Comments: Love KM's remarks: The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors and Danville City Council so far have not, although 53 percent of residents there indicated they favor keeping the ban in a recent poll conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University for the Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia." Note: 3 of Pittsylvania County's Supervisors have written and submitted resolutions in behalf of their constituents. There has been no explanation from the other 4 supervisors except to say they wait for the UWG's report. As we've come to know, that means regulations to lift the ban. Danville? no word as to why they are quiet. Why doesn't the press ask? They (Danville's City Council) cannot be so ignorant as to think they will not feel the negative impacts...can they? The press? Too lazy to ask?
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| Thursday, November 22, 2012
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
The city’s proposed legislative agenda for 2013 asks the General Assembly to continue the current moratorium on uranium mining because allowing mining “would result in highly damaging effects on all other economic development efforts in the region, excluding the jobs created by a mine itself.” “If it makes us a less attractive community,” said Councilman Gene Teague, the need to keep the mining ban is “something we should weigh in on.” He said residents have asked the council to support continuing the ban. State lawmakers will reconvene in Richmond in January. The council will consider adopting its legislative agenda at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building on West Church Street uptown. In 1983, the General Assembly banned uranium mining statewide. Scientists have voiced concerns that the mining could harm the environment and public health. Virginia Uranium Inc. wants the ban repealed so it can mine and mill uranium at a location near Chatham City Attorney Eric Monday prepared the legislative agenda. Apparently, he placed the request to keep the uranium mining ban in the document after a council candidates forum in October where opposition to the mining was voiced, according to Mayor Kim Adkins. Adkins said she has not yet discussed with other council members whether they want to see the ban continued. However, she and the other council members said in phone interviews they want to keep the ban due to lingering questions on whether mining and milling uranium is dangerous and a health hazard. Vice Mayor Kimble Reynolds Jr. noted there are “a number of studies” that indicate potential dangers. He said he supports keeping the moratorium until he sees studies proving that mining is not hazardous. Council members Mark Stroud and Danny Turner both said they are “not convinced that it (mining) can be done safely.” “A lot of localities already have asked the commonwealth” to keep the ban, Stroud said. The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors and Danville City Council so far have not, although 53 percent of residents there indicated they favor keeping the ban in a recent poll conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University for the Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia. Chatham is in Pittsylvania County. The Henry County Board of Supervisors has not taken a position on keeping the ban. County Administrator Tim Hall said he so far has received no indication that the board would consider taking one. http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=35649 |
