Inside the fence
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By Published by The Editorial Board
Published: August 22, 2008
Chatham Mayor George Haley isn’t convinced that uranium mining is a good thing.
On that score, Haley’s not alone.
But the former Pittsylvania County supervisor has come up with a novel way to force the issue. He wants Chatham to consider a chemical trespass ordinance like the one that passed in the town of Halifax.
The gist of the ordinance is that any company mining uranium ore in Pittsylvania County would have to keep its pollution away from the town.
Local governments in Virginia are subservient to the state, which itself is frequently overruled by the feds. So if Richmond eventually lifts the state’s moratorium on uranium mining and, together with the federal rules, Virginia Uranium Inc. starts to mine the Coles Hill deposit, the towns of Chatham and Halifax aren’t going to be able to do much about it.
The real issue isn’t whether a town’s chemical trespass ordinance is enforceable, but what it symbolizes — a deep concern for the ability of any uranium mining company using any mining method to contain radioactivity in an environment like the one found in Pittsylvania County.
“It’s going to change the complexity of this place,” Haley said. “I am very much against uranium mining. Would you want to live in a mining town?”
To that question, VUI has consistently argued that yes, local people would want to live in a mining town with well-paid technicians and miners, local businesses getting subcontracts and tax revenues flowing into the county’s treasury.
Haley isn’t convinced.
“I want to be proven wrong,” he said of his concerns. Haley believes uranium mining “would change the lifestyle of this great county for the benefit of a few investors. I don’t think they’ve got anything to offer. I think they’re pretty slick.”
When the issue of a chemical trespass ordinance first came up, we wrote that Virginia Uranium should support the town of Halifax’s proposed ordinance because the company says that environmental safety is one of its highest principles, along with “sound economic development and the well being of the community and region.”
We still believe that.
If uranium mining is as safe as VUI says it is and it’s not going to affect the surrounding environment in a negative way, Chatham should be able to ban Coles Hill radiation from the town limits — because it’s never going to get there. Right?
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Posted by ( Virginia native ) on August 22, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Cameco’s Smith-Highland Ranch in Wyoming, which describes itself as the largest uranium mining operation in the US, only employs about 140 people. Less risky businesses with jobs have been coming to Danville that won’t decrease property values or tourism. Uranium mining and milling could have a negative economic impact on a greater population than a positive impact for a select number of skilled workers. If this becomes a large-scale open-pit mine, how will the neighbors with crops & cattle be affected? How many residents would want to buy milk or produce or even their Christmas trees from land located near a uranium mining and milling operation? It’s something to ponder and those neighbors have every right to ask how they would be compensated for any loss of income, property value, etc.
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Posted by ( MrMxyztplk ) on August 22, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Let’s look at some history, 1950 Danville was larger than Greensboro, 1950-2008 no interstate construction to Danville(just signs)and the construction of the Lake Gaston pipeline to Va Beach and the highest unemployment in the state. Danville stood idle during recent history, stood in the way of progress with the lack of road construction and fought the pipeline construction. The pipeline was built. Even with the legal wrangling. You see the results when local power brokers administer the local economy. Lack of jobs, thousands out of work when DanRiver moved on and yet again we run away from great paying jobs with UVI. With the lack of an education and firm work history the blue collar workers will be left to set on the porch, sip whiskey and smoke a cigarette. Out of work families deserve better.
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Posted by ( Virginia native ) on August 22, 2008 at 9:20 am
Could VUI contain all radioactive dust and any contaminated water from ever moving outside the perimeters of their property? I don’t think they can give neighboring residents and communities that guarantee. Imagine if a tropical system like Fay moved inland from the Atlantic and stalled over the Virginia/Carolina region, dumping inches and inches of rain. Could VUI say no contaminated stormwater from their property would be swept into nearby creeks or other people’s property? We’ve seen the forces of Mother Nature at work - including the high wind warnings in the region earlier this year. There may be a place for uranium mining and milling, but not in an established community and not at the risk of the residents who live there.
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