2012 DEQ Citizen Monitoring Grant

[GLEN] 2012 DEQ Citizen Monitoring Grant


The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is pleased to
announce that it is accepting applications for the 2012 Citizen
Monitoring Grant program year.

The grant can support volunteer water quality monitoring activities from January 1 through December 31, 2012.  Funds can pay for monitoring equipment, laboratory analysis, publications, and related items. Grant awards cannot pay for office space, salary for staff or staff benefits; however, applicants may use funds to pay for contractual services.

Applications are due by September 2, 2011. The Citizen Monitoring Grant has a maximum award of $4,000.

 As in previous years, this grant requires recipients to provide or possess a DEQ approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

DEQ will only accept one grant application per applicant.

 Grant proposals should contain the actual application, Attachment 1 and 2, and
any other necessary information. Grant packages should consist of one
signed original and four copies. DEQ will announce grant awards by the
end of October.

Please click here for additional information about the application and review
process.

A copy of the grant RFP along with other grant and funding sources  is available on the Citizen Monitoring Grant webpage at:  www.deq.virginia.gov/cmonitor/grant.html.

Please contact me by e-mail at charles.torbeck@deq.virginia.gov
 if youhave any questions or problems with the application. On behalf of DEQ,
we look forward to receiving your application and wish you success.

Sincerely,

Stuart Torbeck
Department of Environmental Quality
Water Quality Data Liaison
(804) 698-4461
charles.torbeck@deq.virginia.gov

Aug. 3 monthly LGA meeting

Comment:  Please attend this important meeting, everyone should get on board to keep the ban on uranium mining!

LGA supports uranium mining ban

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 9:21 PM EDT

Virginia Uranium to present at August LGA meeting

As a result of a vote taken and unanimously passed by a quorum of members present at the Lake Gaston Association’s annual meeting on June 11, the LGA Board of Directors subsequently signed a resolution against lifting the current ban on uranium mining in Virginia, imposed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1982.

Despite the LGA’s action, Walter Coles of Virginia Uranium Mining, Inc. has agreed to keep a commitment made prior to the resolution to present at the

Aug. 3 monthly LGA meeting

Lake Gaston Baptist Church, 128 Lynwood Rd., Littleton, NC 27850.,

 located one mile north of the Eaton Ferry Bridge on Hwy. 903, across from the Subway Restaurant.

 The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, call the LGA office at (252) 586-6577 or toll free 1-888-586-6577 or email them at info@lakegastonassoc.com

Read more:
http://vancnews.com/articles/2011/07/20/south_hill/news/news17.txt

Risks Associated with Conventional Uranium Milling Operations

(iii) Direct Gamma Exposure

Uranium mill tailings pose an external exposure hazard from radioactivity that is present in the waste. Although milling operations generally remove about 90% of the uranium from the ore, the remaining waste can contain up to 86% of the original radioactivity which is mostly composed of uranium decay products such as radium and thorium. Worst-case external exposures have been estimated to be 0.41 mrem/h, if the subject were standing directly on top of the tailings; for a continuous yearly exposure, this yields a dose of 3.6 rem.

(iv) Groundwater Contamination

Groundwater contamination is so heavily dependent on site-specific parameters, such as the chemical characteristics of the waste products and soil, the location of neighboring aquifers, and the hydrology and geology of the site, that any general numerical risk assessment of groundwater contamination is of limited utility. Groundwater contamination can become a problem if liquid wastes from tailings impoundments seep into the ground and are transferred into shallow local aquifers. Mills employing acid leaching processes are of special concern, because this method renders the waste products more soluble than an alkaline leach process. The radiological contaminants would likely be pulled out of the seepage water into the immediate soil and so do not have the mobility to move offsite into neighboring aquifers. However, water-soluble non-radiological hazards may be problematic, including molybdenum, selenium, chlorine, sulfate, nitrate, arsenic, lead, and vanadium. An NRC report (1980) concluded that 95% of any possible groundwater contamination would occur while the site was in operation. Also, seepage should be expected unless the tailings pile was built on an artificial liner or impermeable natural clay formations. Besides lining tailings impoundments, milling waste is sometimes dewatered before disposal to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination. Dewatering, however, causes an increase in the rate of radon gas emissions (increase by a factor of 3.4 when comparing wet versus dry tailings) and also makes the pile more susceptible to wind-driven dust loading. An example of dewatering occurs at the White Mesa Mill, where the dry tailings are stored in an approved below-grade disposal cell. This disposal cell is covered with the excavated earth to mitigate the effects of radon emission and dust loading (Hochstein 2003).

Current controls exist as a result of the passage of UMTRCA to eliminate this hazard from existing and future licensed operations, as well as a certain number of previously closed and abandoned mills (see Volume I, Appendix VI for more background information). The EPA has been taking steps to work with the Navajo Nation to identify buildings constructed with uranium mine and mill wastes to assess their radiation risks, and conduct removal or other appropriate actions if necessary.

(v) Tailings Pile Dam Failure

The least predictable risk associated with conventional uranium milling operations is the failure of a tailings dam. A dam might fail because of poor design, natural erosion of the dam, or natural disasters such as flooding, heavy snow fall, tornados, or earthquakes. In the United States, notable dam failures include the 1977 spill in Grants, New Mexico (50,000 tons of sludge and several million liters of contaminated water), and the 1979 spill in Church Rock, New Mexico (1000 tons of sludge and 400 million liters of contaminated water). The second of these noted spill events, Church Rock,

AIV-6

is the most notorious. It heavily contaminated the Rio Puerco river and shallow aquifers located near the river, which were used by the Navajo Nation as both an agricultural and domestic water source. As of 2003, the Navajo are still unable to use this water (Ali 2003).

(vi) Improper Use of Mill Tailings as a Building Material

As stated in Chapter 4 of the main report, the risk of radiological exposure to the general public is not only from the tailing piles themselves, but also the improper use of mill tailings as building materials. The sandy properties of mill tailings and their availability in certain economically depressed areas make their inclusion in concrete and use as a building material possible. This has occurred when tailings piles have been abandoned without having been properly closed, or when piles of tailings have fallen from trucks along rural highways. Though the problem has been documented in Grand Junction, Colorado (Elmer 2005), Monticello, Utah (EPA 1989), on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and elsewhere, its current pervasiveness remains unknown. Tables 4.1 and 4.2 of the main report present annual dose values based on a few sample activity concentrations within a Navajo hogan. See Chapter 4 of the main report for more in-depth discussion and analysis of the improper use of tailings.

Summary of Modeled Risks to the Public

In a study by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a generalized case was modeled in which it was assumed that a "low level" of environmental controls were in place. This report concluded that if the mills in place during the time of the study (by 1980 there were 16 mills producing approximately 43,900 megatons of ore annually) were in full operation through the year 2000, it would result in approximately 610 premature deaths in North America through the year 2100 and 6,000 premature deaths through the year 3000. This model was based on a low level of environmental control, and did not take into account mitigating factors, such as covering the tailings to reduce the atmospheric release of the radon. The estimated 15-year committed dose to the public is shown in Table AVI-3, at the end of the document, which also includes an estimate of the risk as a percentage of the risk from normal background radiation exposure. For example, an individual near by a cluster of mills would accrue a 15-year committed dose of 340 mrem to the lung (an effective dose equivalent

∗ of 41 mrem), and would represent an increase of 38% above the normal risk from background exposure (U.S. NRC 1980).

These risk estimates for fatal cancer have since been updated in U.S EPA (1983) and the results are shown in Table AVI-2. This study estimated the individual risk of cancer for a 15-year exposure to an individual at distances of 1,000-20,000 meters from the mill. The model also takes into account whether the mill was in an operational or post-operational phase. For each phase of operation, the individual 15-year risk is given as an average and a maximum value. The maximum value represents the individual who is downwind of the mill, while the average value represents the average of all wind directions (U.S. EPA 1983).

∗ Effective dose equivalent based on the tissue weighting factors of ICRP-26


Some studies of risks to human health from uranium mills have been conducted in the last several years (Boice et al 2007; Pinkerton et al 2004; Boice et al 2003). The authors reported no increases in mortality to some statistically significant increases in mortality for some diseases. However, all three studies share problems of limited size and control for confounding factors, such as lack of smoking data, specific exposure data, and population migration. Thus, the results of the studies are uninformative about the potential risks from uranium mills.

Read more:
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/docs/tenorm/402-r-08-005-volii/402-r-08-005-v2-appiv.pdf

Va. uranium debate sparks question: Is there more?

By:STEVE SZKOTAK
Associated Press |
07/24/11 11:48 AM.


The decades-old debate over uranium mining in Virginia has been reignited by Virginia Uranium Inc.'s efforts to end a 1982 state moratorium on digging out the radioactive ore. The General Assembly is expected to consider an end to the ban in its 2012 session in what could spark a pitched environmental battle.

While the company says it's focused on a single huge deposit in southern Virginia, opponents fear that an end to the ban would lead to mines around the state. Studies and geological analyses suggest other deposits could be found in the state, including this farming community in the shadow of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Dairy farmer Bill Speiden is often cited by uranium opponents because he rejected a mining company that approached him 30 years ago about leasing his rolling fields. If the ban is lifted, Speiden urges caution from his neighbors in Somerset.

"I would suggest they learn something about it before they sign on the dotted line," Speiden said of his neighbors.

The Keep the Ban Coalition, which opposes uranium mining, contends the ban's end "means Virginians throughout the state could potentially be affected by uranium mining, milling and waste disposal." Individual activists have also sounded the alarm to enlist others in their statewide fight.

Virginia Uranium insists it has designs only on a 3,000-acre site near the North Carolina line in Chatham that it values at $8 billion to $10 billion. The Southside deposit is called Coles Hill.




Opponents fear mining and the milling to separate the ore from rock will foul farmland and water supplies. Most U.S. uranium mining occurs in the arid West.

The most definitive survey of the state's uranium potential gives some credence to opponents' alarm.

Conducted in the 1980s by the Department of Energy, the National Uranium Resource Evaluation program, or NURE, identified several favorable belts — typically other rock types and geological formations that have background concentrations of uranium.

While geologists acknowledge studies have shown the potential for new discoveries in Virginia,

Mining companies have to roll the dice on a speculative deposit. It requires a huge upfront investment and favorable prices for uranium in a global market that has been rocked by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The earthquake triggered a nuclear power disaster, shaking global confidence in nuclear power.


The Coles Hill uranium deposit was discovered in the 1970s, as nuclear power emerged as a promising source of clean energy. The discovery of the Pittsylvania County lode spawned interest in Speiden's property and thousands of other acres across the state that NURE identified as potential uranium deposits.

"A common scenario in mineral exploration is that a large discovery such as Coles Hill is followed by an influx of exploration companies who comb the countryside and discover additional deposits," Susan Hall of the U.S. Geological Survey wrote in an email to The Associated Press.



Like many of his neighbors in Orange County, Speiden heard from a mining company that wanted to pay him $2 an acre for the mineral leases on his property, which he said has such high radioactive readings it interferes with metal detectors used by Civil War relic hunters. The Speidens were also promised 7 percent of the royalties of whatever was mined.

"I was a little bit dubious," Speiden said.

So he and his late wife, Sandra, took a fact-finding mission out West, visiting mining sites and talking to residents.

"The negative impacts on the ranchers and the water supplies out there just scared the heck out of us," Speiden said. "They wanted to lease my farm and made some pretty nice offers. I couldn't have it on my conscience."


Geologists say that mining Coles Hill, however, could beget more mining. As mining begins, "new mineable resources are often identified," said Jim Otton, a retired U.S. geologist who has researched potential occurrences of uranium in Virginia.


Mining opponents fear just that will occur if Virginia opens the door to mining.

"If you lift the ban and you begin mining at Coles Hill, that changes the economics for other finds throughout the state," said Cale Jaffe, a senior staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which has taken the lead in organizing opposition to lifting the ban. "The question of statewide impact will undoubtedly be an important component in the public debate going forward."


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/2011/07/va-uranium-debate-sparks-question-there-more#ixzz1TCzM3tl1

National Night Out set for Aug. 2

 

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:28 AM EDT


The 16th Annual National Night Out celebration will be from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 2 in the Pittsylvania County Courthouse Complex parking lot.

This year's event includes free food; a classic car show; and police, fire and rescue vehicles on display; a dunking booth; I.D. cards for children; blood pressure screenings and community organization displays.

Entertainment will be provided by Flip Side from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m.

Marlo the Magician will be making a special appearance.

The children's area will include inflatable play activities, face painting, tattoos, toys, cotton candy, popcorn and sno-cones

Read more:

http://www.wpcva.com/chatham/opinion/

Poisoning Lake Gaston (Conclusion)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:00 AM EDT
By Frank Newell

The Cherokee Indians who lived in the mountains of North Carolina long ago had a saying concerning the streams that flowed through their homelands. The saying was that water flowing over seven rocks was purified. As a boy growing up in Warren County, fishing and swimming in practically every branch, stream and creek in the county, I learned firsthand that water flowing over and around a sandbar was clean and fine to drink

Now I had said all of that mainly to point out that Lake Gaston is not only a place of beauty, but also a place of peace. However, there is a dark cloud hanging over the horizon, a cloud that is a threat to the peaceful life of the lake people. If that cloud spreads downstream, it will surely destroy the peaceful environment of Lake Gaston and will adversely affect their health.

I have reviewed the impact study that a Virginia Beach engineer conducted on this project. Any reasonable person who even mildly cares about the environment would be greatly concerned and disturbed. In the past, radioactive waste from uranium mines was not properly handled, which resulted in radioactive contamination of ground and surface waters. Currently, the state of Virginia has a ban on uranium mining. In order for this mining operation to move forward, the Virginia legislature will have to reverse the ban. We all know that political horse trading and under-the-table financial transactions often occur.

Residents of Lake Gaston, you owe it to your children and their children to prevent this tragedy. Don't let greedy people deprive you and your loved ones of the peace that they deserve and to which they are entitled


READ MORE:
http://www.vancnews.com/articles/2011/07/13/warrenton/opinion/opinion02.txt

Complete List of Localities and Groups Opposing Lifting of the Ban on Uranium Mining in VA

Saturday, May 21, 2011

City of Creedmor, NC
City of Henderson, NC
City of Virginia Beach, VA
Floyd County, VA
Halifax County, NC
Granville County, NC
Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Brunswick County, VA
Mecklenburg County, VA
Orange County, VA
Rappahannock County, VA
Town of Clarksville
Town of Halifax, VA
Town of Hurt, VA
Town of Butner, NC
Town of Franklinton, NC
Town of Warrenton, NC
Vance County, NC
Warren County, NC
Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
Piedmont Residents in Defense of the Environment (PRIDE)
Buggs Island Striper Club
Halifax County Chamber of Commerce (VA)
Martinsville-Henry County Chapter of the NAACP
Medical Society of Virginia House of Delegates 2008
National Wildlife Federation
North Carolina Roanoke River Basin Advisory Committee
North Carolina Wildlife Federation
Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District
Southside Concerned Citizens
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Keep the Ban, Chesapeake
Keep the Ban, Norfolk
UBAN, Floyd County (VA)
Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club Keep the Ban Team, Martinsville
Dan River Basin Association
League of Individuals for the Environment, Inc.
Roanoke River Basin Association
Piedmont Environmental Council
Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project
Southern Environmental Law Center
Virginia Bass Federation
Virginia Conservation Network
Virginia League of Conservation Voters

Read more:
http://uraniumfreevirginia.blogspot.com/2011/05/complete-list-of-localities-and-groups.html#comments

Honeybees Disappearing?

New Information About Honeybees Disappearing, and a Possible Solution
From Earth Talk,

The topic of disappearing honeybees first cropped up in 2004 and by the spring of 2007 was all over the news. Thousands of commercial beekeepers across the U.S. and beyond were reporting in some cases that as many as two-thirds of their honeybees were flying away from their hives, never to return. What made the problem—dubbed “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD)—so unusual is that most traumas to bee colonies leave bees dead, in or around their hives, not mysteriously gone altogether.

Are Pesticides to Blame for Honeybees Disappearing?
Strangely enough, there was no concrete evidence pointing to disease or predation, or of mites that tend to attack beehives. Some beekeepers reported that moths, animals and other bees were steering clear of the newly empty nests, leading to speculation that chemical contamination due to widespread use of pesticides might be to blame. But no smoking gun emerged and the mystery remains today.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which last year convened a multi-agency CCD steering committee to assess the problem and find solutions, several factors could be combining to cause CCD.

Virus Linked to Honeybees Disappearing
In one study, researchers from Columbia University isolated the presence of a virus—the so-called Israeli
Farm Production Threatened by Honeybees Disappearing
Whatever the cause, CCD remains a real threat to agriculture. About a third of all American farm production is dependent upon the pollination efforts of commercially-raised honeybees.
Organic Farms Not Plagues By Honeybees Disappearing
Not surprisingly perhaps, organic beekeepers have not experienced CCD, leading to speculation that overall greener management practices could be the answer even if direct causes are not determined. Meanwhile, efforts to genetically modify bees that are resistant to predators and pathogens could also prove fruitful, although such high-tech solutions are still untested and could lead to unintended consequences.

Read more:
http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/honeybees-disappearing.htm?nl=

Danville offers cash for residents to go green

 

 

By Denice Thibodeau

Published: July 18, 2011

Danville Utilities has launched a new residential energy efficiency rebate program designed to encourage customers to upgrade certain appliances, air-conditioning units, water heaters, heat pumps and attic insulation.

For qualified purchases made after July 15, the program — called Home$ave — will rebate varying amounts of money, depending on the purchase.

Nate Lewis, Danville Utilities’ key accounts manager, said there are few limits on the number of rebates a resident can receive, though heat/air conditioner tune-ups will be eligible only every three years.

“It really doesn’t make that much difference if you do it (tune-ups) every year,” Lewis said. “If you need one each year, it’s probably time to look into a new unit.”

Lewis said such tune-ups typically cost between $150 and $200; the rebate offered is $55.

Specifics on what must be done to qualify for each rebate are available online at www.danvillehomesave.com, as are the rebate applications.

The website also offers links to various state-offered rebates as well, but state residents can only apply for one of them.

Lewis said Danville Utilities did not want to limit the number of rebates residents could get.

“If people want to do every single thing, that’s great,” Lewis said

Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jul/18/danville-offers-cash-residents-go-green-ar-1180910/?sc_cid=GDR-NEWS-Afternoon

Leesville Lake

REMINDER: You can now call 1-800-956-4237 to report floating and dangerous debris in the navigable channels or issues concerning navigation aids on Leesville Lake. AEP monitors this number 24 / 7, 365 days a year.

Leesville Lake users need to be more vocal!

Please take the time to call and report dangerous debris on the lake or at public boat ramps


http://leesvillelake.org/Contacts.htm

State Leaders Highlight Drought Concerns

By Amanda Iacone
Virginia Statehouse News
Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 8:55 am

RICHMOND — Population growth is putting an increased demand on the state's freshwater reserves, and providing Virginians with enough fresh drinking water will be a major concern facing the state over the next two decades.

 

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s natural resources policy team said Monday that growing demand for fresh water and a lack of rainfall have dropped water tables.

 

“Virginia is likely to have long-term water problems,” said state Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech. “We have a growing population. Everybody needs water. We think of ourselves as having a lot of water, until you don't and then suddenly it's a huge issue."

 

Although the rest of the state has seen normal rainfall, well monitoring sites indicate that groundwater levels are dropping in portions of the Piedmont and Northern Virginia, said Jerry Stenger, director of the climatology office at University of Virginia.

 

Agriculture and industry are heavy users of fresh water, but water use increases during the summer as Virginians wash their cars, fill their pools and water their gardens, Stenger said.

 

One of these factors is mining. Mary Rafferty, a spokeswoman for the Virginia chapter of environmental advocacy group Sierra Club, said the state’s investments and policies should not risk existing water resources by allowing mining operations that would contaminate drinking water.

 

Uranium deposits in Southside Virginia lay upstream from a reservoir in Mecklenburg County and a lake that provides drinking water for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Rafferty said.

 

Opponents of uranium mining said this activity would contaminate the drinking water for a large part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

 

Uranium mining is banned in Virginia and whether to reverse the ban is expected to be a major issue during the General Assembly session.

 

Read more:

http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_30566136-a186-11e0-9ea2-001cc4c03286.html

 

 

 

 

The battle over Virginia uranium

WHERE WE STAND
Seeding confusion only benefits the company that stands to make billions in Pittsylvania County.

The Virginian-Pilot
July 18, 2011

Evaluating statistical data, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

What, then, should be made of a recent consultant's report on uranium mining in Pittsylvania County? It rejects an earlier Virginia Beach-sponsored study that warned of contamination of the city's drinking water supply.

The "technical critique" of the Beach consultant's report was funded by Virginia Uranium, the company seeking clearance to mine a 3,500-acre tract near Chatham in Southside Virginia.

In order to extract the estimated 119 million pounds of uranium at the site - a deposit valued at $10 billion - lawmakers must lift a nearly three-decade-old mining ban. That ban is likely to be the subject of intense interest during next year's General Assembly session.


Virginia Uranium's recent report took issue with the Beach consultant's conclusion that contaminants could make their way from the mine and into Lake Gaston and eventually to Virginia Beach. The company's report said the city's study was based on flawed assumptions and methodology.


In other words, the company's study is one that points out the alleged flaws in another study.

Of course, two can play that game.

Not surprisingly, Beach officials consider their consultant's work to be more reliable than a mining company's. The city - which spent a huge amount to pipe water over from Lake Gaston - officially opposes uranium mining unless it can be scientifically shown that contaminants can be kept out of the city's drinking water.

Sorting through all this - for citizens and lawmakers - is made difficult by the competing interests of the parties and the complicated science involved.

The confusion, for now, undoubtedly benefits Virginia Uranium, but the motives are clear.

The city is trying to protect its water supply and the health of its citizens.

The company is trying to protect its bottom line.

Read more:
http://ham​ptonroads.​com/2011/0​7/battle-o​ver-virgin​ia-uranium

Meetings

July 19th agendas for:

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ADJOURNEll MEETING

TUESDAY JULY 19 2011

700PM

GENERAL llISTRICT COURTROOM

EDWIN R SHIELDS COURTHOUSE ADDITION

CHATHAM VIRGINIA

Finance Committee Meeting – 4:30pm
Solid Waste Committee Meeting – 5:30pm
Board of Supervisors Meeting – 7:00pm

Drought in Va: Uranium Mining ruins water

By Amanda Iacone Virginia Statehouse News 

Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 8:55 am

RICHMOND — Population growth is putting an increased demand on the state's freshwater reserves, and providing Virginians with enough fresh drinking water will be a major concern facing the state over the next two decades.

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s natural resources policy team said Monday that growing demand for fresh water and a lack of rainfall have dropped water tables.

“Virginia is likely to have long-term water problems,” said state Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech. “We have a growing population. Everybody needs water. We think of ourselves as having a lot of water, until you don't and then suddenly it's a huge issue."

Much of Virginia did not receive much rain this winter, said Deputy Secretary Maureen Matsen.

For example, the Tidewater region has been under a drought since the spring, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield. The NWS provides weather forecasts and tracks stream and river flows plus tracks climate data.

Although the rest of the state has seen normal rainfall, well monitoring sites indicate that groundwater levels are dropping in portions of the Piedmont and Northern Virginia, said Jerry Stenger, director of the climatology office at University of Virginia.

Agriculture and industry are heavy users of fresh water, but water use increases during the summer as Virginians wash their cars, fill their pools and water their gardens, Stenger said.

One of these factors is mining. Mary Rafferty, a spokeswoman for the Virginia chapter of environmental advocacy group Sierra Club, said the state’s investments and policies should not risk existing water resources by allowing mining operations that would contaminate drinking water.

Uranium deposits in Southside Virginia lay upstream from a reservoir in Mecklenburg County and a lake that provides drinking water for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Rafferty said.

Opponents of uranium mining said this activity would contaminate the drinking water for a large part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

Uranium mining is banned in Virginia.

Read more:

http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_30566136-a186-11e0-9ea2-001cc4c03286.html

Keep the Ban on Uranium Mining and Milling in Virginia Meeting

Roanoke Higher Education Center - July 19, 2011
Keep the Ban on Uranium Mining and Milling in Virginia

Join the Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia League of Conservation Voters-Education Fund and the Sierra Club for one of our 2011 summer workshops. This year our citizen and legislator briefing will focus on the "Keep The Ban" Campaign and how you can get involved.

Virginia has a nearly 30-year ban on uranium mining. Foreign-backed interests are trying to lift the ban so they can mine and process uranium, starting in Southside Virginia.

Drinking water, human health, farmland, property values, wildlife and tourism across Virginia are at risk.

We will be inviting State Senators and Delegates in your area. Please make sure to invite your local elected officials to join us!

Agenda

5:30–6:00: Dinner (Free of Charge)
6:00–7:30: Program and Discussion

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Address: 108 North Jefferson Street
Roanoke, VA 24016

RSP here:  http://vcn.citizen-networks.org/site/Calendar?id=100964&view=Detail

Once you have reservations, you can still click RSVP to increase or decrease the number of people in your party (subject to availability).

*EPA Administrator Announces National Grants to Train Jobseekers in Green

*CONTACT:*
Stacy Kika
kika.stacy@epa.gov
202-564-0906
202-564-4355

*EPA Administrator Announces National Grants to Train Jobseekers in Green
Jobs and Clean Up of Contaminated Sites*


*WASHINGTON* - Today in Atlanta, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that EPA is awarding more
than $6.2 million in national environmental workforce development and job
training grants to 21 grantees to recruit, train, and place unemployed,
predominantly low-income residents in polluted areas. Administrator
Jackson was joined by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed at the press conference
where the two highlighted the impact the investment will have on five
targeted low-income Atlanta neighborhoods that will benefit from funding
and training under the grant program.

"These job training grants are not just helping to create good jobs,
they're helping create good, green jobs that protect the health of local
families and residents and prepare communities for continued economic
growth. We're looking to the people and community organizations who know
these areas best to find the places where green jobs and environmental
protection are going to do the most good," said EPA Administrator
Jackson. "Creating good green jobs proves that we don't have to choose
between
cleaning up our air and our water or creating jobs in our communities.
We're showing that it's possible to do both at the same time."

"Today marks a great day for the city and for the future of workforce
development in Atlanta," said Mayor Reed. "Congratulations to the Center
for Working Families on being awarded this grant. I also want to thank
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for making this important announcement in
Atlanta. The EPA's focus on developing more green jobs is in lock-step
with my administration's priorities, and will helps us to build a green
workforce and create sustainable jobs."

Since 1998, EPA has awarded more than $35 million under the Environmental
Workforce Development and Job Training Program. As of May 2011, more than
6,683 individuals have been trained through the program, and more than
4,400 have been placed in full-time employment in the environmental field
with an average starting hourly wage of $14.65. The development of this
green workforce will allow the trainees to develop skills that will make
them competitive in the construction and redevelopment fields.

Graduates of the program are equipped with skills and certifications in
various environmental fields including lead and asbestos abatement,
environmental site sampling, construction and demolition debris
recycling, energy auditing and weatherization, as well as solar panel
installations and green building techniques. Graduates use these skills
to improve the environment and people's health while supporting economic
development in their communities. The program has also trained and helped
employ residents in the Gulf Coast responding to and cleaning up the BP oil
spill, revitalizing New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and aiding
in the response and clean up of the World Trade Center on 9-11.

The agency's Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program
helps provide unemployed individuals with the necessary skills to secure
full time, sustainable jobs that help to clean up toxic chemicals in
communities, advance the country's clean energy projects and support
environmental initiatives. Trainees include hard to place residents that
live in the disadvantaged communities that will benefit the most through
these projects.

Twenty-one governmental entities and non-profit organizations in twenty
states are receiving up to $300,000 each to train individuals in the
cleanup of contaminated sites and in health and safety, while also
providing training in other environmental skills, such as recycling
center operator training, green building design, energy efficiency,
weatherization, solar installation, construction and demolition debris
recycling, emergency response, and native plant revegetation.

More information on environmental workforce development and job training
grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm


More information on EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response:
http://www.epa.gov/oswer

'Everything to lose, nothing to gain'

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:28 AM EDT

I read the letter in the July 6, 2011, Star-Tribune by Rhonda
Fitzgerald. Ms. Fitzgerald, why don't you get all the facts
straight before you say something about me?

First off, my plumbing was replaced with PEX plastic and black
plastic poly pipe and PVC plastic pipe in 2006-over a year before
VUI started to test drill.

Their first water test on my water was done in December of 2007 and
continued until September 2008. Each time the water was tested the
lead levels got higher.

The only people who said the lead came from my plumbing was the
Coles Hill Progress summer issue 2009.

The "truth" is the health department said it could be from the
water source or plumbing or from some other contamination.

I had two licensed plumbers check my plumbing, and they stated that
my plumbing met state and county codes, one even stated that lead
did not come from my plumbing. How can you get lead from plastic
pipes?


Oh yeah, that small group of people is not so small. We're made up
of people like farmers, veterans, nurses, state workers, and just
plain hardworking people who have everything to lose and nothing to
gain, like some people.

Most people who are for the uranium mining have something to gain.

Which one do you fall under?

Allen Gross
Chatham

Read more:
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/07/13/chatham/opinion/opinion12.txt

About $5 million to go toward home efficiency rebates for Virginians

About $5 million in unclaimed funds from the first two rounds of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program will now be available for a new Virginia Home Efficiency Rebate Program.

Virginia homeowners who bought energy-efficient equipment after March 26, 2010, will be eligible for rebates for 20 percent of the costs of qualifying items, up to $595. Energy audits will be rebated up to $250.

The application process opened June 20, and applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Virginia also has geothermal heat pump appliance rebate programs.

Visit www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/HomeEfficiency.shtml
 or call 443-9966 for information on both programs.

-- Michelle Skeen

EPA extends comment period for Radford Army Ammunition Plant remedies

The Environmental Protection Agency has extended the deadline for public comments on the proposed remedies for the Radford Army Ammunition Plant to Aug. 31.

Here is a press release from the EPA:

PHILADELPHIA ( July 7, 2011) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the public comment period until Aug. 31 on the proposed remedies for cleaning up the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP).

The public comment period, which opened May 25, was originally scheduled to close July 25. But residents requested additional time to comment on the proposed remedies that are outlined in the Corrective Action Statement of Basis (SB).

After the comment period closes, EPA will review and publicly respond to substantive comments received in writing and at the public hearing. Based on the comments received, the EPA may revise the proposed remedies.

The Statement of Basis outlines the proposed remedies for Solid Waste Management Units being investigated and remediated at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant which are being addressed under EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. The SB also summarizes the corrective action activities completed to date.

Corrective action is an EPA program designed to investigate and guide the remediation of contamination from hazardous waste management spills or releases into the environment. These releases of hazardous waste and/or hazardous constituents are the result of past or present activities at facilities regulated under RCRA. EPA’s corrective action authority allows the agency to incorporate investigation and clean up requirements at facilities such as RAAP.

Written comments should be submitted to Erich Weissbart, U.S. EPA Project Manager, Mail Code 3LC50, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 or via fax: 215-814-3113, or

 e-mail: weissbart.erich@epa.gov.

All comments must be submitted in writing no later than August 31, 2011.

Those being submitted U.S. mail, fax, or e-mail must be postmarked no later than August 31, 2011.

A final decision regarding the selected remedies proposed for the facility will not be made until the public comment period has closed and all comments have been evaluated and addressed.

The SB, documents and other information relating to the investigation and remediation/clean up of the RAAP can be found at:

The Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Christiansburg Branch, 125 Sheltman Road, Christiansburg VA 24073, (540) 382-6965; and on the internet.

To view the SB go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/publicnotice-pdf/RAAP_SB.pdf

For more information on the RAAP go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/ca/va/webpages/va1210020730.html
 or
http://www.radfordaapirp.org/comminv/RAB.htm .

Read more:
http://blogs.roanoke.com/ticker/2011/07/08/epa-extends-comment-period-for-radford-army-ammunition-plant-remedies/

Watch our Webcast Monday, July 11: Chesapeake Bay Program's Execut ive Council Meeting

Upcoming Webcast

July 11, 2011: Chesapeake Bay Program's Executive Council Meeting
Web Cast, Monday, 11 am - 12:15 pm
for the Council meeting and
again at 2 pm - 3 pm for the Press Conference.

This an annual meeting where meeting tough, new pollution reduction goals are on the agenda.

The meeting will be Web Cast from the Maymont Nature Center in Richmond, VA. Members include the governors of all six states in the bay watershed, the mayor of Washington, and EPA's

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. The council sets policy for the joint state and federal effort that has led bay restoration.

The states are working to implement a new EPA strategy issued in response to a presidential executive order.

The bay watershed covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York.

Click here to join the link
http://www.epa.gov/live/#area

Subject: EPA Review of Uranium and Thorium Standards; Draft technical report

Science Advisory Board meetings, 7/12 and 7/18-19, 2011

EPA Review of Health and Environmental Standards for Uranium and Thorium
Milling Facilities, 40 CFR Part 192

Draft Technical Report on Post-Closure Monitoring of ISL/LSR Sites EPA
Science Advisory Board Meetings, July 12, and July 18-19, 2011

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last revised its regulations
for uranium and thorium milling in 1995. The Agency is currently reviewing
them to determine if revisions are necessary to bring them up-to-date.

As part of this review, EPA has asked the Agency's Science Advisory Board
(SAB) to conduct an advisory review of a draft technical report,
Considerations Related to Post-Closure Monitoring of Uranium In-Situ
Leach/In-Situ Recovery (ISL/ISR) Sites. The draft document addresses
considerations involved in establishing groundwater monitoring systems
around uranium ISL/ISR operations. The report is available on our website
at:
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/pubs.html#technical-report


As part of its advisory, the SAB will hold a public teleconference on July 12, 2011 and a two-day meeting July 18-19, 2011.

The meetings were announced in the Federal Register on June 23, 2011. You can view the Federal Register announcement at:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-23/pdf/2011-15761.pdf


ABOUT THE STANDARDS

The regulations under review establish standards for protection of the
public health, safety, and environment from radiological and nonradiological
hazards associated with uranium and thorium ore processing, and their
associated wastes. The cross-media standards apply to pollution emissions
and site restoration. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and their
Agreement States use these standards in their oversight of uranium and
thorium facility operations and in issuing licenses for source material. The
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) uses them in their management of closed
uranium and thorium mills and in the cleanup of contaminated soil and
buildings.

More information is available at http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/



PUBLIC INPUT WELCOME-JOIN OUR DISCUSSION FORUM

We are discussing the regulations with affected stakeholders, and welcome
your participation. You can provide your thoughts in our on-line discussion
forum: http://blog.epa.gov/milltailingblog/

Notes from last year's Public Information Meetings, held in Arizona,
Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, are available on our website. You can download
these notes and other materials at:
http://blog.epa.gov/milltailingblog/library-of-documents/


WHAT COMES NEXT?

EPA will review the input received from the public meetings held and the
recommendations of the Science Advisory Board, then determine whether to
propose changes to the standards or leave them as they are. In the meantime,
the on-line Discussion Forum will remain open for your comments.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please feel free to contact us with your questions, suggestions, and
comments at UraniumReview@epa.gov

Uranium mining in Virginia

Conservation News

In the 1980’s uranium leases were filed on thousands of acres of land in Virginia. Two major veins of uranium were found in the Cole’s Hill, near Chatham, VA not far from the North Carolina border. Test indicated that about 60,000 tons of uranium is below the surface to approximately 800 feet. In 1983 the Virginia General Assembly, seeking to protect the public health and environment, banned uranium mining in Virginia.

In 2008, the Virginia General Assembly chose once again not to fund another study but, the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy decided to initiate a new study on uranium mining in Virginia. In 2009 a new study totally funded by Virginia Uranium, Inc. and holding company’s commenced. The National Research Council (NRC), an arm of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) agreed to participate and review the study. The study is expected to be completed by December 2011 and presented to the Virginia legislators in an effort to get the ban on uranium mining lifted.

What are some of the concerns? Uranium has never been mined, much less milled on the East Coast. Nothing east of the Mississippi River, the region’s wet climate and high populations make it too risky. Uranium mining in the United States has been confined to drier, less populated areas such as Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nebraska. Our fear is that the Cole’s Hill project is just the first of deposits to be mined if the ban were lifted, as there are thousands of acres of land already leased that may be worth mining.

One ton of uranium ore produces 2 lbs of uranium oxide (yellowcake) and 1,998 lbs of uranium mill tailings. The Cole’s Hill Project is expected to generate over 28 million tons of uranium mill tailings, not including associated chemicals and wastewater. Mill tailings retain 85% of their original radioactivity for >>>300,000 years.

The proposed area to be mined, Cole’s Hill, is right next to Bannister River in Virginia, which flows into the Dan River and downstream to the entire Roanoke River Basin. This includes Kerr Lake, Lake Gaston, Roanoke Rapids Lake and the Roanoke River to the coastal plains and Atlantic Ocean. The amount of fish, animals, birds and ecosystems involved in this issue is too vast to imagine. Downstream of Cole’s Hill proposed mine some 1.2 million water users could be affected.

The City of Virginia Beach, who gets a portion of their drinking water out of Lake Gaston, funded a Uranium Mining Impact Study. The study was to assume a storm-based catastrophe at a uranium mine/mill located in the Roanoke River Basin, which results in a significant release of mill tailings downstream. In Virginia, we’ve experienced 2 PMP (Probable Maximum Precipitation) storms in the last 50 years and many more high precipitation storms. An example is in 1969 Nelson County had 27 -31 inches of rain in an 8 hours period (Hurricane Camille), in June 1995 Madison County experienced 30 inches of rain in 14 hours. Phase 1 of the study completed, over 200 scenarios were studied with the same conclusions, in the event of a mill tailing confinement cell failure, the tailings will be washed downstream. Radiation levels in Kerr Lake would rise 10-20 times above the Safe Drinking Water Act levels. It could take 2 months to 2 years depending on normal or drought conditions just to flush the dissolved contaminants downstream. Dan River and Kerr Lake would be a significant trap for particulate contaminants.

We cannot take the chance that any issue or problems associated with uranium mining should harm the Roanoke River Basin. Uranium radiation contamination or any radiation contamination of the byproducts associated with uranium mining and milling is not something we can just clean up. The issues and problems will be with us forever.

Vernon D. Wilson
VA Bass Federation – Conservation Director

http://bassfederation.com/conservation-news/uranium-mining-in-virginia/

Feds Launch Action Plan to Protect People and Families from Radon

 

Subject: Air News Release (HQ): Feds Launch Action Plan to Protect People and Families from Radon/Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer


CONTACTS:
Stacy Kika
kika.stacy@epa.gov
2202-564-0906
202-564-4355
Cathy Milbourn
Milbourn.cathy@epa.gov
202-564-7849

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2011

Feds Launch Action Plan to Protect People and Families from Radon
Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer

WASHINGTON –Today, U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, and the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, and Veterans Affairs have joined forces to help save lives and create healthier home and school environments for America’s families. The plan brings together commitments that help to reduce exposure to radon and protect the health of Americans through leveraging and advancing existing state, local, and national programs. Radon exposure is the leading cause of non-smoking lung cancer and leads to an estimated 21,000 deaths each year.

“With nearly one in 15 homes affected by elevated levels of radon and thousands dying each year from radon-induced cancer, it’s time to step up our actions in the federal government,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said. “Through the Federal Radon Action Plan, we’re working with partner agencies to raise awareness about the threat of radon in our homes and to take steps to mitigate this hazard. Together our efforts will help reduce radon exposure and make our homes, schools and communities healthier places to live, learn, work and play.”

The Federal Radon Action Plan brings together government agencies to demonstrate the importance of radon risk reduction, address finance and incentive issues to drive testing and mitigation, and build demand for services from industry professionals. The plan will help spur greater action in the marketplace, create jobs in the private sector, and significantly reduce exposure to radon. The plan includes strategies to reach low-income families, many of whom do not have the resources to make the simple fixes necessary to protect their homes and loved ones. With the help of all agency networks, approximately 7.5 million buildings and homes in the United States will be able to receive information and build awareness around this serious public health risk.

The plan includes federal government actions to reduce radon risks:

· Launching a cross-government outreach initiative to educate families about the health risks associated with radon exposure and the solutions to address the risks.

· Incorporating radon testing and mitigation into federal programs.

· Investing in new standards and updating codes for measurement and mitigation in schools, daycare facilities, and multi-family housing.

· Establishing incentives that drive testing and mitigation in the private and public sectors.

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible and odorless radioactive gas. Approximately one in 15 American homes contain high levels of radon. Millions of Americans are unknowingly exposed to this dangerous gas. EPA and the Surgeon General urge people to test their homes for radon at least every two years. Contact your state radon office for information on locating qualified test kits or qualified radon testers.

Information on the Federal Radon Action Plan: http://www.epa.gov/radon/action_plan.html
Information on radon and testing your home: http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.

Will uranium industry keep promises?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 9:01 AM EDT

Jobs just don't seem to be that plentiful in the uranium mining industry.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration just released new reports in June of jobs in the uranium mining industry for the United States in 2010.
There were nine uranium mines operating in 2010 and the total jobs were only 400.

Let me see: 400 jobs divided by nine operations - well you get the picture.

The number of jobs has been going down since 2008 along with the price of uranium.

There were five uranium mills with only one operating; the others were on "standby" and one in development.


How many executives would want to locate with their families close to a uranium mine to bring in local jobs for their companies?

States everywhere are competing for companies to locate in their localities.

If all things were equal, but one had a uranium mine and one did not, which do you think they would choose?

The perception of health and environmental dangers will keep future jobs away.

And how many jobs will we lose, especially in the food and agriculture industries that may have a hard time selling their products?

Who is going to compensate us for our cows, food products, farming equipment and land if no one will buy our products?

Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the Virginia budget goes to the Department of Mines and Minerals and Energy for their total operating dollars.

If I had the potential to make millions, possibly billions of dollars, I would probably be making all kinds of promises, but the question is would I be able to keep my promises?

Think about this and research it for yourself at eia.gov.

Deborah Lovelace
Gretna

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/06/29/chatham/opinion/opinion15.txt

Cotter Corp. refuses to clean up contaminated water from defunct uranium mine

By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Posted: 06/28/2011 01:00:00 AM MDTUpdated: 06/28/2011 01:41:49 AM MDT

Cotter Corp. is still refusing to clean up contamination at a defunct uranium mine west of Denver, where a now-contaminated creek flows into a metro-area drinking-water reservoir.

State mining regulators ordered Cotter to drain highly toxic water from the mine. They contend the Schwartzwalder mine is connected through groundwater to Ralston Creek, which flows into Ralston Reservoir. Denver Water and state tests have detected uranium at elevated levels exceeding health standards.

Tests last summer along Ralston Creek indicated uranium concentrations as high as 310 parts per billion, above the 30 ppb standard for drinking water.

Cotter has filed a lawsuit challenging the state order.


Denver Water officials say they're relying on existing treatment systems to remove uranium contamination from the creek and reservoir before it reaches homes.

Read more: Cotter Corp. refuses to clean up contaminated water from defunct uranium mine - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18366411#ixzz1QtNF1NXD

Enjoy your 4th of July...then help us keep our independence from unnecessary fouling of air, water and agricultural heritage by uranium mining and milling in VA.

Any and everything you do to insure the continued ban on uranium mining in Virginia is important. Every meeting you attend is an opportunity to show that support.

On Tuesday, July 5th it is important for you to attend the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting @ 7 PM.

It does not matter if you are a resident of Danville, Floyd Co., South Boston or Charlottesville. You need to be counted. Tom Leahy will address the BOS regarding the "Virginia Beach" study which raised awareness as to potential impacts uranium mining could have on the Roanoke River watershed.

At the BOS meeting 2 weeks ago, Supervisor Ecker's motion for a resolution aimed at DEQ and DMME to get baseline data on citizen's wells prior to drilling additional core samples died for lack of a second. Hence, no discussion ensued. With the exception of Mr. Ecker, the BOS basically "blew off" yet another opportunity to protect its citizens. Pittsylvania Co. is ground zero. Why do these elected officials remain mute? We're only left to guess.

If these Supervisors do not see you supporting the continued ban, it makes it easier for them to do nothing and allow it to be lifted. Please come, show support for Mr. Leahy and the one dedicated supervisor left on the Pittsylvania Co. BOS, on Tuesday night. Encourage your family, friends, church members and organizations to attend.

Radioactive Rivers

This article appears in the Summer 2011 Piedmont View

Beneath the rolling landscapes of Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Orange are deposits of the radioactive mineral uranium -- potential mine sites. In the 1980s, companies filed mining leases on thousands of acres of land in these counties, as well as in southwest Virginia, with an interest in extracting the uranium, which can be processed into nuclear fuel.

Because uranium mining poses severe dangers to public health and the environment, PEC fought to prevent it, helping to secure a statewide moratorium on uranium mining in 1982. This ban is still in effect. But a Canadian-backed company called Virginia Uranium, Inc. is now pushing to mine a large deposit in southwest Virginia. They are advocating to end the moratorium, exposing communities throughout our state to unprecedented risk.


In Virginia, extreme rainfall events can exceed 20 inches in 24 hours. Can we really expect to control the runoff from hundreds or thousands of acres of piled mine tailings, through all kinds of storm events -- and to control it essentially forever, due to the long half-life of the radioactive materials?

Water supplies at risk

If left alone, the uranium deposits in Virginia are generally harmless to people. But the process of mining and milling uranium involves bringing huge amounts of radioactive rock to the surface, grinding it to a sand-like consistency, treating it with chemicals, and exposing it to the elements -- a process that can introduce radioactive and otherwise toxic substances into rivers and groundwater.

Uranium mine sites are left with enormous quantities of waste rock, called tailings, since only two to four pounds of concentrated uranium ore, or "yellow cake," can be obtained from every ton of extracted rock. At the Coles Hill site near Danville, which is the focus of the current push for uranium mining, piles of tailings that could be 100 feet deep would extend over hundreds of acres. Tailings contain 85% of the original radioactivity and remain radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.

Dr. Doug Brugge, of the Tufts School of Medicine, who testified to Congress in 2007 about the harm caused to Navajo communities near uranium mines in the West, described uranium ore as "a toxic brew of numerous hazardous materials." Among its dangerous ingredients, he listed 1) radon, which causes lung cancer, 2) uranium, which causes kidney damage and birth defects, 3) radium, which causes bone cancer, leukemia, and other cancers; and 4) arsenic, which causes lung and skin cancer, neurotoxicity, and skin diseases.

According to the EPA, people can be harmed by uranium mine wastes through various "exposure pathways". If the tailings are misused as construction materials -- which has occurred in other places -- people can be exposed to contaminated air in affected buildings. Contaminants can also enter the atmosphere on the wind, mixing with the air we breathe. Near tailings piles, people can be exposed to gamma radiation. Finally, wind, water or leaching can carry particles from the tailings into groundwater and surface water. An EPA report states, "Water is perhaps the most significant means of dispersal of uranium and related... [radioactive materials] in the environment from mines and mine wastes....Uranium is very soluble in acidic and alkaline waters and can be transported easily from a mine site."

The City of Virginia Beach, which draws its water from Lake Gaston, downstream of the Coles Hill deposit, commissioned a study modeling the consequences if a containment dam at the proposed mine should fail. The study found that, in that event:

Radioactivity in the city's drinking water source would rise to 10 to 20 times the regulatory safe limit.
Radioactive materials could take between a few months and two years to flush downstream from Lake Gaston.
Plants and sediments in the Kerr Reservoir, upstream of Lake Gaston, would serve as a long-term trap for radioactivity, which could re-suspend in the water during high flows.
Because of the risks posed by such an event, in May, American Rivers listed the Roanoke River in southern Virginia, which flows into Albemarle Sound and enters the ocean at North Carolina's Outer Banks, as one of the most endangered rivers in America.

Who gains? Who loses?

"Everything else being even, which one would you pick, if you were the businessman or businesswoman?" asks Andrew Lester of the Roanoke River Basin Association. "Would you pick the community that has the potential for uranium mining pollution -- or would you pick the one that doesn't?"

Virginia Uranium, Inc. portrays tapping the vast deposit near Danville as an economic gain -- but many people see uranium mining as a threat that could devastate existing industries.

In a short video called Saving a River's Legacy, which PEC co-produced with the Southern Environmental Law Center, people near the Coles Hill mine site talk about what they stand to lose -- their health, their homes, and their livelihoods.

Clearly, Virginia Uranium, Inc. has a great deal to gain.

A push to end the ban this year

Four years ago, mining speculators convinced state lawmakers to study the possibility of ending the ban on uranium mining. Since then, PEC has been forwarding data, research and expert advice to the National Research Council, which is conducting a study on potential health and environmental risks. Throughout this process, it has been evident that the research and science on the risks of uranium mining are woefully insufficient, and have barely advanced since the 1980's. Although the studies will not be complete until December of 2011, Virginia Uranium, Inc. has already stated that it is seeking to end Virginia's ban on uranium mining during the 2012 General Assembly session, next winter.

PEC has asked backers of uranium mining to identify five places where it has been done safely, in comparable climates. They have answered with one place: uranium has been mined under humid conditions in France.

We don't want the soils and plants of Virginia to be classifiable as radioactive waste. In the coming year, we will face a major push to open up Virginia to uranium mining, and we need to push back, getting citizens, businesses and communities across the state to send a message to our lawmakers: The risks of uranium mining here are too high.

Keep the moratorium in place, to keep Virginians safe.

Extensive resources on uranium mining in Virginia, including links to the source documents referenced in this article, are available at www.pecva.org/uranium
http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,758,0,44,html/Summer-2011-Piedmont-View

Meeting: PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

REGULAR MEETING:  PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Date and Time:  TUESllAY JULY 5 2011, 700PM

Location:  GENERAL DISTRICT COURTKOOM/ EDWIN R SHIELllS COURTHOUSE AllDITION

Chatham, VA

Agenda:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=130d7fa2cd2b2816&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3D87aab9e94c%26view%3Datt%26th%3D130d7fa2cd2b2816%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSNX67irN57ZSuGlAAhrRyFUBnHkg

Happy 4th July - Stay Safe

 

Just Words Declared Our Freedom Long Ago

Just words declared our freedom long ago,

Untouched by time, untenanted by will,

Leaning to the winds that eastward blow,

Yearning for their independence still.

There was no truth in them, not even then,

Harbingers of hope long since betrayed,

Ever the disguise of gentlemen,

Fashion for a yearly masquerade.

O judge them harshly, for they are but lies,

Unworthy of the dream that gave them birth!

Regard not their pretensions, but their ties

To those who would be lords upon the earth,

Hard souls as ever mouthing freedom's cries.

http://www.poemsforfree.com/justwo.html

Tuesday, July 5th it is important for you to attend the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting @ 7 PM.

Comments:  Enjoy your 4th of July...then help us keep our independence from unnecessary fouling of air, water and agricultural heritage by uranium mining and milling in VA.

Any and everything you do to insure the continued ban on uranium mining in Virginia is important. Every meeting you attend is an opportunity to show that support.

On Tuesday, July 5th it is important for you to attend the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting @ 7 PM.

It does not matter if you are a resident of Danville, Floyd Co., South Boston or Charlottesville. You need to be counted. Tom Leahy will address the BOS regarding the "Virginia Beach" study which raised awareness as to potential impacts uranium mining could have on the Roanoke River watershed.
 

At the BOS meeting 2 weeks ago, Supervisor Ecker's motion for a resolution aimed at DEQ and DMME to get baseline data on citizen's wells prior to drilling additional core samples died for lack of a second. Hence, no discussion ensued. With the exception of Mr. Ecker, the BOS basically "blew off" yet another opportunity to protect its citizens. Pittsylvania Co. is ground zero. Why do these elected officials remain mute? We're only left to guess.

If these Supervisors do not see you supporting the continued ban, it makes it easier for them to do nothing and allow it to be lifted. Please come, show support for Mr. Leahy and the one dedicated supervisor left on the Pittsylvania Co. BOS, on Tuesday night. Encourage your family, friends, church members and organizations to attend.

REGULAR MEETING:  PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Date and Time:  TUESllAY JULY 5 2011, 700PM

Location:  GENERAL DISTRICT COURTKOOM/ EDWIN R SHIELllS COURTHOUSE AllDITION

Chatham, VA

Agenda:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=130d7fa2cd2b2816&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3D87aab9e94c%26view%3Datt%26th%3D130d7fa2cd2b2816%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSNX67irN57ZSuGlAAhrRyFUBnHkg

NEW: Home Efficiency Rebate Program To Open on June 20, 2011

NEW: Home Efficiency Rebate Program To Open on June 20, 2011

Summary: Because of unclaimed and unreserved funds remaining from the first two rounds of the Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, approximately $5 million will be available for a new Virginia Home Efficiency Rebate Program to make existing homes more energy efficient. Energy efficiency improvements include upgrading certain heating equipment, adding insulation, replacing leaky windows, and making other improvements to existing homes that reduce energy consumption and utility costs. Under this new program, homeowners will be eligible to reserve funds for rebates for 20 percent of the costs of qualifying energy conserving products and services, up to $595. Energy audits will be rebated for the cost of the audit, up to $250.

The application process for the home efficiency rebates will be opened at 12 noon on June 20, 2011. We will accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis until the funding has been reserved. A waiting list will also be created, and applicants will be placed on that list in the order in which they are received. As approved rebates are redeemed and paid, additional funds from unclaimed rebates will allow us to approve requests on the wait list over the next few months.

Energy efficient equipment and items purchased and installed on or after March 26, 2010 will be eligible for the rebate if they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Rebates will be calculated at 20% of the documented cost* of the following eligible project items, up to $595 per residential property address:

1.Oil furnace
2.Gas, propane or oil hot water boiler
3.Insulation and air sealing
4.Replacement windows and exterior doors
5.Storm doors
An energy audit will be rebated for the cost of the audit, up to $250.

* “Documented Cost” includes the price of the item or system, sales tax if charged, and any delivery, materials and labor costs if a contractor installs the item. Labor provided by the applicant is not an eligible cost.
The total rebate amount available will be capped at $595 to remain under the federal income tax reporting threshold of $600 and to avoid any concerns about the taxability of the rebate.

This rebate is available to Virginia homeowners only. We are not offering rebates to commercial facilities under this program. Homeowners must purchase their energy efficiency products and systems from a Virginia retailer or vendor, or a contractor with a license to do business in Virginia.

Virginia homeowners will have 60 days to complete their projects once their reservation is approved. Up to 30-day extensions may be available if needed by contacting DMME staff and documenting the need for the extension.

If you received a rebate for specific equipment and items under the previous Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, you cannot apply for a rebate for the same equipment or item under the new Home Efficiency Rebate Program. However, if for example, you previously received a rebate for 10 windows, and want to install 4 more windows purchased after March 26, 2010, you can apply for a rebate for the additional windows that were not included in the previous rebate.

There are two additional rebate programs managed by the Commonwealth that may be of interest to Virginia residents:

•Applicants interested in installing geothermal heat pumps can apply for a rebate for that item for 20% of the cost up to $2,000 under the Geothermal Heat Pump Rebate Program. Click Here to Apply. Geothermal heat pump applicants will have 60 days to complete their project from the date of reservation approval, with 30-day extensions available if needed and documented.
•Other items not included in the Home Efficiency Rebate Program are available for rebate under the state’s Appliance Rebate Program. These items include central air conditioners, heat pumps, gas/propane furnaces, tankless or storage gas/propane water heaters, electric heat pump water heaters, clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and room air conditioners. Go to https://epm.virginiainteractive.org/eeappliancerebate/ to apply for a rebate for one or more of those items under our Appliance Rebate Program if the items meet that program’s eligibility requirements.

Click here to reserve, check status or modify, or redeem a rebate: https://epm.virginiainteractive.org/HERebate