VA Sierra Club Feb. E-News: VA Uranium, Inc. - The bigger they are....
We are in the thick of the General Assembly Session.
We had a big victory on uranium mining this past week with some small improvements on renewable energy progressing through the sausage maker.
To nail the coffin shut on uranium mining this year, please take a moment to call Governor McDonnell at (804) 786-2211, and leave this message: "Governor McDonnell - As a Virginia resident I urge you to oppose any efforts to develop regulations permitting uranium mining".
http://vasierraclub.org/
Uranium mining bill needs to stay dead
For the past 31 years, Commonwealth legislators have upheld a ban on uranium mining in the state. As of Thursday in the Senate, make it 32.
Virginians, like most people, have split opinions about about nuclear energy in general: “Climate change and population growth demand it” versus “It’s too costly and dangerous.”
On the other side of the issue, an odd coalition fights the proposal to remove the long-standing ban on uranium mining.
People along the heavily populated Eastern Shore fear that storms could lift nuclear waste from processing uranium into their drinking water. Most uranium mining occurs in the dry, western U.S. where making yellow cake is safer. Perhaps.
The pro-business Virginia Farm Bureau Federation wants to see the ban on mining continue. Members of the state’s large ag lobby believe that possible radioactive pollution puts their interests at stake. “Got tainted beef, poultry, produce?”
Churches, the NAACP, and every notable green group in the Old Dominion stands against mining uranium in Pittsylvania County. The county’s board of supervisors also joined the antics late this week.
Ironically, sadly, the folks who could face the greatest health risk from ore mining, Southsiders, also need the jobs the mine promises. They face a double bind. Those people, as is so often case, are caught up in tangle of issues that involve environmental justice, education, poverty, business and politics.
So, if uranium mining comes to Virginia — let’s say another 32 years — let’s cross our fingers, pray, and hound our officials to keep an eagle eye on the prospectors.
Thirty-some-odd years ago, when I would visit the South Texas Project, a nuclear plant owned in part by my employer, I stood in awe of the twin domes, windowless cathedrals of concrete and high tech engineering. But ,at times, I felt a sense of dread. I wondered, “Do we really need to take these risks? Is it wise to dig up radioactive metals, and later bury nuclear waste for millennia in the mountains out west?”
I am not a gambler. I want to the stakes stacked in our long-term favor. You might want to keep an eye on this issue next year, too.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20130202/OPINION02/302020018?nclick_check=1
This article was published in partnership with GlobalPossibilities.org.
http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/tara-lohan/have-plans-uranium-mining-virginia-finally-been-defeated
After a big push, Uranium mining proponents have realized they simply don't have the votes. Seeing the writing on the wall, Senator John C. Watkins (R - Powhatan) officially withdrew his bill to lift the ban this afternoon.
My co-worker Rob and I were there, and quite frankly it was pretty exciting. We were a part of a packed crowd from around the state who had traveled to Richmond to show support for keeping the ban. It was great to have something go our way.
http://www.pecva.org/index.php/our-mission/energy-solutions/virginias-uranium-mining-moratorium/811-uranium-mining-going-going-gone
Virginians, like most people, have split opinions about about nuclear energy in general: “Climate change and population growth demand it” versus “It’s too costly and dangerous.”
On the other side of the issue, an odd coalition fights the proposal to remove the long-standing ban on uranium mining.
People along the heavily populated Eastern Shore fear that storms could lift nuclear waste from processing uranium into their drinking water. Most uranium mining occurs in the dry, western U.S. where making yellow cake is safer. Perhaps.
The pro-business Virginia Farm Bureau Federation wants to see the ban on mining continue. Members of the state’s large ag lobby believe that possible radioactive pollution puts their interests at stake. “Got tainted beef, poultry, produce?”
Churches, the NAACP, and every notable green group in the Old Dominion stands against mining uranium in Pittsylvania County. The county’s board of supervisors also joined the antics late this week.
Ironically, sadly, the folks who could face the greatest health risk from ore mining, Southsiders, also need the jobs the mine promises. They face a double bind. Those people, as is so often case, are caught up in tangle of issues that involve environmental justice, education, poverty, business and politics.
So, if uranium mining comes to Virginia — let’s say another 32 years — let’s cross our fingers, pray, and hound our officials to keep an eagle eye on the prospectors.
Thirty-some-odd years ago, when I would visit the South Texas Project, a nuclear plant owned in part by my employer, I stood in awe of the twin domes, windowless cathedrals of concrete and high tech engineering. But ,at times, I felt a sense of dread. I wondered, “Do we really need to take these risks? Is it wise to dig up radioactive metals, and later bury nuclear waste for millennia in the mountains out west?”
I am not a gambler. I want to the stakes stacked in our long-term favor. You might want to keep an eye on this issue next year, too.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20130202/OPINION02/302020018?nclick_check=1
Have Plans For Uranium Mining in Virginia Finally Been Defeated?
Roadside signs in Chatham, Virginia.
Photo Credit: Tara Lohan
Photo Credit: Tara Lohan
Across Virginia, there is celebration. A significant blow was dealt yesterday to forces that sought to lift a 30-year uranium mining moratorium in the state. As I wrote back in December, southern Virginia is home to one of the world’s largest uranium deposits: Large deposits of uranium were discovered in the state in 1979.
A fight has been raging in the state ever since, with a diverse alliance of local businesses, farmers, residents, and environmental advocates fighting to keep the moratorium in place. The AP reports that legislative efforts to bring uranium mining to Virginia have failed ... for now:
A proposal to mine uranium in Virginia was abruptly abandoned Thursday in the Legislature, and supporters scrambled to appeal directly to the governor to salvage what would be the first full-scale mining operation of the radioactive ore on the East Coast.
Unable to deliver the votes in the General Assembly, Sen. John Watkins withdrew his legislation to establish state regulations for uranium mining in Southside Virginia, a rural area along the North Carolina state line and home to the largest known deposit of the radioactive ore in the U.S.
But the issue won’t die easily, of course. As the AP reports, “Watkins instead asked fellow Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to use his administrative powers to have state agencies draw up the rules. McDonnell has not taken a position on the divisive issue and his spokesman J. Tucker Martin said the governor was reviewing the request.”
Will the governor thwart the will of the people and most of their legislators? That remains to be seen.
But there is ample evidence that uranium mining, a dirty business to begin with, could be even more catastrophic if done in Virginia — an area subject to hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, and all manner of catastrophic weather.
Uranium Mining... Going, Going, Gone?
Supporter, |
Senator Watkins gave up on his uranium legislation today in front of packed crowd who'd traveled to Richmond to oppose lifting the ban.
Photo credit Deborah Lovelace |
My co-worker Rob and I were there, and quite frankly it was pretty exciting. We were a part of a packed crowd from around the state who had traveled to Richmond to show support for keeping the ban. It was great to have something go our way.
Of course, Senator Watkins vows that this is not the end of uranium mining in Virginia, but it certainly looks to be the end of it for this General Assembly session. That, in of itself, is a major victory.
There are a lot of reasons why lifting the ban would be dangerous for the Commonwealth. If you were never able to watch it, I would recommend taking a look at the video we produced with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which really lays out what is at stake.
A big thank you to everyone who took time to write their elected officials and to the elected officials who listened.There are a lot of reasons why lifting the ban would be dangerous for the Commonwealth. If you were never able to watch it, I would recommend taking a look at the video we produced with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which really lays out what is at stake.
http://www.pecva.org/index.php/our-mission/energy-solutions/virginias-uranium-mining-moratorium/811-uranium-mining-going-going-gone
Senator kills uranium mining bill
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2013 5:31 pm
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2013 5:31 pm
By TIM DAVIS
Star-Tribune EditorChatham Star Tribune
In a resounding victory for opponents of uranium mining, state Sen. John Watkins (R-Chesterfield) killed a proposed bill Thursday that would have paved the way for regulations and an eventual end to Virginia’s 31-year moratorium.
Watkins pulled his bill, SB 1353, from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, where it faced almost certain doom.
This legislature is not ready to vote up or down on lifting the moratorium,” he said. “I have heard that from many members. They say they want to see the process continue to move forward, but they have heard from opponents that there are still too many unanswered questions.”
Watkins, co-chairman of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy’s Uranium Mining Subcommittee, said it was frustrating that he couldn’t convince fellow lawmakers that uranium could be mined safely.
“The emotion and fear that some have inspired on this subject have, for now at least, overcome the science and the engineering that we have worked so hard in Virginia to elevate in our educational systems and in our research facilities,” the senator said.
Watkins said uranium mining would be the “beginning of an entirely new era in Virginia” in terms of research and development.
Southside legislators Sen. Frank Ruff, Sen. Bill Stanley, Del. Don Merricks, Del. Danny Marshall, Del. James Edmunds, and Del. Tommy Wright said Watkins’ decision to withdraw the bill was great news for the region.
“The cloud of uncertainty which has hung over the region’s business climate as this issue was being debated in the General Assembly was lifted today,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
“With the resolution of this issue at hand, business site selectors who are considering our region can now take any misgivings about an operating uranium mine off their list of concerns.”
Marshall, who represents Danville and the southern part of Pittsylvania County, warned that uranium is not dead.
“It’ not over yet and it still could happen,” he said. “It could happen on the House side. It could happen in the budget. It could happen with an amendment to a bill that is sent to us. It's not over. ”
Del. Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) has an identical uranium bill in the House of Delegates.
“This is a World Series and we're still in the ninth inning,” added Merricks, who represents most of Pittsylvania County
Marshall agreed.
“This is going to go for a long time,” he said. “We know that Virginia Uranium is going to come back next year. But I think that they also have to think that a lot of air was just let out of their bubble.”
Cale Jaffe, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, said today’s decision was a victory for uranium mining opponents.
“This is a resounding victory for our side,” Jaffe said. “And it’s not just the environmental people. It’s farmers, it’s small business owners in Southside, it’s families. All these different constituencies have said loud and clearly, we do not want to put our drinking water, our environment and our economy at risk.”
Capital News Service reporter Brennan Long contributed to this story.
Watkins pulled his bill, SB 1353, from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, where it faced almost certain doom.
This legislature is not ready to vote up or down on lifting the moratorium,” he said. “I have heard that from many members. They say they want to see the process continue to move forward, but they have heard from opponents that there are still too many unanswered questions.”
Watkins, co-chairman of the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy’s Uranium Mining Subcommittee, said it was frustrating that he couldn’t convince fellow lawmakers that uranium could be mined safely.
“The emotion and fear that some have inspired on this subject have, for now at least, overcome the science and the engineering that we have worked so hard in Virginia to elevate in our educational systems and in our research facilities,” the senator said.
Watkins said uranium mining would be the “beginning of an entirely new era in Virginia” in terms of research and development.
Southside legislators Sen. Frank Ruff, Sen. Bill Stanley, Del. Don Merricks, Del. Danny Marshall, Del. James Edmunds, and Del. Tommy Wright said Watkins’ decision to withdraw the bill was great news for the region.
“The cloud of uncertainty which has hung over the region’s business climate as this issue was being debated in the General Assembly was lifted today,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
“With the resolution of this issue at hand, business site selectors who are considering our region can now take any misgivings about an operating uranium mine off their list of concerns.”
Marshall, who represents Danville and the southern part of Pittsylvania County, warned that uranium is not dead.
“It’ not over yet and it still could happen,” he said. “It could happen on the House side. It could happen in the budget. It could happen with an amendment to a bill that is sent to us. It's not over. ”
Del. Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) has an identical uranium bill in the House of Delegates.
“This is a World Series and we're still in the ninth inning,” added Merricks, who represents most of Pittsylvania County
Marshall agreed.
“This is going to go for a long time,” he said. “We know that Virginia Uranium is going to come back next year. But I think that they also have to think that a lot of air was just let out of their bubble.”
Cale Jaffe, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, said today’s decision was a victory for uranium mining opponents.
“This is a resounding victory for our side,” Jaffe said. “And it’s not just the environmental people. It’s farmers, it’s small business owners in Southside, it’s families. All these different constituencies have said loud and clearly, we do not want to put our drinking water, our environment and our economy at risk.”
Capital News Service reporter Brennan Long contributed to this story.
Uranium Ban Maintained; Senator McEachin Thanks Citizens for Advocacy
by: lowkell
Thu Jan 31, 2013 at 17:04:41 PM EST
who has been a strong opponent of uranium mining, made the following statement:RICHMOND, VA - Today, Senator Watkins struck his bill that would effectively have lifted the ban on uranium mining in Virginia. Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico),
"This is a victory for the citizens of Virginia. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their advocacy and their efforts. Many, many Virginians have written letters, made phone calls and appeared here today to tell the legislators of their concerns for public health and safety should the ban have been lifted.
"I was pleased to have the opportunity to work with such a diverse community of citizens to ensure this ban was maintained. I would also like to thank my Republican colleagues who joined me to keep the ban. This was truly a bipartisan and grassroots effort. Moreover, with the ban in place, we can continue to do the work of finding safe sources of alternative energy to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and on fossil fuels," Senator McEachin concluded.
