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A local organization plans to roll out a petition Wednesday night demanding that the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors impose a ban on uranium mining.
The petition calls for an overthrow of the county’s government if the board “does not represent the majority of the people in the county” and renders itself “illegitimate under the Virginia Constitution.”
The Alliance, a group that formed in February after splitting from Southside Concerned Citizens, will give its first anti-mining presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Averett University’s student center.
Shireen Parsons, a Christiansburg-based organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, said uranium mining opponents will try to gather signatures from a majority of county residents beginning at the meeting Wednesday.
“If this community wants to protect itself, that’s what they must do,” Parsons said Wednesday.
The petition calls for the board to ban uranium mining within three months after it’s submitted to supervisors. It also demands that local governments within the county adopt ordinances, such as chemical-trespass ordinances, to protect residents from uranium mining.
Parsons and Gregg Vickrey, a founder and the chairman of the Alliance, will speak at the event about the issues surrounding uranium mining and how a community can practice self governance. Vickrey’s presentation will be similar to seminars he gave in the past under SCC illustrating mining operations around the world and how mining could affect the area.
Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium deposit at Coles Hill about six miles northeast of Chatham. Virginia currently has a moratorium on the practice, but the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission is overseeing a study to determine whether it can be done safely in the commonwealth.
Vickrey said the presentation will be updated with information about the merger between Santoy and VUI.
County Supervisor Hank Davis, who represents the Chatham-Blairs District, declined to comment about the petition. Neither Vice Chair and Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber nor Chairman Coy Harville could be reached for comment by press time Monday.
Patrick Wales, VUI geologist and spokesman, said the presentation will be a retread from Vickrey’s past seminars. Ordinances like those against chemical trespass resulting from mining operations are unconstitutional in a Dillon Rule state, Wales said. The Dillon Rule means that state law supersedes local laws.
The town of Chatham discussed a possible chemical trespass ordinance, but former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell said in an opinion last year that it would be unconstitutional.
Parsons said the Dillon Rule flies in the face of the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.
“It’s no different from rules in favor of slavery,” Parsons said.
She said opponents’ intentions are not merely to oppose mining, but to return government control to the hands of citizens.
“Our goal is not to stop uranium,” Parsons said. “Our goal is to seize local governing authority.”
The six-part petition cites the Virginia Constitution, saying that if the Board of Supervisors does not pass the mining ban, the petitioners will call for a vote to elect 11 people to draft a constitution for Pittsylvania County that bans uranium mining and “recognizes the right to community self-government.” The Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens would implement the voting process.
Parsons said she could not say how the process would take place.
“We would have to discuss how to do this,” she said.
The petitioners, representing a majority of county citizens, would call for a vote by residents to ratify the “county constitution” and would give supervisors the choice of adopting it. If the board doesn’t, the constitution would become law anyway and petitioners authorize a special election to replace the existing county supervisors.
Excerpts
Excerpts from the petition that a local group plans to roll out Wednesday at Averett University’s student center:
• “WE THE PEOPLE OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, in order to secure local self-government, democracy, and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and environment of Pittsylvania County, Hereby Demand:”
• “That the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors adopt an ordinance that bans uranium mining from occurring within the County ... “
• “That if the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors fails to take action to ban the mining, the Board will have failed to represent the majority of the people within the County ...”
• “That the undersigned, representing a majority of the residents in Pittsylvania County, hereby call for a vote of the residents to elect eleven people to draft a Constitution for the County of Pittsylvania ... “
• “If the County Supervisors refuse to adopt the new Constitution, the undersigned hereby authorize that another vote be taken to elect new County Supervisors ... “
• To read the full petition, go to GoDanRiver.com and click on this story’s link.
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Reader Reactions
So the “American Dream” is to make two or three families super-wealthy while destroying the property values and long-term health of everyone else in the community? That sounds more like a nightmare to me.
“AceTheCat” needs to calm down. Shireen is the one who goes around telling people she is NOT a communist. We need to respect her public assertion that she is NOT a communist. Given the wild and crazy things we’ve seen and heard from the SEC, the PEC, the “Alliance,“ as well as the Apostles of the Poisoned Water, I think it is important to make clear that the leaders of all these groups are not communists.
Nor, of course, are they environmentalists. Their mission is to promote themselves by using any convenient misrepresentation to wreck prosperity for others who might want to buckle down, get a job and partake of the American dream.
Rockit,
Thanks for your comments, maybe I should not have the Nuclear Group, Nuke People, sorry.
I am against the cycle of Nuclear Power, it is not fair for themselves green, they are not, uranium mining uses all forms of CO2, trucking, milling, uses huge amount of water!
The Nuclear group does not even consider other forms of energy, they make fun of solar and wind power!
The Nuclear group are subsized by the Gov’t (the taypayers) and the federal gov’t pays for the insurance (the taxpayers again), the NRC page is like reading a horror novel with the problems of Nuclear Power Plants!
I have not found one place in the world that has safe uranium mining.
Remember the local uranium mining group is Canadian owned and they use them for models.
That is why I used the Canadians banning uranium mining and Eurpope, because between Canada, Down Under, and France, they are the uranium companies and they have been fined, taking advantage of the third world families - uranium mining companies are not very nice - these are just facts!
Thank You,
ACE
I’m a bit frustrated with these people who seem to believe that uranium can be mined “safely”. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is mined safely. No industry is 100% safe. The problem with uranium is that the mistakes that will happen will have health and enviromental repercussions which will last forever…which is a very long time.
Anyone who thinks that mining can be done safely please investigate Centralia, PA. You can’t go there mind you, the town was destroyed by a coal mine fire which started in 1962…and is still burning today, 47 years later. The fire has undermined the town and it is abandoned. And that was only “safe” coal mining…
http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm
Gabby,
You need to stop calling people names, it is called Slander!!!
NO emails are private, no blogs are private, people can contact this paper and demand them to pull your comments!!
Just state facts about uranium mining, the problems or if you are a supporter, have guts enough to state the facts about uranium mining.
THE Alliance again, is a rights base group fighting a huge French Canadian Uranium company who wants to get at the uranium at any cost.
Gabby, come to the meeting tomorrow nite and Averett and introduce yourself - I dare You!!!
Please…let’s stop the personal attacks. Both Gregg and Shireen have worked tirelessly over the past 18 months to expose the dangers of uranium mining, especially in a populated area with the erratic weather patterns Southside has, and with the extensive (and beautiful) natural water system that flows through Southside. The portion of their educational program that deals with the dangers of uranium mining is first-rate. If you disagree with the path they propose to defeat the mining, that’s your prerogative but don’t disparage their hard work in gathering and presenting the hard, cold facts re: uranium mining.
I also want to acknowledge Mavourneen’s mention of my blog (are you a reader, M?) and reiterate her statement that should you want an educational program for your group or organization, please contact me at smidgen_barnes@yahoo.com.
I am not affiliated with The Alliance but can put you in touch with other local groups who can present the information re: the dangers of mining you’ll never hear from VUI and propose several avenues folks can take to express their ideas and seek solutions after learning more about mining and its serious downsides.
Thanks so much…
HOLD ON, NOW!
Shireen is NOT a communist. Twice in the past year, she has been quoted in the newspaper as stating that she is NOT a communist. She’s just your basic low-rent community organizer.
But you got it right about Vickery—a deadbeat of the first rank.
Whoops! You can’t contact me at smidgen_barnes@yahoo.com but you can contact Smidgen whose blog, Southside Virginia Against Uranium Mining, appears here: http://sccagainsturanium.blogspot.com/
Smidgen can put you in touch with someone to present an educational forum at a time and place convenient for your group or organization.
Sorry…too much coffee!
Just for the record, in regard to at least one news headline mentioned in Ace’s comment, “Donegal Township Makes New Laws: One Says Corporations Are Not “Persons,“ another Says No Corporate Mining!“, Donegal Township, PA repealed the referenced ordinance in April, 2008 so that it could settle the lawsuits against it based on the ordinance by June, 2008. Blaine Township, PA is currently embroiled in several federal lawsuits brought by both the coal and the gas industries.
While I appreciate “we the people” and believe that citizens’ rights should override corporate rights in many (if not most) instances, there are other ways to address the mining issue, an issue that, if realized, promises only to make a few people rich and many others misled and sick.
The public does indeed need to educate itself. If you would like for someone to speak to your group or organization about the dangers you and your community will face should mining proceed, contact me at smidgen_barnes@yahoo.com.
I NEVER signed a petition so, I do not know how anyone has the right to throw all citizens of Pittsylvania County into this mess created by a radical few not even from the area. I hope those that are not aware of what is happening will educate themselves and make an educated decision. The out of area people seam to have alot of zeal for a place they were unaware of 10 years ago. This is OUR HOME WE need to be smart for ourselves and not be led like sheep!
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