Thursday, September 12, 2013

Jones for permanent uranium moratorium / Why not amend Va. constitution?



Posted: Thursday, August 29, 2013 5:00 am
 
Jones for permanent uranium moratorium


Candidate for the House of Delegates Elizabeth Jones pledges that upon her election, she will propose, among her first pieces of legislation, making permanent Virginia’s uranium moratorium, ending the uranium mining debate once and for all by making mining uranium and performing mine explorations illegal in Virginia, the Democratic candidate announced last week.
  “Southside needs to have stability so we can begin to bring new jobs, better schools and improved health care to our region.

The aura of uranium mining and the potential of heavy pollution and contaminated water are beginning to take their toll on Southside and this needs to stop,” Jones said.

Jones is running for the 16th District seat in the House against Republican Les Adams. Both candidates are from Chatham.

The election is Nov. 5.

The 16th District includes most of Pittsylvania County, including the Hurt area, as well as Martinsville and part of Henry County.

In her press release, Jones said her campaign will be based on the people of the 16th District. She said she will fight to bring new jobs to Southside, without sacrificing clean water and the health and safety of future generations.

In addition to Jones’ proposal of making a permanent law against uranium mining in Virginia, she said she will call for an investigation of Virginia Uranium Inc. to find out if any damage to Southside Virginia has been done already by the exploratory permitting and what connections Virginia Uranium has with Virginian politicians.

“The longer we allow this debate to continue and allow for foreign corporations to fund and finance studies and lobbying in Virginia, the harder it will be to get them to leave Virginia and let us grow our economy our way, without polluting and destroying our own backyards,” Jones said.





Posted: Friday, August 30, 2013 6:00 am

Why not amend Va. constitution?


To the editor: In the article, "End of the mining debate?" (Aug. 22, page A1), about legislation that House of Delegates candidates Gary Miller and Elizabeth Jones would support to permanently ban uranium mining, the newspaper left out a very important thing: Would House candidates Les Adams and Del. Danny Marshall support a constitutional amendment banning uranium mining in Virginia?
 
Marshall gave a lengthy and detailed explanation of the legislative process, but he never said if he would support such an amendment.

After over 10 years in the General Assembly, it sounds like Marshall knows the system, but if he knows it so well, why hasn’t he introduced legislation to get us out of this uranium mess?

We have to ask ourselves why have a "power representative" if he leaves us at the mercy of lobbyists who would destroy our area’s prospect of recruiting jobs, endangering our health and the environment.

Until Marshall and Adams answer if they would support an amendment, then we all have to assume that they are not for the amendment passing — and not for our part of Virginia.

JENNIFER NORRIS
Danville



http://constitution.legis.virginia.gov/



ARTICLE XII


Future Changes
Section 1. Amendments.
Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in the Senate or House of Delegates, and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, the name of each member and how he voted to be recorded, and referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election of members of the House of Delegates. If at such regular session or any subsequent special session of that General Assembly the proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the voters qualified to vote in elections by the people, in such manner as it shall prescribe and not sooner than ninety days after final passage by the General Assembly. If a majority of those voting vote in favor of any amendment, it shall become part of the Constitution on the date prescribed by the General Assembly in submitting the amendment to the voters.

Section 2. Constitutional convention.
The General Assembly may, by a vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house, call a convention to propose a general revision of, or specific amendments to, this Constitution, as the General Assembly in its call may stipulate.
The General Assembly shall provide by law for the election of delegates to such a convention, and shall also provide for the submission, in such manner as it shall prescribe and not sooner than ninety days after final adjournment of the convention, of the proposals of the convention to the voters qualified to vote in elections by the people. If a majority of those voting vote in favor of any proposal, it shall become effective on the date prescribed by the General Assembly in providing for the submission of the convention proposals to the voters.
http://www.newsadvance.com/go_dan_river/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_a7e18e46-1115-11e3-85a6-001a4bcf6878.html