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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
Mr. Crane:
Your article states, “The Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens would implement the voting process.“
It also says “The Alliance, a group that formed in February after splitting from Southside Concerned Citizens…[.]“ Mr. Vickrey is the head of the Alliance. He is the former chairman of the PittCo Chapter of SCC.
It appears that the Alliance and CELDF are leading the charge to possibly oust the PittCo BOS.
Are you absolutely sure that there is still an active Pittsylvania Chapter of SCC? Are you absolutely sure that this group intends to participate in the proposed overthrow/ouster of the PittCo BOS?
You might want to be very sure of the answers to the above Q’s before making such a strong stmt re: SCC.
THE Alliance is a right’s base organization.
They have asked the county several times for an ordinance to ban uranium mining and milling!
The county supervisors has written a weak resolution!
The so call illegal uranium mining study are the same group that perform Mt Top Removal in Virginia, the same group that has accepted money from the local or the French Canadian uranium company!
Uranium Miners are not working at this time, they are laid off because the uranium prices are in at rock bottom, so working for a mine is not stable!
Uranium Mining & Milling has never been done safely, anywhere in the world, most closed Uranium Mining are SuperFund Sites paid for by the taxpayers!
The largest City in Virginia is against Uranium Mining, Virginia Beach, because it will pollute the waters, which Virginia Beach drinks. According to an article in the Richmond Times: Should harm come to the water supply, that “would be a severe threat to national security,“ say Bouchard. (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/columnists_news/article/JEFF05_20090404-220007/249158/)
Virginia is home base for the Navy, several Army Bases, plus the Air Force!
Ms. Parsons live is the lovely Mountains of Virginia, she is also trying to protect our mountain families.
The Coal companies are taking the tops off our mountains for coal, fly rock from the blasting has killed a 4-year-old child, cracked foundations of homes, and flooded the family’s homes because the Coal Companies has dump rock into the streams.
Cole’s Hill will be strip mining, 2 open pit uranium mines, over 300 acres of uranium mill tailings ponds next to the Bannister River!!!!
The neighbors will have fly rock that will kill them, look over 2,000 acres of uranium mining & milling!
Southside deserves better that our children to be uranium miners!!!
We want the same jobs as Northern Virginia and Tidewater!
However, Virginia, uranium is located up Rt 29, north of Richmond, so U R NEXT!
No to Uranium Mining & Milling, Heck NO We Won’t Glow!!
My comment: HOOO-YAAAH!
This has nothing to do with uranium. This has to do with the apparent collapse of judgment at a grand old school that my mother went to years ago. Who gives d—- what these nuts think? Point is, Averett is giving them a platform from which to spew their ill-founded, juvenile nonsense. I really don’t care about the nuts, but I do care about Averett.
What has gone wrong at Averett? I cannot believe that this beloved institution would sponsor some lunatic group that wants to “overthrow” the county government. If that is approach that Averett is trying to foster in its students, it will soon enough join company with all the other great local endeavors that have vanished from the scene. Nonsense like this has nothing to do with academic freedom. Indeed, it would have to do with something called treason if these fruitcakes were talking about the “overthrow” of the federal government. I am profoundly disappointed that Averett University, on the heels of the magnificent celebration last week, would lend itself to such craziness.
Okay just a couple of thoughts here.
First, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have posted previously on this blog about this uranium business so anyone remembering my posts understand that I am in favor of mining this uranium. IF it can be done safely. Big IF there.
Second, why is a Christiansburg-based environmental operative telling our county residents what to do with respect to this issue? Is this another case of environmental wackos thinking they know what’s best for everybody else? I’m just asking.
Third, why do the opponents of mining want to go through this kind of nonsense before the study from Virginia Coal & Energy Commssion is completed? Are they afraid the study will report that this mining can be done safely?
Fourth, Ms. Parsons doesn’t like the Dillon Rule; doesn’t think it’s any different from slavery; and, their goal is to seize local governing authority. This is scary stuff. Do they actually want Pittsylvania County to secede from the Commonwealth of Virginia? (Remember that thing I said about environmental wackos).
Perhaps someone should show our local unemployment figures to Ms. Parsons. If the 500 or so jobs this mining venture would bring to our community are not realized, perhaps Ms. Parsons, in her “I know more about your community than you do” attitude could kindly advise us as to where we might go to attract jobs to make up for that loss.
And finally, just where does Ms Parsons get the impression that she speaks for a majority of our county residents? Was there a county-wide referendum on this issue? If not, maybe there should be so that the majority can speak out once and for all. Tell you what, let’s get this issue on the ballot for this November. Simple question - Do you support the development of the Coles Hill Uranium Deposit if it can be done safely? Yes or No. Put this on the ballot and let the chips fall where they may. I think we should allow mining if it can be done safely; but, if through this referendum a majority of residents disagree with me, so be it. I won’t like it, but I’ll accept it because that’s the way democracy works. What we don’t need is some environmental nutcase to come into our community, know nothing of our current economic plight, and try to tell us what’s best for us.
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