Meeting: Experts are being brought in to discuss Water and Uranium Mining and everyone is invited!

Dear Editor,

Water, we all take it for granted!  We turn on the tap and it flows freely.

 We have all experienced droughts when the towns and cities set forth restrictions; we that use well water pay attention and conserve our "free well water" by not washing our cars or watering our gardens and conserve otherwise as much as possible.  At other times we don't restrict our use, but wash dishes, clothes, fill our swimming pools, turn on the water sprinklers, take long showers etc, not giving much thought as to where our water comes from.

I heard Professor Bodnar of Virginia Tech make the statement something like "those people just don't understand, when the mining starts the water will rush into the mine, he said when you dig a hole, the water will run into the hole" trying to calm our fears of possible contaminated water spreading to local surrounding drinking water wells.

If the water runs into the "mining hole", how will that affect the surrounding surface and ground water of drinking water wells, streams, springs or ponds etc. 

Will 20 to 30 years of mining dry up surrounding water supplies especially in drought times?  If we dug new wells would there be any water there or would we be digging another dry hole? Who is responsible?  Would we be compensated by anyone? What would our homes/farms be worth without water?


Experts are being brought in to discuss Water and Uranium Mining and everyone is invited!


The experts who each have over 30 years of experience in uranium mining and who will not benefit if we get mined or not!

There are 2 events are on Saturday. November 5th.

You may attend the morning or afternoon event or both if you have the time. 9:00-2:00 at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, 150 Slayton Av, Danville (sponsored by Roanoke River Basin Association

The afternoon event from 1:00-5:00 at White Grove Outreach Center, 1461 Dry Fork Road, Dry Fork, VA  24549 (sponsored by Life, Inc.). 

If you value your water I encourage you to come out and learn! 

I hope to see you there at these very important events!

Deborah Lovelace, President.
Life, Inc.

Green Halloween treats and treasures

Top Green Halloween Tips

1. Skip the plastic costumesIf you're trying to be the most realistic pirate, superhero, or, um, mustard bottle at this year's bash, then a cheap, store-bought costume is the way to go?though the hidden dangers and environmental impact should outweigh even the most enthusiastic compliments from other party-goers. Watch out for the soft vinyl--similar to shower curtain material--in many mass-produced costumes: that's likely polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which releases dangerous chemicals. Not exactly something you want covering your face (or your child's)--plus, it can't be recycled.
2. Get creative at home
   So what to do instead? With a little planning and creativity, even the least handy DIYers can put together a costume with items they have at home?--try stringing old ping pong balls for Wilma Flintstone's classic necklace, or bending old wire hangers into butterfly wings. Scour your closets (and your friends', and neighbors', and local thrift stores) for flashback fashions you can pair up, trim down, sew together, or dye (naturally, of course).
3. Face facts
   You just won't look like Marilyn Monroe without red lipstick, or turn into a zombie prom queen without plenty of eyeshadow. But do choose organic, natural makeup for your transformation, and avoid the mercury, pthalates, parabens, and fragrances that come standard in most big-name brands. You can make your own, find an organic retailer, or special-order vegan makeup for exactly the right shade. The same goes for hair dye--eco-friendly brands let you rest easy when you see it all going down the drain (aka, back into the water supply), but don't underestimate old-fashioned techniques, like a handful of baby powder for a junior Albert Einstein. Check out our guide for How to Go Green: Women's Personal Care, for more makeup details.

Read more:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/how-to-go-green-halloween.php


 

Danville Home$ave program helping cut energy costs

By: Denice Thibodeau

Danville Utilities’ Home$ave program is up and running, and saving customers money through its new rebate program, according to a report on the program’s progress presented to the Danville Utility Commission on Monday.

Jim Herndon, of Nexant — the company hired to set up and administer the program — reported that customers have begun purchasing more energy efficient clothes washers, refrigerators, air conditioning systems, heat pumps and water heaters and applying for the rebates from the program.

Replacing a residential clothes washer with an Energy Star rated one brings customers a $50 rebate, and a promise of saving 224 kilowatts per year on their power bill. With electricity being billed at about 10.4 cents per kilowatt, that saves the customer an additional $23 per year.

Installing an energy-efficient water heater can earn customers a rebate of $100 and a savings of about 2,662 kilowatts per year — almost $277 annually.

There are also rebates available for installing insulation in attics and having a home’s heat and air system tuned up.

The group is also working on setting up a rebate for purchasing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Herndon said Nexant is working with local stores to make the rebates automatic at purchase, and the store applying for the rebate from Danville Utilities.

“We hope to have that up in November,” Herndon said.

The cost of the rebate program is being funded by diverting one-tenth of a cent from every kilowatt hour billed by Danville Utilities to the program, a plan approved by the Utility Commission and Danville City Council earlier this year.

Since the program launched about two months ago, 35 rebate checks have been sent out, Herndon said, and others are being processed.

So far, the most popular rebate has been for Energy Star clothes washers, with 12 rebates issued, closely following by Energy Star refrigerators, with 10 rebates issued. Other rebates have been for attic insulation, high efficiency air source heat pumps, high efficiency central air conditioners and HVAC tune ups.

Details of the program, with all forms necessary to apply for rebates, are available at www.danvillehomesave.com


Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/sep/26/danville-homeave-program-helping-cut-energy-costs-ar-1338901/

Meeting: LIFE, Inc: Nov. 5 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Experts will assess the potential for radioactive contamination in wastersheds from a proposed uranium mine in Pittsylvania County

Dry Fork, VA - The League of Individuals for the Environment, a nonprofit organization based in Gretna, VA will host Dr. Robert Moran and William "Paul" Robinson as speakers at an event on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the White Grove Outreach Center located at 1461 Dry Fork Road., Dry Fork, in Pittsylvania County.

The guests will speak on the potential for radioactive contamination in Virginia's watersheds that may result from Virginia Uranium, Inc.'s proposal to mine and mill uranium at Coles Hill, Va.


Dr. Moran has more than 39 years' experience conducting and managing water quality, geochemical and hydrogeologic projects for private investors, industrial clients, tribal and citizen groups, law firms, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies both in the U.S. and internationally. His work has focused largely on the quality and geochemistry of natural and contaminated waters and sediments related to mining, nuclear fuel cycle sites, industrial development, geothermal resources, hazardous wastes, and water supply development. Dr. Moran received his PhD in geological sciences from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1974.

Robinson, a native of Harrisonburg, Va., is Research Director at Southwest Research and Information Center, Albuquerque, N.M. Robinson has performed technical analysis and provided education and testimony related to uranium mines, mills, and uranium policy throughout his 35-year career. He has an MA in community and regional planning from University of New Mexico and a BA from the Technology Assessment Program at Washington University. He has served as a technical expert in regulatory proceedings since 1979 for uranium facilities including: White Mesa uranium mill in UT; Crow Butte in situ uranium mine in Nebraska; Pitch Project in Colorado; Gulf - Mt. Taylor uranium mills in New Mexico; and Vane Minerals Exploration Plan in Arizona.

http://smithmountaineagle.com/articles/2011/10/27/news/a%20a%20amining.txt

Uranium: The Deadliest Metal

by Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of CCNR
This article appeared in Perception magazine, v. 10 n. 2, 1992

Fallout from Uranium Mines

In addition to killing uranium miners and those living in contaminated homes, each uranium mine is, in effect, a "slow bomb" -- spreading deadly radioactive poisons over vast areas of the earth, as surely as the Chernobyl disaster did, as surely as atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons have done, but at an insidiously slower rate. Radon gas can travel a thousand miles in just a few days, with a light breeze. As it travels low to the ground (it is much heavier than air) it deposits its "daughters" -- solid radioactive fallout -- on the vegetation, soil and water below; the resulting radioactive materials enter the food chain, ending up in fruits and berries, the flesh of fish and animals, and ultimately, in the bodies of human beings.

On February 25, 1986, the Wall Street Journal printed a front page story that portrayed the 220 million tons of uranium tailings in the U.S. as an ecological and financial time bomb. (In Canada, we have about 150 million tons of such tailings.) Everyone agrees that these materials are too dangerously radioactive to leave on the surface of the earth, yet no one has devised a satisfactory method for permanently containing them. Even at a very modest rate, say $10 per ton, it will cost billions of dollars to dispose of these wastes.

Uncontained in Time and Space

The tailings will remain dangerously radioactive for millions of years. Thorium- 230, itself a by-product of uranium, is an alpha-emitter with a half-life of almost 80,000 years.

It continually replenishes all the other radioactive by-products of uranium in the abandoned tailings piles.

Radium-226, a bone-seeking alpha-emitting carcinogen which is at least 20 times as harmful as strontium-90, is blown in the wind, washed by the rain, and leached into the waterways from the tailings piles, where it re-concentrates by factors of thousands in aquatic plants and by factors of hundreds in land plants. It has a half-life of 1,600 years.

When the levels of radium increased in Canadian rivers as a result of uranium mining activities, the nuclear establishment obligingly increased the standard for an "acceptable level" of radium in drinking water by a factor of nine.

(The B.C. Medical Association refers to radium as a "superb carcinogen." It is known to have killed many of the women who patriotically painted radium on the dials of military instruments during World War II so that the readings would glow in the darkness of a cockpit or battlefield.)

In addition, the radon gas emissions from abandoned tailings can cause radioactive contamination on a continental and even on a global basis. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has estimated that radon emissions from uranium tailings in the Southwest U.S. can be expected to cause over 3,000 cancer deaths per century over the North American continent. Many researchers believe that this death toll is underestimated by at least a factor of ten, even if we ignore the fallout of solid radon daughters on leafy vegetation as the radon gas passes overhead, and even if we assume that the tailings are not blown by the wind, washed by the rain, or spread through the food chain, thereby distributing the source of contamination over a much wider area.

Read more:
http://www.ccnr.org/uranium_deadliest.html

Symposium rallies uranium mining moratorium support

Written by Doug Ford
08:05 am 10/17/11

The feelings of those attending the uranium symposium Friday night at Halifax County High School could best be summed up by Delegate James Edmunds, who drew loud applause when saying the decision Virginia legislators make on whether to lift the 30-year moratorium on uranium mining would be “the most important decision ever made by the General Assembly.”

Halifax Town Council joined with members of the Keep the Ban coalition to host the two-hour symposium, with speakers urging the general public to get involved in keeping the moratorium, citing issues of public health, agriculture, tourism and general quality of life.

Virginia Uranium Inc. has proposed a uranium mining and milling operation at the Coles Hill deposit near Sheva in Pittsylvania County, and the Virginia General Assembly is set to debate lifting the moratorium in its upcoming session.

At the heart of opponents’ concerns are the on-site storage of “tailings,” the remnants of uranium mining, which can be washed downstream in the event of a mill tailing confinement cell failure due to direct impact on mining facilities by a catastrophic storm event, according to a study for the Banister River Watershed.

The Banister River, part of the Roanoke River Basin, flows through the Town of Halifax, approximately 20 miles downriver from the Coles Hill site.

Conversion and enrichment of uranium ore will be done out of state and sold on the international market with the waste stored in-state, an extremely risky proposition considering Virginia’s weather extremes, indicated Mary Rafferty, grassroots organizing manager of the Virginia Sierra Club.

The benefits of a uranium mine at Coles Hill are far outweighed by the potential hazards, all the speakers agreed.

Radon, a radioactive component of the tailings, can travel long distances if released, and radon exposure in individual homes causes 20,000 lung cancer deaths annually, Lester added.

The United States currently has eight operating uranium mines that employ approximately 400 persons, but the government currently has more uranium than it needs, said Lester in questioning the need for the urgency in mining at Coles Hill.

“We risk losing any edge we have of bringing in new industry,” explained Lester.

“A cloud will also be over our area,” added Lester, citing uranium mining as an unreasonable risk due to lack of experience of those involved with the project in Virginia.


Read more:
http://www.gazettevirginian.com/index.php/news/34-news/4200-symposium-rallies-mining-moratorium-support-

Canada's Uranium Mining Info

Protecting Water

Nov 29, 2010

Because lakes and rivers are fish habitat, they are protected by the Fisheries Act.

This Act is Canada’s oldest environmental legislation and prohibits the release of “deleterious substances” into fish-bearing waters and the alteration or destruction of fish habitat.

However, in 2002, Schedule 2 was added to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation (Schedule 1 lists the regulation's "Authorized Officers").

Schedule 2 essentially allows for re-classifying any natural water body that gets listed on it as a “tailings impoundment area.”

Once a lake or river gets listed, it is no longer considered a natural water body and no longer protected by the Fisheries Act.

A mining company can use then it as a dumping ground for millions of tonnes of tailings and waste rock.

Read more:
http://www.miningwatch.ca/protecting-water

Uranium Mining: Keep the Ban

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.

Sign Our Petition Today, click here to sign:

http://keeptheban.org/?page_id=237

I'll Take My Water Un-leaded

 

Posted: 10/14/11 04:38 PM ET

You've been drinking tap water your whole life and you're fine, right? Well maybe. Did you know that your crystal clear tap water may contain perchlorate (rocket fuel!), arsenic, endocrine disruptors and even pharmaceutical residues? With any contaminant, there are two kinds of possible effects: acute and chronic. Most of us, thank goodness, don't get sick right away when we drink tap water. But it's the long-term effects of very small amounts of contaminants that are troubling.

There's Lead in My Water?

We know it's toxic. It was banned from paint years ago and from toys more recently. And it's regulated by the EPA in water too, but the problem is that lead doesn't usually come from the water source itself. Rather, it enters your drinking water through the plumbing system. The EPA lists health risks for children as delays in physical or mental development with slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. In adults, they identify kidney problems and high blood pressure. Can you imagine how many Americans are taking blood pressure medications when the cause may be related to the water they're drinking?

Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sloan-barnett/lead-tap-water_b_1009122.html?ref=healthy-living-health-news

The Uranium Mining Debate Heats Up

Public Radio Debate on 89.1FM, Events throughout the Month

Listen in as PEC President Chris Miller debates Patrick Wales of Virginia Uranium on Tuesday at 7:30pm on 89.1FM.

Do Virginians want to experiment with mining and milling uranium? That's the question our General Assembly is expected to answer this coming winter. Before voting, they'll have to weigh the risks of radioactive contamination to our air and drinking water, and the associated risks to human health and the environment (as well as cleanup costs), against the potential financial benefits.

Tomorrow night, Oct. 25th, I'm set to debate Patrick Wales of Virginia Uranium, Inc. on Virginia Public Radio's Evening Edition, from 7:30-8:30pm on 89.1FM regarding the pros and cons of uranium mining in the Commonwealth. Be sure to tune in if you get the station, or check the 89.1FM website!

Learn More at Upcoming Forums and Events

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and other organizations throughout Virginia are also hosting a series of public events on uranium mining. We encourage you to attend one these events to learn more:

• Oct 26: Community Meeting in Middleburg

  (Loudoun) Join PEC, the Goose Creek Association, and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters for a meeting about VA's moratorium on uranium mining. Attendance is free and open to the public.
  

• Nov 3: Uranium-- What Should Virginia Do?

  (Richmond) Come to this Public Education Forum, hosted by The Garden Club of Virginia, to learn more about the potentional for uranium mining in our state and the associated health and environmental risks. The forum will feature multiple speakers and panelists as well as open discussion. This is an all day event and is $40 per person for the general public (includes lunch).

• Nov 10: Uranium Mines Here?

  (Fauquier) Bring your lunch and join the Warrenton Garden Club and PEC for a discussion about whether Fauquier County should be concerned if Virginia ends the 30-year-old moratorium on uranium mining. The event is free of charge, open to the public, and the Warrenton Garden Club will be providing drinks and desserts.

• Nov 11: Uranium Mining in VA-- Should we end the moratorium?

  (Loudoun) Join Sustainable Loudoun and PEC for an informative forum concerning the moratorium currently in place in Virginia. A panel of experts will be speaking about what is at stake; particularly concerning our health and the health of our environment.

• Nov 16: Keep the Ban!

  (Charlottesville) Mary Rafferty, Grassroots Organizing Manager of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, will be the featured speaker at this talk about the risks associated with uranium mining and milling. The event will take place at 7pm at St. Mark Lutheran Church.

Background Information

Watch our uranium video to learn more. (Directed by Cat McCue of The Southern Environmental Law Center and produced by Katherine Vance of The Piedmont Environmental Council)

In the 1970s mining companies located a deposit of uranium in Pittsylvania County. Leading into the 1980s, those same companies filed mining leases on thousands of acres of land in Virginia --including land in Fauquier, Orange, Culpeper and Madison. They also started a push for the General Assembly to set up rules to allow uranium mining in the Commonwealth.

In response, the Commonwealth undertook an extensive study of uranium mining. The results of this study led the General Assembly and Governor to decide it was not in the best interest of the citizens to allow uranium mining in the state of Virginia.

Today, however, a new corporation called Virginia Uranium, Inc., is trying to have the 30-year-old ban on uranium mining lifted. Although the primary focus on the uranium debate has been on the Coles Hill site in Pittsylvania County, most of Virginia's population could be impacted by uranium mining, especially those areas downstream or downwind of mining sites.

---

Wind and waterborne pollution have always been at the center of our concern. Pollution doesn't respect property lines or state or national borders. And when the pollution in question can persist for tens of thousands of years, and the impact of exposure to it can be so devastating, our efforts to prevent the spread of pollution should be even more vigilant.

If you'd like to learn more, PEC has extensive resources on uranium mining in Virginia available at www.pecva.org/uranium. You can also sign the Petition to Keep the Ban.

Sincerely,

Chris Miller, President
The Piedmont Environmental Council
cmiller@pecva.org

Uranium Mining Info

Health Risks

Uranium mining and processing produce waste material commonly referred to as “tailings” would put the health of Southside Virginia and downstream communities at risk. This toxic waste retains significant amounts of uranium as well as by-products, such as radium and thorium, heavy metals including lead, arsenic, and mercury, and other toxic materials.
-
While independent researchers continue to determine the full effects, studies have linked exposure to uranium waste to negative impacts on human health1.
■Exposure to uranium has been linked to cancer and respiratory diseases and can exert toxic effects on kidney function, bone development, and the formation of blood cells2.
■The radioactive chemical element radium is found in uranium waste. Radium decays into the radioactive gas radon, which is difficult to contain. If ingested, it may increase the risk for bone, liver, lung and breast cancer1.
■African Americans may be more vulnerable to the biological effects of uranium. African American women in particular have shown an increased risk for breast cancer due to elevated uranium concentration in groundwater3.
■Babies from mothers who had prolonged exposure to uranium tailings waste in Church Rock, New Mexico, suffered a significant increase in birth defects4.

A failure of the waste storage facility could result in the contamination of local groundwater sources and downstream drinking water sources for over 1.9 million people in Halifax, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and North Carolina 1.

References:
1. Michael Baker, Jr., Engineers Inc. “Uranium Mining in Virginia – Can Downstream Drinking Water Source be Impacted?” Mar. 2010.
2. Wagner, Sara E., et al. “Hypertension and Hematologic Parameters in a Community near a Uranium Processing Facility.” Environmental Research 110 (2010): 786-97.
3. Wagner, Sara E et al. “Groundwater Uranium and Cancer Incidence in South Carolina.” Cancer Causes Control 22 (2011): 41-50
4. Shields, L. M et al. “Navajo Birth Outcomes in the Shiprock Uranium Mining Area.” Health Physics 63.5 (1992): 542-51

Read more:
http://keeptheban.org/?page_id=26

Virginia’s Wet Weather Makes Mining a Risky Experiment

Downstream Impacts

Virginia’s Wet Weather Makes Mining a Risky Experiment. On February 1, 2011, the Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities released the findings of a uranium mining impact study concluding Virginia Beach’s drinking water is at risk. Pittsylvania County is vulnerable to extreme rainfall events capable of generating substantial flooding. Such events could cause the failure of uranium waste containment structures and result in the contamination of the downstream drinking water supplies for Virginia Beach and other Virginia and North Carolina communities.

Virginia and North Carolina Drinking Water Supplies Are At Risk.

The Virginia Beach study shows that if a major waste spill occurred, contaminates would flow from the Bannister River to Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston. This would raise the radiation level in Kerr Reservoir 10-20 times above the level outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act. Radioactive contaminants would take two months to two years to flush out of Lake Gaston. Impacts to Kerr Reservoir would be much more significant and long lasting.

Kerr Reservoir is the primary drinking water source for Halifax County, Clarksville, Mecklenburg and Brunswick Counties, as well as downstream communities in North Carolina. Lake Gaston is the drinking water source for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake City.

Read more:
http://keeptheban.org/?page_id=28

Symposium rallies uranium mining moratorium support

Written by Doug Ford
08:05 am 10/17/11

The feelings of those attending the uranium symposium Friday night at Halifax County High School could best be summed up by Delegate James Edmunds, who drew loud applause when saying the decision Virginia legislators make on whether to lift the 30-year moratorium on uranium mining would be “the most important decision ever made by the General Assembly.”

Halifax Town Council joined with members of the Keep the Ban coalition to host the two-hour symposium, with speakers urging the general public to get involved in keeping the moratorium, citing issues of public health, agriculture, tourism and general quality of life.

Virginia Uranium Inc. has proposed a uranium mining and milling operation at the Coles Hill deposit near Sheva in Pittsylvania County, and the Virginia General Assembly is set to debate lifting the moratorium in its upcoming session.

At the heart of opponents’ concerns are the on-site storage of “tailings,” the remnants of uranium mining, which can be washed downstream in the event of a mill tailing confinement cell failure due to direct impact on mining facilities by a catastrophic storm event, according to a study for the Banister River Watershed.

The Banister River, part of the Roanoke River Basin, flows through the Town of Halifax, approximately 20 miles downriver from the Coles Hill site.

Conversion and enrichment of uranium ore will be done out of state and sold on the international market with the waste stored in-state, an extremely risky proposition considering Virginia’s weather extremes, indicated Mary Rafferty, grassroots organizing manager of the Virginia Sierra Club.

The benefits of a uranium mine at Coles Hill are far outweighed by the potential hazards, all the speakers agreed.

Radon, a radioactive component of the tailings, can travel long distances if released, and radon exposure in individual homes causes 20,000 lung cancer deaths annually, Lester added.

The United States currently has eight operating uranium mines that employ approximately 400 persons, but the government currently has more uranium than it needs, said Lester in questioning the need for the urgency in mining at Coles Hill.

“We risk losing any edge we have of bringing in new industry,” explained Lester.

“A cloud will also be over our area,” added Lester, citing uranium mining as an unreasonable risk due to lack of experience of those involved with the project in Virginia.


Read more:
http://www.gazettevirginian.com/index.php/news/34-news/4200-symposium-rallies-mining-moratorium-support-

Governor McDonnell Announces Virginia Lands Nation's First Wind Turbine Test and Certification Facility

Subject: Governor McDonnell Announces Virginia Lands Nation's First Wind Turbine Test and Certification Facility


Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Bob McDonnell


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2011

Office of the Governor
Contact: Jeff Caldwell
Phone: (804) 225-4260
Email: Jeff.Caldwell@Governor.Virginia.Gov

Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Contact: Suzanne West
Phone: (804) 545-5806
Email: Swest@yesvirginia.org


Governor McDonnell Announces Virginia Lands Nation’s First Wind Turbine Test and Certification

Facility First Such Facility in United States Will Help With Growing Need for Test and Certification Facilities Worldwide

Project Will Create 25 Direct Jobs in First Two Years; Continues Establishing Virginia as Global Leader in Wind Energy Development

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that Virginia has landed a collaborative project to establish a facility for the testing and certification of large offshore and land-based electricity-producing wind turbines. The project, called Poseidon Atlantic, will be the first such facility in the United States and will help fill a growing need globally for facilities that test and certify wind turbines. The initial phase of the project is to be developed on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in Northampton County.

The Poseidon Atlantic project is a private-sector initiative developed by the companies Real NewEnergy, Fugro and Ecofys, with the support of the Commonwealth, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) and the Netherlands government. The proposed facility is intended for full-service testing and certification of existing-and-next generation land-based and offshore wind turbine generators. The project will create 25 direct new jobs within two years. The growth of the offshore wind sector and all of its associated jobs over the long-term could result in major and sustained new job and new industry creation potential over an extended number of years in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.
                 
Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced the project at a dinner for potential stakeholders on October 12.
                 
Speaking about the announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “The Poseidon Atlantic project will be the first facility of its kind in the United States. It will also be  transformational for the future development of offshore wind technology, as there is currently a worldwide lack of facilities that are suitable for full-service certification testing of offshore wind turbine technology. October is Energy Month in Virginia, and this project demonstrates the tremendous progress that we are seeing in our effort to make the Commonwealth the "Energy Capital of the East Coast." The building of this wind energy test facility in Northampton County will further Virginia’s growing leadership role in the global wind energy industry, while creating good paying jobs for our citizens at the same time.”
           
“The Poseidon Atlantic project has huge potential for Virginia.  If this industry takes root and matures, we could create thousands of new jobs in manufacturing, construction, logistics, operations and maintenance activities,” Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling said. “Many of these jobs are skilled positions with very competitive wages and benefits, and they would produce a sustained and long term economic benefit for Virginia.”

Poseidon Atlantic LLC is a joint-venture between U.S.-based Real NewEnergy and Ecofys, a subsidiary of the Dutch utility, Eneco. Real NewEnergy is a renewable energy technology firm formed to introduce and leverage Dutch renewable energy experience and capabilities in the U.S. Ecofys is the leading sustainable energy consulting firm in the Netherlands and currently operates the largest wind turbine test-and-certification facility in Europe.

The Norfolk office of Dutch-based Fugro will provide engineering services associated with site location and development of the proposed test center. Founded in 1962, Fugro is the world’s leading collector, processor, and interpreter of data related to the earth's surface, subsurface and waters, and provides advice based on the results to clients in many business sectors.  In this capacity, Fugro has been a key partner in the development of more than 100 installed and proposed European offshore wind projects, and has been a key supporter for the development of an offshore wind industry in the U.S. 

“The Poseidon Atlantic project perfectly illustrates the shared commitment between the Netherlands and Virginia to harness the power of wind energy. The potential long-term job creation from this initiative will build on the nearly 19,000 Virginia jobs already supported by our economic ties with Virginia,” said Dutch Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos.
           
The development of the commercial wind turbine test center in coastal Virginia would capitalize on the unique maritime advantages provided by The Port of Virginia. Hampton Roads is well-positioned to provide marine construction, fabrication and supply-chain support to the offshore wind industry.

“No other harbor along the East Coast provides the breadth of capabilities and assets that will be required as the U.S.’s energy portfolio diversifies to include offshore wind,” said Jeff Keever, the VPA’s senior deputy executive director. “We are excited that Real NewEnergy and Ecofys have chosen our area to be the location of the first U.S. test and certification center for offshore wind turbine generators.”
           
“Northampton County is extremely excited with the prospect of being the home to the Poseidon Atlantic turbine test facility,” said Willie Randall, chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors. “We look forward to doing our part to help the Commonwealth and the nation explore alternative energy sources. Evidence of our support for this project can be seen in the wind ordinance that was passed by the Board of Supervisors as proof of our commitment to economic growth and innovation.”

3.0 aftershock recorded as Louisa tallies quake loss

 

 

By: Times-Dispatch Staff
Published: October 12, 2011
Updated: October 12, 2011 - 3:44 PM

2:30 p.m.

After today's 3.0 aftershock in Louisa County, two public schools were evacuated for about 10 minutes, said Jaclyn O'Laughlin, the district’s public information specialist.

Louisa County High School students attending classes in the Louisa County Middle School followed drills to drop, cover and hold.

When the tremor subsided the students evacuated the building while school administrators checked for damage, O’Laughlin said. The high school closed after the Aug. 23 5.8 earthquake because of the extent of damage to the building. The high school and middle school use the building on alternating days.

Moss-Nuckols Elementary School was also briefly evacuated.

There have 42 aftershocks since the original quake, including two of 4.0 or higher.

Read more"
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/oct/12/8/louisa-says-federal-rejection-disaster-aid-will-co-ar-1378561/?sc_cid=RTD-BNEWS-Breaking

Va. Beach seeks uranium ban through 2013

11 October 2011 | 9:35 PM
Julian Walker

Concerned a proposed uranium mining operation could taint the city's water supply, ranking Virginia Beach officials want the state to maintain an existing moratorium on that activity for at least another year.

In a letter this week, the city's water task force asked Mayor Will Sessoms and City Council to urge the General Assembly to keep Virginia's longstanding mining ban in place until at least 2013 and to likewise delay related regulatory action.

The move is hardly surprising given that city officials are already on record opposing mining until they're satisfied it won't threaten Lake Gaston, a key drinking water source.

Some studies have said flooding near the mine could wash radioactive contaminants into tributaries that feed Gaston, though a pro-mining analysis concluded that is highly unlikely.

Read more:
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/va-beach-seeks-uranium-ban-through-2013

Washington Monument closed indefinitely

By Michael E. Ruane, Published: September 26

The National Park Service said Monday that the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely and that the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August had done more damage to it than had been previously disclosed.

Officials said a “debris field,” made up mostly of mortar that had fallen during the quake, had been found at the base and that more substantial pieces of stone had fallen loose inside the monument.

The Park Service posted a video on its Web site taken from a security camera in the observation deck near the top during the quake. It shows debris falling from the ceiling, the entire structure shaking violently, and terrified visitors falling and running for safety.

Mall superintendent Bob Vogel said there were no injuries.

In addition, officials said, the elevator was damaged, possibly by its counterweights, and would need to be repaired. Vogel said the elevator was only partly functional.

Read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-monuments-elevator-damaged-in-earthquake/2011/09/26/gIQA55wazK_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

$3.4 million settlement handed down to VA landowners for unpaid royalties

Daniel Carawan
Richmond Progressive Examiner
October 6, 2011

In a win for Virginia landowners who were wrongfully denied royalties stemming from coalbed methane, over 1,800 southwest Virginia landowners will divide up $3.4 million resulting from their settlement with Chesapeake Appalachia, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corp.

The class-action lawsuit settlement was handed down on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge James P. Jones.

The landowners will only be seeing a fraction of the $3.4 million that is to be divided among the group. Close to $1.1 million will be deducted in attorney fees and another $67, 500 in expenses will be deducted as well.

Similar class-action lawsuits involving CNX Gas Co. and EQT Production Co. are also pending in VA.

These lawsuits illustrate one more reason why the public should not take energy companies at their word when they claim, for instance, that hydraulic fracturing is “safe” or that uranium mining won’t present a dire risk to human health.

If Virginian’s are wary of claims made by Chesapeake Energy Corp. or Virginia Uranium Inc., for example, then these energy companies have only themselves to blame.

This struggle is about preserving the integrity of our planet, not the profit margins of a few tiny companies.


Continue reading on Examiner.com $3.4 million settlement handed down to VA landowners for unpaid royalties - Richmond Progressive | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-richmond/3-4-million-settlement-handed-down-to-va-landowners-for-unpaid-
royalties#ixzz1aR6VTQRt

National Radon Awareness Week 2011 is October 17-24th. Federal Government Urges Action

Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

The U.S. government has has known of this deadly household problem for over two decades.
In fact,

Ronald Regan passed the National Indoor Radon Abatement Act back in 1988 to address the problem.

Despite over 22,000 lung cancer deaths that have occurred every year since the act was passed, it wasn’t until this year that the government actually put a plan of action into place!

On June 20th, 2011; the United States government passed the Federal Radon Action Plan.

The plan calls for several branches of the U.S. government to implement programs to reduce the risk of lung cancer to the American public in their homes and workplaces.

Read more:
http://www.lungblog.com/2011/10/national-radon-awareness-week-2011-is-october-17-24th-federal-government-urges-action/">http://www.lungblog.com/2011/10/national-radon-awareness-week-2011-is-october-17-24th-federal-government-urges-action/

Keep the Ban: Water Song

The Water Song written by Michael Kovick and performed by Windfall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3MAwc18cto

Meeting: Keep the Ban

Keep the Ban Symposium

This symposium is an opportunity for Halifax residents to learn what is at stake if the ban on uranium is lifted. Co-Hosted by the Town of Halifax and We the People of Virginia, the Halifax Keep the Ban Symposium will serve as a panel discussion to give an overview of the risks to the Town of Halifax’s local economy, drinking water, public health and heritage.

Panel Speakers Include:

Bob Burnley, Past Director Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Olga Kolotushkina, Board Member, Roanoke River Basin Association
Tom Leahy, Director of Public Utilities, City of Virginia Beach
Mary Rafferty, Grassroots Organizing Manager, Sierra Club

Address: Halifax County Public Schools -- 1030 Mary Bethune Street, Halifax, VA 24558

http://keeptheban.org/?p=923

Uranium mining, milling in Colorado boil down to water quality concerns

By David O. Williams | 10.04.11 | 12:19 pm

Water issues continue to dog uranium mining and milling operations around the state, with regulators losing patience with one company on Colorado’s Front Range and Colorado River officials still raising objections to a proposed mill in Montrose County.

Denver Water officials Monday demanded Cotter Corp., a subsidiary of General Atomics, clean up the defunct Schwartzwalder Mine near Golden that state officials say is leaking uranium into a creek that flows into a Denver drinking water reservoir, according to the Denver Post.

Cotter, which is also on the hook for an EPA Superfund cleanup near its shuttered mill in Cañon City, has been under state pressure to clean up the Schwartzwalder situation since the spring of last year. The company sued the state for “abusing its discretion” in ordering the cleanup.

The Post reports state officials on Monday said that a $1.2 million bond posted by Cotter for Schwartzwalder is inadequate to deal with the situation. Officials have been huddling with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers’ office to discuss next steps.

The Cotter Mill has been held up by opponents of a proposed uranium mill in Montrose County as an example of what can and likely will go wrong with such an operation.
Still, Cotter continues to draw heat for its cleanup efforts in Cañon City, including questions this summer about using wooden pallets to cross holding ponds.

Water, or the lack thereof in Colorado, remains the biggest hurdle to either a uranium mining or nuclear power renaissance in the state.

Read more:
http://coloradoindependent.com/101450/uranium-mining-milling-in-colorado-boil-down-to-water-quality-concerns

Educational Forums on Uranium Mining and Milling

Comments:  There are several important forums/informational meeting during the next couple of weeks. I hope some of you can attend. Of importance is that you contact state legislators and express your desire to "Keep the Ban".

Some links you may want to visit to keep abreast of issues include:

http://virginiaagainsturanium.blogspot.com/
http://lifeincva.blogspot.com/
http://prideva.blogspot.com/
http://www.uraniumfreeva.org/

#1)Friday October 14th: Halifax Keep the Ban Symposium This symposium is an opportunity for you to learn what is at stake if the ban on uranium is lifted. Co-Hosted by the Town of Halifax and We the People of Virginia, the Halifax Keep the Ban Symposium will serve as a panel discussion to give an overview of the risks to the Town of Halifax's local economy, drinking water, public health and heritage. All are welcome.

October 14, 2011
7:00pm-9:00pm
Halifax County High School Auditorium
1030 Mary Bethune Street, Halifax, VA 24558

RSVP to Attend Here: http://keeptheban.org/?p=923

Speakers Include:
Bob Burnley, Past Director Virginia Department of Environmental Quality;
Jack Dunavant, Chair, We the People of Virginia
Olga Kolotushkina, Board Member, Roanoke River Basin Association
Tom Leahy, Director of Public Utilities, City of Virginia Beach
Mary Rafferty, Grassroots Organizing Manager, Sierra Club.
Saturday October 15th: Banister River FestivalThe Banister River Festival is a fun, family friendly event to enjoy the heritage of the Banister. Bring your Canoe and / or Kayak for a free open paddle, enjoy live music and bring the kids for games & more!

October 15, 2011
9:00am - 2:00pm
Sportsman's Club of Halifax
1071 L. P. Bailey Highway (U.S. 501)

For more information on either event check out our website: http://keeptheban.org/?p=923

#2)

FORUM ON URANIUM MINING AND MILLING

November 3, 2011 9:00 a.m.

Jepson Alumni Center, University of Richmond

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

http://www.gcvirginia.org/ Garden Club of VA

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e4l4agmc979926be&llr=g4quzjcab to register for GCVA Forum

#3) Water and Uranium Mining and Milling

 

November 5th, 2011, will offer citizens of Virginia and North Carolina the opportunity to learn more about the impacts that proposed uranium mining and milling may have on our lives and livelihoods.

There are two extremely informative and important events occurring on Saturday, November 5th. A morning event will be held in Danville at "the Institute" , sponsored by the Roanoke River Basin Association http://prod.rrba.org/.

An afternoon event will be held in Dry Fork, VA at the White Grove Outreach Center, sponsored by League of Individuals For the Environment http://lifeincva.blogspot.com/. Both events will feature Dr. Robert Moran and William �Paul� Robinson.

Dr. Robert Moran has more than thirty-nine years of domestic and international experience in conducting and managing water quality, geochemical and hydrogeologic work for private investors, industrial clients, tribal and citizens groups, NGO�s, law firms, and governmental agencies at all levels. Much of Dr. Moran�s technical expertise involves the quality and geochemistry of natural and contaminated waters and sediments as related to mining, nuclear fuel cycle sites, industrial development, geothermal resources, hazardous wastes, and water supply development. Dr. Moran received his PhD in geological sciences from the University of Texas, Austin in 1974. In early 1980s, Dr. Moran was part of the team involved in exploration and development of the Coles Hill deposit. Countries worked in include: Australia, Greece, Bulgaria, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, South Africa, Iraqi Kurdistan, Oman, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Romania, Russia (Buryatia), Papua New Guinea, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, United States.

William �Paul� Robinson, a native of Harrisonburg, VA, is employed as Research Director at Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an organization working to promote the health of people and communities, protect natural resources, ensure citizen participation, and secure environmental and social justice now and for future generations. Robinson has prepared peer reviewed technical papers, contract publications, and educational materials and provided expert technical testimony related to uranium mines, mills and uranium policy throughout his 35- year career. He has a Masters in Community and Regional Planning with an emphasis on Natural Resource Management from University of New Mexico and a BA from the Technology Assessment Program at Washington University. He has served as a technical expert in regulatory proceedings periodically since 1979 including proceedings for uranium facilities such as� White Mesa uranium mill in UT; Crow Butte in situ uranium mine in NE; Pitch Project in CO; Gulf-Mt. Taylor uranium mills in NM, and Vane Minerals Exploration Plan in Arizona in the US, the Elliot Lake uranium mill tailings and mine waste decommissioning in Canada. His expertise also includes the adoption of regulations concerning mine operations and mine reclamation.

COMMUNITY VOICE: Response to Virginia Uranium ad

Written by Jesse Pyrant Andrews
08:13 am 10/05/11

I am writing in response to VUI’s latest advertisement, titled “We’re Committed to Protecting Agricultural Resources.” In that ad, VUI stated, “long after reclamation is complete, environmental monitoring will be conducted on the site and in the surrounding vicinity...” Even though VUI has agreed to pay for monitoring the reclaimed mine site, they fail to point out that if some catastrophic event took place, we the taxpayers would be responsible for taking care of that.

VUI also stated that “Our operations will use advanced technologies to prevent any adverse impact on local farmers...” Exactly what technologies do they have in mind? That statement is nothing more than a vague generality that has no facts to back it up. Uranium mines elsewhere have used “impenetrable liners and multi-layer earthen caps...” and they have failed, resulting in leaks of radioactive waste and other toxic substances into ground water and onto land where cattle graze, making those places hazardous waste sites and putting cattle farmers out of business.

The ad also states that “uranium was mined...in the Limousin region of France without any adverse impact on the region’s famous brand of beef cattle.” This statement is pure speculation.

 Imagine that same picture as a 110 acre, 850-foot deep open pit uranium mine with dynamite being detonated day in and day out. That is what it would look like if VUI gets their way.

According to the WISE Uranium Project, or “ World Information Service on Energy,” the site appropriate conditions for any uranium mine are as follows:

1) It must not be located on a geological fault. Coles Hill lies directly on the Chatham fault.

2) It must not be located in a flood plain. Coles Hill lies directly in a FEMA flood zone, and regularly floods. One farmer even had cows drown in a pasture full of flood water on the farm adjacent to Coles Hill.

3) It must not be located in a site prone to earthquakes. Didn’t we just have an earthquake last month? I seem to recall that event.

4) It must not be located close to residential areas. There are 300 or more residences within two miles of the proposed mine site, including Boxwood Road, Strader Road, Chalk Level Road and Transco Road. Not to mention that within six miles lie the town of Gretna and the town of Chatham.

Coles Hill could hardly be called remote. It may look remote from an automobile, but fly over it in a helicopter and you will see it is surrounded by homes.

5) The phreatic layer (groundwater) should be rather deep. The groundwater levels around Coles Hill are very shallow. Some wells have produced water at as little as 18 feet in depth.

6) Seepage should not present a threat to groundwater. The area around Coles Hill is composed of flat, fracture-prone rocks, through which toxic wastes can easily seep into the groundwater.

Now, given the fact that Coles Hill doesn’t fit even one of the criteria set forth, how can they truthfully claim that they are committed to protecting anything at all? They can’t. They might imagine they would, but that is all an unknown quantity.

This latest ad is merely VUI’s little fantasy, as we now see in light of a few facts. The only sure thing VUI is committed to is getting their profits by any means necessary. That leaves us, their guinea pigs, holding a 77 million ton bag of radioactive waste.

Which will it be, folks, VUI’s fantasy or our future? The choice is yours.

Contact your elected officials and tell them “NO!” Tell them we will NOT tolerate uranium mining in Virginia.

Read more:
http://www.gazettevirginian.com/index.php/opinion/43-letters-to-the-editor/4134-community-voice-response-to-virginia-uranium-ad

Meeting: Uranium mining dangers aired at Friday symposium

 

SoVaNow.com / October 10, 2011

Wanting to convince members of Virginia’s legislature to keep the 30 year old ban on uranium mining in Virginia, members of Halifax Town Council, along with members of Keep the Ban Coalition, will host a symposium at Halifax County High School auditorium on Friday, Oct. 14 beginning at 7 p.m. to hear several speakers discuss the dangers of uranium mining.
“It is the opinion of the Halifax Town Council stated in several resolutions adopted since 2007, that uranium mining in Southern Virginia would be destructive to its people and economy and detrimental to the people and economy of Virginia and North Carolina as a whole,” wrote Halifax Mayor Dick Moore in a letter sent to residents of the town.

Moore added that this position is substantiated by the City of Virginia Beach’s study, “The Preliminary Assessment of Potential Impacts of Uranium Mining in Virginia on Drinking Water Sources which was released in February of this year. The City of Virginia Beach is among the 25 governmental entities, both from Virginia and North Carolina which have taken action since 2007 to keep the ban on uranium mining in place.

Virginia Beach residents are among the one million people in the two states who get their water from the Roanoke River Basin, which is comprised of waters from the Banister, Dan and Staunton (Roanoke) Rivers.

Speaking at Friday’ symposium will be Tom Leahy, Public Works Director for the City of Virginia Bach who will talk about the study carried out for residents of his city, as well as those served by water from Kerr Lake. Other speakers include Bob Burnley, a past director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, now a consultant for the Southern Environmental Law Center and Olga Kolotushkina, a legal consultant for the Roanoke River Basin Association.

Mary Raffety, Grassroots Organizing Manager of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club will also speak as will Jack Dunavant, Chairman of We the People of Virginia, Inc., who will address the physical aspects and consequences of uranium mining.

“We’ve got a real fight on our hands,” Dunavant said yesterday, adding “we have to get people motivated and involved in order to keep this ban.”

The symposium is an opportunity for Halifax residents to learn what is at stake if the ban on uranium mining is lifted. The symposium will serve as a panel discussion to give an overview of the risks to the area’s local economy, drinking water, public health and heritage.

Read more:

http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/news/article/uranium_mining_dangers_aired_at_friday_symp osium/

LIFE Meeting: Oct. 11

Meeting:  LIFE

Date and Time:  October 11 at 6PM

Location: C&E's

2201 W Gretna Rd, Gretna, VA Tel: (434) 656-1029

Guest Speaker:  Sonya Ingram , The Director of Preservation Virginia and will be speaking on
the effects of uranium mining on historical properties.

Hope you can attend.

Meeting: Should Orange County allow uranium mining?

Meeting: Should Orange County allow uranium mining?

Time and Date: 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20,

Guest Speaker: Bill Speiden

Location: The Community Meeting Room at the Woods Center

Info:
Bill Speiden, a retired Orange County dairy farmer, will speak to the club Oct. 20 on the potential threat to the local environment posed by uranium mining.

Twelve thousand acres of land from Orange County north through Fauquier County have been identified as potential mining sites.

Mr. Speiden and his wife were approached by uranium interests in 1979 to lease their farm on the banks of the Rapidan River in Somerset, upstream from Orange, Lake of the Woods and Fredericksburg, for uranium mining. The couple were offered a five-figure bonus and royalties to allow mining on their property. Knowing little about the industry, the Speidens travelled to Utah and Colorado, where they toured several uranium mines and mills, interviewing miners, mine superintendents and local ranchers.

As a result of what they saw there, the Speidens decided that radioactive exposure and water contamination would make uranium mining a potential environmental disaster for Virginia. They rejected the mining company’s offer.

Last month, the Orange County Board of Supervisors re-affirmed its support of a 30-year-long moratorium on uranium mining in the state. But the mining industry is actively lobbying the General Assembly to lift the ban in its next session, despite organizing local efforts to keep the measure in effect.

One company, Virginia Uranium Inc., has spent nearly $100,000 over the past three years to persuade lawmakers to lift the ban. Should legislators bow to that pressure, mining would become legal anywhere where uranium is found, includiing throughout Orange county’s rich farmland.

Mr. Speiden was born in New York City, but came to Virginia as an infant with his parents. He is a former chairman of the Orange County Planning Commission, legislative director of the Orange County Farm Bureau and a member of the Orange County Democratic Committee. He is a graduate of Cornell University and operated a dairy farm west of Locust Grove for 40 years before retiring in April 2006.

The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, in the community meeting room at the Woods Center. As always, guests are welcome to attend.

Read more:

http://www.lowdemocrats.org/?p=345

Groundwater worries that never disappear

By: The Editorial Board
Published: October 02, 2011

The pictures shot by George Stanhope in 2009 of a rain-soaked Coles Hill area have probably been making the rounds ever since he downloaded the images from his camera.

For opponents of uranium mining in Virginia, those images are proof that Pittsylvania County’s climate is far too wet to allow the uranium mining industry into Virginia.

The pictures could have been taken in any part of Pittsylvania County and they would have had the same effect. While the Dan River Region has been blessed with a generally gentle climate, heavy rains, high winds and even tornadoes do occur here.

We don’t know how that kind of weather would affect Virginia Uranium, and not just because severe storms can be so hit-or-miss within the same county.

The real problem is that so much of the "how" VUI wants to extract uranium from under Coles Hill is unknown because the company hasn’t released those details because, in part, there are no regulations guiding a uranium mining company because, of course, Virginia still has a moratorium in place.

That’s how VUI is moving their project forward — get it studied, get the General Assembly to lift the moratorium, get rules written and then develop a site plan to actually mine the 119 million pounds of uranium.

By that time, though, uranium mining would be a done deal in Virginia, and probably not just at Coles Hill. Now is the time to ask questions, including questions about drinking water.

We’re not talking about saving some "Pittsylvania snail darter." Our concern is every house in the Dan River Region that has a water well, and that includes most of the houses in Pittsylvania County.

"Eighty-three percent of those using individual wells own their homes, and more than half are still paying their mortgage," states the website of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Ground Water Protection Steering Committee. "Keeping the water supply clean is essential to protecting these families’ property values."

That’s exactly the issue, and it’s one that has to be addressed now.

For most people, their house is the largest single investment, and that investment isn’t worth anything without a safe, clean, reliable water supply. For people who depend on water wells, the question isn’t Virginia Uranium’s good intentions or the state’s regulations of this new industry, it’s whether they will be able to safely consume the water from their well if uranium is mined at Coles Hill.

It’s hard to imagine Chatham, Richmond or Washington coming to the aid of a Pittsylvania County family that can no longer drink their contaminated well’s water. That’s why this community has to get the uranium mining issue right, before everyone becomes enthralled with the possibility of mining jobs for 35 or 40 years or tax revenue going to the politicians.

This week, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League issued a report on flooding at Coles Hill.

The real takeaway from the report was the reminder of just how much water falls on Pittsylvania County, and the real concerns of people who will have to live in the shadow of decisions made by others — decisions that could one day affect everything about life in the Dan River Region, even the kitchen sink

Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/oct/02/groundwater-worries-never-disappear-ar-1349664/

SMLA urges more study on uranium mining

The Smith Mountain Lake Association Board adopted the following position pertaining to uranium mining in Virginia at its Sept. 20 meeting:

"With the very limited information available, the SML Association believes that any decision regarding the lifting of the current restrictions on uranium mining in Virginia be delayed for at least one year. Economic and environmental studies need to be completed and thoroughly reviewed in order to make sure that the right decision is made with respect to this complicated issue."

http://smithmountaineagle.com/articles/2011/09/28/news/m%20smla%20urges.txt

Virginia will be promoting the annual ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday

In an effort to help Virginians save energy, money and protect the environment, Virginia will be promoting the annual ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday from Friday, October 7, 2011 through Monday, October 10, 2011. Consumers can visit their local retailer and save both state and local sales tax on ENERGY STAR qualified products that cost $2500 or less and are made for non-commercial and personal use.

The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is encouraging consumers to choose ENERGY STAR qualified and WaterSense products during the sales tax holiday. The ENERGY STAR qualification means that these products meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Department of Energy and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information about ENERGY STAR and EPA''s
WaterSense programs, please visit www.energystar.gov and
www.epa.gov/watersense.

Now for a limited time, reserve and redeem up to $250 rebate
on any qualified appliance through Virginia’s Appliance Rebate Program in addition to your Energy Star Tax Holiday Savings.
Go to www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/ARRA.shtml

Appliances that are available for consumer purchase at a retail store that are eligible for a DMME appliance rebate include:
• Heat Pump Water Heater - $250
• Clothes Washer - $75
• Refrigerator - $60
• Dishwasher - $50
• Room Air Conditioner - $40
• Storage Natural Gas or Propane Water Heater - $35

http://media.mgnetwork.com/creativeservices/ric/energystar/index_2010_nosponsor.htm