.
"It was a very abbreviated meeting," said Dan Holmes, director of state policy for the Piedmont Environmental Council, which opposes uranium mining. "I think that maybe 3 percent of the issues got thrown on the table."
Holmes, whose group also opposes uranium mining, said the lack of transparency is most apparent when it comes to seeking correspondence between agencies working on the rules. Those communications are protected from public view because they are considered the governor's working papers.
"That's a big issue for me and an organization that relishes those types of emails to really get at the heart of the matter," he said.
Not everyone left unhappy.
Robert Matthias, assistant to the city manager in Virginia Beach, said he thought the meeting was a good first step. "I take the governor and Maureen at their word that they're trying to have as open a process as possible," he said.
The city, Virginia's largest, has passed a resolution opposing uranium mining unless it can be shown it poses no risk to the tourist city's water supply, which originates near the proposed uranium mine.
Administration officials declined to comment after the meeting except for a quick statement from Matsen. "I thought it went very well," she said.
The group will report its findings late this year to McDonnell.
http://www.rdmag.com/News/FeedsAP/2012/04/environment-va-officials-critics-discuss-uranium-study-group/
McDonnell Excludes Citizens Groups from Uranium Working Group, Invites VA Uranium Lobbyist
by: lowkellWed Apr 04, 2012 at 15:21:44 PM EDT
