1/30 a.m. u-news
Comments: The severance tax will not be heard today in the finance committee meeting. It appears they are waiting to see what happens in the Senate tomorrow.
Free bus ride
1/30 a.m. u-news
Comments: The severance tax will not be heard today in the finance committee meeting. It appears they are waiting to see what happens in the Senate tomorrow.
Free bus ride
A bus is scheduled to leave from Chatham at 7 a.m. on Thursday. A showing of Southside would be good. If you can make the trip, contact Elizabeth Jones at 432-3231.
Ok everyone! Last plea for help this year! TOMORROW is the day when YOUR presence WILL make a difference! Please make an effort to come to Richmond tomorrow (Thursday) and be counted as opposed to uranium mining! The bill will be heard in Senate Room A 30 minutes after session adjourns for the day. I am suggesting folks get here around 12 30... YOUR presence will make a difference!
Make them look you in the eye and tell you that you don't matter!
1. Bill Axselle, Our Lead Lobbyist - Opening (5 mins)
2. Andrew Smith : Virginia Farm Bureau (2 mins)
3. Dr. Sterling Ransone : Medical Society of Virginia (2 mins)
4. Cale Jaffe – citing deficiencies of the bill (5 mins.) - Bob Burnley to assist with questions
5. Chris Lumsden (3 mins) : Representing Southside/ Southern VA. CEO of the Halifax Regional Hospital System
6. Jessie Barksdale (2 mins) Board of Supervisors and his district
7. South Hampton Roads (2 mins) , Ron Jordan, Lobbyist for Norfolk
8. Virginia Municipal League (through Chesapeake representative) (2 mins)Al Moor, Suffolk Director of Public Utilities
TOTAL: 25 mins
See you Thursday,
Andrew
Senate committee to vote on uranium bill Thursday
By BRENNAN LONG
Capital News Service | Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:17 am
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources plans to discuss a bill Thursday that could lift the 1982 uranium ban in Virginia. If the ban is lifted then Virginia Uranium Inc. plans to mine at the Coles Hill deposit in Pittsylvania County.
“This bill shows no regard to the rest of the commonwealth,” said Del. James Edmunds (R-Halifax). Edmunds said that legislators in northern Virginia will not be affected if the ban is lifted. He is going one on one to his colleagues, asking them to vote against the bill.
The Senate bill is sponsored by Sen. Richard Saslaw (D-Springfield) and Sen. John Watkins (R-Midlothian).
The Coles Hill deposit is in the Mill Creek Watershed and the water from this creek drains directly into the Banister River. Ultimately, this water ends up in Lake Gaston, the main source of water for Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
“If you have major tailings in the Banister River, you will have to contend with the chemicals that are contained in it,” said Willie Jones, director of the Halifax County Service Authority. Tailings are the chemical byproducts left over after the mining process.
“How you manage these tailings I think is the greatest concern for everyone. Not for 20 or 30 years but for 20 or 30 thousand,” Jones said. “I am against it, simply because there are too many unknowns in it.”
Edmunds is also concerned by the effect that Thursday’s vote could have on future generations.
“If you’re wrong, you’re wrong forever. I don’t want that to be my legacy,” Edmunds said.
The Senate committee will meet a half hour after the session adjourns on Thursday.
http://www.wpcva.com/news/article_3d240280-6af0-11e2-a021-001a4bcf887a.html
Schapiro: McDonnell too far behind on uranium to lead
Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 10:52 pm, Tue Jan 29, 2013.
Jeff E. Schapirojschapiro@
Gov. Bob McDonnell would have made a great altar boy.He’s respectful of authority and its symbols. He’s dedicated to ritual and dutifully carries it out. He acknowledges absolutes and accepts that some things aren’t likely to change.
No wonder he’s punting on uranium.
A hostile Senate committee appears poised to deal a fatal blow Thursday to hard-fought legislation scrapping Virginia’s 31-year prohibition on mining and milling of the radioactive ore. Proponents may have other opportunities to push for a rollback, but the committee vote will augur difficulties ahead.
“He has not determined if he will be making any recommendation on uranium mining in the commonwealth,” said Tucker Martin, the governor’s spokesman. Asked if McDonnell would take a public position before Thursday’s vote by the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, Martin would only say, “He’s still reviewing reports and materials.”
McDonnell is too far behind on this issue to catch up, much less lead on it.
Resistance to uranium mining is emerging as an absolute, a sign some things aren’t likely to change — big money and big lobbying notwithstanding. McDonnell contributed to this by extending the debate, perhaps in hopes of making for a more illuminating one. The longer it went on, the larger the target became.
In 2012, McDonnell put off for a year a legislative decision on mining and milling by announcing an administration study of regulatory, safety, social and economic concerns. The examination might have paved the way for a gubernatorial pronouncement on uranium, presumably affirmative.
As the study dragged on, inertia set in. Looking to the 2013 elections for governor and House of Delegates, politicians started looking for a way around issues that might irritate the electorate, among them, uranium. When neutrality was no longer defensible, “no” became the default position.
And that meant uranium proponents lost what on almost any other business issue would have been a certainty: a unified Republican vote in a General Assembly controlled by Republicans.
Instead, GOP legislators, including the 21st Republican senator, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, came out against uranium. For them, it wasn’t about new jobs; it was about uranium’s threat to the environment — in particular, the water supply.
Southside is a Republican bulwark that overwhelmingly supported him for governor in 2009. South Hampton Roads is his adoptive home.
For someone who doesn’t ever want to anger anyone, McDonnell risked infuriating nearly everyone.
McDonnell and legislators had in hand the research of the National Academy of Sciences. It raised some red flags, such as operating a uranium mine in a climate damper than the customary setting, the arid American West. Also, the absence of a state regulatory framework for an industry that, in Virginia, now exists only on paper.
The study was skeptical. It was not dismissive. It was viewed with suspicion because it was paid for by the company that wants to open a mine in verdant Pittsylvania County.
McDonnell’s intention in the vote-delaying study may have been to inject a measure of dispassion into a subject on which pros and antis are passionate. But another year has given both sides other opportunities to argue over an issue that exhausted legislators long before Thursday’s scheduled vote.
Armies of lobbyists and activists have been swarming through the General Assembly Building.
That may be just the excuse the 2013 candidates for governor need to declare the matter closed — that it’s an absolute unlikely to change.
To the Editor:
Now, to a more serious subject. Why in the world would we open up a huge can of worms and bring about possible devastating consquences by allowing uranium mining just a few miles from this beautiful lake and all the surrounding neighborhoods?
Every single citizen of this beautiful part of Virginia should stand strongly against this endeavour, which is going to make a very small group of businessmen very, very wealthy.
I like wealth as much as the next guy but folks, it stinks of greed and profit at our expense.
If this is allowed and it ends very badly, there will be nothing we can do to reverse the damage and what we worked very hard for will be worth nothing, zip, zero. Yes, I’m talking about the value of our land, homes, and way of life.
Trust is the liar’s most useful tool. No uranium mine...not now, not ever!
Mike Boore
Hardy
http://www.smithmountaineagle.com/opinion/article_122656a2-6a49-11e2-b83c-0019bb2963f4.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/
By Julian Walker
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 30, 2013
RICHMOND
Proposals to lift a long-term ban on uranium mining remain alive in the General Assembly, though they're closer to being buried than being dug up.
With a key legislative deadline looming, uranium interests are hoping for late-breaking action on bills in the House of Delegates and Senate, even as circumstances beyond their control seem to conspire against them.
In the Senate, the main mining bill is pending in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee - a panel of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, with an apparent majority of members who oppose lifting the ban.
Meanwhile, companion legislation in the House sponsored by Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, is in a "holding pattern" at his request until the situation in the Senate becomes clear.
Earlier in the session, the pro-uranium side suffered a setback when Sen. John Watkins' mining bill was sent to the agriculture panel instead of the Commerce and Labor Committee that's chaired by Watkins and tilts 10-5 in favor of Republicans.
Still, the uranium legislation has a chance. Aside from the primary bills, there are two other bills to tax uranium. They could be amended before next Tuesday to mirror the Senate uranium bill stuck in Agriculture.
Julian Walker, 804-697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
No wonder he’s punting on uranium.
A hostile Senate committee appears poised to deal a fatal blow Thursday to hard-fought legislation scrapping Virginia’s 31-year prohibition on mining and milling of the radioactive ore. Proponents may have other opportunities to push for a rollback, but the committee vote will augur difficulties ahead.
“He has not determined if he will be making any recommendation on uranium mining in the commonwealth,” said Tucker Martin, the governor’s spokesman. Asked if McDonnell would take a public position before Thursday’s vote by the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, Martin would only say, “He’s still reviewing reports and materials.”
McDonnell is too far behind on this issue to catch up, much less lead on it.
Resistance to uranium mining is emerging as an absolute, a sign some things aren’t likely to change — big money and big lobbying notwithstanding. McDonnell contributed to this by extending the debate, perhaps in hopes of making for a more illuminating one. The longer it went on, the larger the target became.
In 2012, McDonnell put off for a year a legislative decision on mining and milling by announcing an administration study of regulatory, safety, social and economic concerns. The examination might have paved the way for a gubernatorial pronouncement on uranium, presumably affirmative.
As the study dragged on, inertia set in. Looking to the 2013 elections for governor and House of Delegates, politicians started looking for a way around issues that might irritate the electorate, among them, uranium. When neutrality was no longer defensible, “no” became the default position.
And that meant uranium proponents lost what on almost any other business issue would have been a certainty: a unified Republican vote in a General Assembly controlled by Republicans.
Instead, GOP legislators, including the 21st Republican senator, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, came out against uranium. For them, it wasn’t about new jobs; it was about uranium’s threat to the environment — in particular, the water supply.
Southside is a Republican bulwark that overwhelmingly supported him for governor in 2009. South Hampton Roads is his adoptive home.
For someone who doesn’t ever want to anger anyone, McDonnell risked infuriating nearly everyone.
McDonnell and legislators had in hand the research of the National Academy of Sciences. It raised some red flags, such as operating a uranium mine in a climate damper than the customary setting, the arid American West. Also, the absence of a state regulatory framework for an industry that, in Virginia, now exists only on paper.
The study was skeptical. It was not dismissive. It was viewed with suspicion because it was paid for by the company that wants to open a mine in verdant Pittsylvania County.
McDonnell’s intention in the vote-delaying study may have been to inject a measure of dispassion into a subject on which pros and antis are passionate. But another year has given both sides other opportunities to argue over an issue that exhausted legislators long before Thursday’s scheduled vote.
Armies of lobbyists and activists have been swarming through the General Assembly Building.
That may be just the excuse the 2013 candidates for governor need to declare the matter closed — that it’s an absolute unlikely to change.
Protect SML, say no to uranium mining in Virginia
Posted: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 2:21 pmTo the Editor:
Now, to a more serious subject. Why in the world would we open up a huge can of worms and bring about possible devastating consquences by allowing uranium mining just a few miles from this beautiful lake and all the surrounding neighborhoods?
Every single citizen of this beautiful part of Virginia should stand strongly against this endeavour, which is going to make a very small group of businessmen very, very wealthy.
I like wealth as much as the next guy but folks, it stinks of greed and profit at our expense.
If this is allowed and it ends very badly, there will be nothing we can do to reverse the damage and what we worked very hard for will be worth nothing, zip, zero. Yes, I’m talking about the value of our land, homes, and way of life.
Trust is the liar’s most useful tool. No uranium mine...not now, not ever!
Mike Boore
Hardy
http://www.smithmountaineagle.com/opinion/article_122656a2-6a49-11e2-b83c-0019bb2963f4.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/
By Julian Walker
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 30, 2013
RICHMOND
Proposals to lift a long-term ban on uranium mining remain alive in the General Assembly, though they're closer to being buried than being dug up.
With a key legislative deadline looming, uranium interests are hoping for late-breaking action on bills in the House of Delegates and Senate, even as circumstances beyond their control seem to conspire against them.
In the Senate, the main mining bill is pending in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee - a panel of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, with an apparent majority of members who oppose lifting the ban.
Meanwhile, companion legislation in the House sponsored by Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, is in a "holding pattern" at his request until the situation in the Senate becomes clear.
Earlier in the session, the pro-uranium side suffered a setback when Sen. John Watkins' mining bill was sent to the agriculture panel instead of the Commerce and Labor Committee that's chaired by Watkins and tilts 10-5 in favor of Republicans.
Still, the uranium legislation has a chance. Aside from the primary bills, there are two other bills to tax uranium. They could be amended before next Tuesday to mirror the Senate uranium bill stuck in Agriculture.
Julian Walker, 804-697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
Virginia Weighs an End to Its 31-Year-Old Uranium Mining Ban
By Jim
Malewitz, Staff Writer
CHATHAM, Virginia – A second of silence, then a smattering of applause conveying
more relief than excitement. That’s what followed last week’s vote by the
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to endorse a continuation of Virginia’s
31-year-old ban on uranium mining.
“I keep thinking there’s going to be a hitch in there somewhere,” mining
opponent Andrew Lester, executive director of the Roanoke River Basin Coalition,
said under his breath as board members dissected the proposed resolution
line-by-line. “But if this is it, it’s the lynchpin.”
As early as Thursday, the Virginia State Senate’s Agriculture Committee is expected to take up legislation that would lift the state’s moratorium. That would clear the way for Virginia Uranium to develop the 119 million-pound deposit beneath Coles Hill Farm, an area of rolling countryside near Chatham where cattle graze now.
Water Worries
The mine’s opponents, however, worry about the region’s water. Coles Hill sits in the Roanoke River Basin, which houses the water supply for 1.2 million people in Virginia and North Carolina. Raleigh, whose population has nearly doubled since 1990, is awaiting approval of a request to tap 50 million gallons a day from the basin.“It is the strategic water supply for the entire triangle region,” says Mike Pucci, who lives along Lake Gaston and leads a group called the North Carolina Coalition Against Uranium Mining. “We’re the ones who will bear the brunt if something goes wrong.”
The mining, which involves moving millions of tons of rock underground and from an open pit, would clearly disrupt water sources, experts say. More concerning, however, is the milling process, where ore is crushed into smaller particles, from which the uranium is extracted and later concentrated into the “yellowcake” that can be converted into nuclear fuel.
Radioactive waste from that process, bits of heavy metal ore and radium called “tailings” that are stored on site, present some of the biggest challenges for environmental regulators. The largest fear among environmental and health advocates is that the tailings would escape into the water supply, exposing the public to cancer-causing agents.
“If a problem arises, you can’t solve it,” says Lester, of the Roanoke Coalition. “This whole river system will be polluted forever.”
Uranium mining carries an added risk in Virginia, because of its relatively moist climate, exposure to frequent storms and proximity to an active fault line. All other U.S. uranium sites are found in regions rarely exposed to such factors, which add challenges to designing storage containers for tailings. Locke and his fellow researchers concluded it is “questionable” whether modern designs could prevent contamination of ground and surface water for more than 1,000 years.
Parts of the Coles Hill site often flood when hit by two inches of rain, locals say. Last week, melting snow left standing water in several spots.
Mine proponents point to sites in Australia and British Columbia, where uranium companies have dealt with extreme weather, though such places tend to be secluded — unlike Pittsylvania county and the surrounding area.
Taking sides
Dozens of cities, counties and local groups in Virginia and North Carolina have passed resolutions calling for the moratorium to be left intact. And at the state level, health and environmental groups have been joined by the typically-pro-business Virginia Farm Bureau and the NAACP. The broader business community is largely split.
Most Virginia lawmakers representing those communities appear to oppose the bill, regardless of party affiliation. North Carolina policymakers also have expressed opposition, though the state has no say in the decision short of litigation.
In December, the North Carolina Legislature’s Environmental Review Commission sent a letter to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell expressing “significant concern” about allowing uranium development. State environmental regulators said the release of radioactive tailings could devastate drinking water supplies, and industrial and agriculture operations, while causing $15 million in losses to tourism and recreation along Kerr Lake and Lake Gaston.
“We’re watching and concerned,” says Representative Winkie Wilkins, a Democrat who represents nearby Granville and Person Counties. “If [Virginia] proceeds, I hope they would be very cautious.” Wilkins says he has fielded about a dozen calls from concerned constituents.
Meanwhile, it is unknown where McDonnell’s allegiances lie. “The governor is studying all the public safety and health issues surrounding this issue,” his office told Stateline.
Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:59 am
We have completed three weeks of the 2013 General Assembly session and crossover is just around the corner. Crossover is when all the bills introduced in the House of Delegates must be completed and those that pass must be heard and acted on by the Senate. Likewise, all the Senate bills introduced and passed must be heard and acted on by the House of Delegates. Crossover is Feb. 5, which means there is still a great deal of work to be done this week.I mentioned in last week’s column that I may discuss the uranium bill in this week’s column. This bill is expected to be heard in the committees this week, and I will wait until next week to discuss uranium after the committees have heard the bills.
http://www.wpcva.com/altavista/opinion/article_11cb5e16-6af6-11e2-a686-001a4bcf887a.html
Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:57 am | Updated: 11:04 am, Wed Jan 30, 2013.
This week, we will be dealing with legislative proposals that have generated much interest with the folks in our region. On Thursday, the bill that would lift the ban on mining and milling uranium comes before the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. On the same day, the fox penning bill will be considered. Both of these bills will attract many interested citizens.Lifting the ban has been discussed for several years now. There have been multiple studies that have effectively said that it can be done, but there are risks. My position is that those risks are too high for the people of the region and the taxpayers of Virginia. Should anything go wrong, we will be the ones to suffer. The stigma of what and when something will happen will hang over the region for years, harming future economic development.
We are grateful whenever we get to see faces from the area. Please come up to the Capitol if you get a chance and stop by our office in the General Assembly building, Room 328. If you can’t come, but want to share your thoughts on issues before the General Assembly, you can do so by email at district15@senate.virginia.gov, phone at 804-698-7515 or mail to P.O. Box 396, Richmond, Va. 23218.
http://www.wpcva.com/altavista/opinion/article_c4243944-6af5-11e2-a33c-001a4bcf887a.html
James E. Edmunds II
Sen. John Watkins’ bill to levy a severance tax on uranium mining was scheduled to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee last week, but he requested that it be passed by.
I am deeply grateful for Dexter Gilliam, Tom Raab, Carl Espy and Dr. Dennis Stanley giving their entire day Jan. 24 to come to Richmond and speak personally with legislators on why uranium mining is a bad idea for our area of the state. I feel they made progress with several legislators.
scheduled to be heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee. This is the only opportunity the public will have to address this bill. I do not have the exact time or place because the bill will be heard after adjournment of session and I do not know how long session will last. Please plan to be in Richmond by noon and expect to be here for most of the afternoon. It is critical that we show solidarity in opposing the passage of Watkins’ bill. Most likely the bill will be heard in the General Assembly building.
My scenic Banister River bill, House Bill 2220, has been passed by the House Agriculture Committee and is being voted on by the full House of Delegates.
For my art contest, I am beginning to receive drawings from several schools in the district and have been very pleased with the artistic ability of the children. You still have time to submit your entries to me here at the General Assembly building, P.O. Box 406, Richmond, Va. 23218.
I encourage you to contact me any time you have a concern by phone at 804-698-1060, by email at deljedmunds@house.virginia.gov, by mail at P.O. Box 406, Richmond, Va. 23218 or through my website at www.friendsofjamesedmunds.com.
I will be in Richmond until Feb. 23. If you visit the city, please come by my office in Room 805 of the General Assembly building. I look forward to hearing from you.
http://www.wpcva.com/altavista/opinion/
Marshall Ecker
special called meeting was held Jan. 23. Discussions were held on several bills filed during the legislative session in Richmond. A resolution was presented by Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber, which board members had little time to review. So, we went line by line and discussed what we liked or disliked and removed or modified each line until we had gone through the entire resolution. The resolution, passed in a 5-1 vote, was sent to Richmond that very night to our local legislators. The resolution supported keeping the moratorium on uranium mining and milling for the health and welfare of all citizens.
On Thursday, March 7, I will hold my first quarterly citizen meeting. This will be in conjunction with the Young Farmers’ meeting, and all citizens are welcome to attend, ask questions and hear what is happening in your county. It will be held at the Renan Volunteer Fire Department on Straightstone Road.
To get supervisors’ packet or other information, go to www.pittgov.org; this is a tool for all citizens to use and help to keep a watchful eye on county business.
Feel free to contact me by telephone at 434-335-5967. Please, no phone calls after 9 p.m. You can email me at any hour at marshall.ecker@pittgov.org. I want to know your thoughts or ideas on issues.
http://www.wpcva.com/altavista/opinion/
Supervisors: Keep uranium moratorium
Tim Davis/Womack Publishing News Service | Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:28 am
At a special called meeting last Wednesday, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted 5-1 to adopt a resolution asking the General Assembly to keep Virginia’s 30-year moratorium on uranium mining.
Supervisors also asked state lawmakers not to approve any Senate or House bill on uranium mining and milling.
Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber and Dan River District Supervisor James Snead requested the special meeting and drafted the resolution.
“I’ve had concerns about uranium mining in the county from the get-go, but I wanted to wait and get all of the information before making a decision,” Barber said. “We know exactly what they’ve got in mind now.
“I just don’t see the benefit for Pittsylvania County, yet we’ve still got the risks. I just wanted to do the right thing in my heart to protect the citizens of Pittsylvania County.”
The proposed severance tax also is less than promised, the supervisor said.
“A lot of people for mining had thought, if we get this mine, it’s going to reduce the tax burden; it’s going to be a lot of money to Pittsylvania County,” Barber said. “If we are not going to get a lot of money, where’s the economic benefit for the county?”
Supervisors stripped references to the legislation and approved a straightforward resolution against uranium mining.
Banister District Supervisor Jessie Barksdale said referring to the bills could have been mistaken as an endorsement of uranium mining or “bargaining chip” for more money.
“I think the resolution we have now reflects that the Board of Supervisors’ primary responsibility is to protect the health, welfare and safety of the citizens of Pittsylvania County,” Barksdale said.
“We’re taking a firm stand — we don’t want uranium mining in Pittsylvania County. I’m totally satisfied with the resolution we passed. In hindsight, I wish we could have done it sooner.”
Speiden: Still too many questions about uranium mining - Richmond ...
Thank you Mr. Speiden, five miles from Coles Hill, the specter of uranium mining and milling looms large, no rational person would sleep too easy on this matter, ...
www.timesdispatch.com/.../
Encouraged by Scott's opposition to uranium mining bill - Orange ...
We were encouraged to learn this week that our 30th District Delegate Ed Scott does not support House Bill 2330, which would establish regulations for the ...
www.dailyprogress.com/.../
1/29 p.m. u-news
Comments: Do not be lulled into a false sense of security. The threat is still real and imminent. At present, a vote on Watkins is due on Thursday. Make your calls and send your emails. Also. if possible, come to Richmond on Thursday.
When: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 1 pm
Where: Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, General Assembly Building,
Where: Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, General Assembly Building,
Senate Room A, First Floor, E. Grace St. & N. 9th St., Richmond, VA 23219
What: SB 1353, Senator Watkins' bill to lift the ban on uranium is up on Thursday, Jan 31. If we can stop this bill in Senate Agriculture, we've got a good chance of defeating this legislation in 2013! What is why your presence is so important.
What: SB 1353, Senator Watkins' bill to lift the ban on uranium is up on Thursday, Jan 31. If we can stop this bill in Senate Agriculture, we've got a good chance of defeating this legislation in 2013! What is why your presence is so important.
Posted: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 3:49 PM EST</em>
By STEVE SZKOTAK
Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Opponents of uranium mining in Virginia say they have the votes in a Senate committee to block legislation that would effectively end a decades-old state moratorium on mining the radioactive ore.
They said Tuesday the vote won't even be close.
The predictions are coming from the Virginia Coalition, the Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Sen. John Watkins' legislation is scheduled to be heard Thursday by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He did not immediately return a message left with his office by The Associated Press to respond to the dire predictions for his bill.
Virginia Uranium Inc. wants the General Assembly to end the 1982 mining ban so it can tap a 119-million-pound deposit of the ore in Pittsylvania County.
NEW WEBSITE!
Please view the DLTB website. It links to the KTB website and has the map depicting the potential uranium mining sites in VA.
http://www.
Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Opponents of uranium mining in Virginia say they have the votes in a Senate committee to block legislation that would effectively end a decades-old state moratorium on mining the radioactive ore.
They said Tuesday the vote won't even be close.
The predictions are coming from the Virginia Coalition, the Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Sen. John Watkins' legislation is scheduled to be heard Thursday by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He did not immediately return a message left with his office by The Associated Press to respond to the dire predictions for his bill.
Virginia Uranium Inc. wants the General Assembly to end the 1982 mining ban so it can tap a 119-million-pound deposit of the ore in Pittsylvania County.
NEW WEBSITE!
Please view the DLTB website. It links to the KTB website and has the map depicting the potential uranium mining sites in VA.
http://www.
Comments: VUI's pockets are deep. Let's hope they're filled sufficiently to sink them to the bottom of the Banister River. After this session of the GA has ended there is need to lobby legislators for a constitutional amendment for permanent protection of our state.
Sprott Resource Corp. Announces Holdings in Virginia Energy Resources Inc.
TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2013 /CNW/ - Sprott Resource Corp. (TSX: SCP) - Sprott Resource Corp. ("SRC") announced today that, through Sprott Resource Partnership ("SRP"), it holds 9,444,815 common shares of Virginia Energy Resources Inc. ("Virginia Energy"), which based on information contained in documents publically filed by Virginia Energy, represents approximately 16.5% of the total issued and outstanding common shares of Virginia Energy (the "Shares").
Pursuant to Virginia Energy's previously announced private placement (the "Placement"), which closed on January 25, 2013, SRP acquired ownership of 2,857,143 Shares at a purchase price of $0.42 per Share pursuant to a subscription agreement dated January 14, 2013.
SRP acquired the Shares for investment purposes. SRP may purchase or sell securities of Virginia Energy in the future on the open market, in private transactions or otherwise, depending on market conditions and other factors material to the investment decisions of SRP.
EPA Reports on Navajo Uranium Pollution : $100 million
Cibola County Beacon - Jan 28, 2013
NAVAJO NATION - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report summarizing 2007-2012 attempts to utilize over $100 million to address environmental hazards and health risks from legacy uranium mining and milling on the Navajo ...
