Friday, July 31, 2009

Hold on a Minute, Mr. Secretary...Some Questions for You

This letter to Secretary Chu, and local news outlets, is in response to "Thank you Mister Secretary" written by Norm Reynolds, Virginia Energy (VUI) posted below (scroll down2 posts). As usual, Ms. Maute asks pertinent questions. We're hoping she gets full, honest responses...but we're not counting on it.


Honorable Secretary Chu,

Thank you for visiting Virginia.
Most of us in Virginia as are welcoming to federal dignitaries. However, we do not generally take kindly to their attempting to set state policy. We're even less excited to have to have an industry do it for us.
The letter from which I cite (printed in its entirty below) leads one to believe that perhaps that may be occurring.

Mr. Norm W. Reynolds has written a letter to local papers (Danville and Pittsylvania County) which appears to take liberties the purpose of your visit and President Obama's energy agenda. I am hoping you can set the record straight. I, and many others, await answers to the questions posed below.

Sincerely,

Karen B. Maute,

Danville, VA

Mr. Reynolds states, "U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not have picked a better spot than Pittsylvania County to sound his ringing call for “restarting” our nation’s nuclear energy program, as well as endorsing Virginia’s state-sanctioned study to assess the safety and feasibility of mining and milling uranium in the commonwealth.

Question: Was the purpose of your visit to Pittsylvania County, VA to"sound his ringing call for "restarting" our America's nuclear program?

Mr. Reynolds writes, Speaking to concerns that have been raised about mining in Virginia, Chu — a Nobel laureate in physics — explained that in “any kind of mining, whether it’s uranium, coal or nickel, or you name it, it has to be done in a way that protects the environment and protects the people. … there’s a study going on as to whether uranium mining in Virginia is going to do that. … we will wait for the results of that study.”

Question: Do you consider the coal industry as an example of mining in a way that protects the environment and people?

Question: To your knowledge where has uranium been mined and milled safely with a climate, watersheds and density of population similar to Virginia?

Question: Thousands of new uranium claims exist in historically mined areas in the US. Density of population appears less and the areas more arid.

Question: Why encourage mining in Virginia where millions stand to suffer water contamination if mining and milling of uranium occurs?

Mr. Reynolds states, "The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission is working with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study to address concerns of Virginians about safety to people, livestock, crops and the environment."

Question: Has the National Academy of Sciences entered into contract to conduct the proposed study?

Question: If so, with whom did they contract and how is the study being funded?

Mr. Reynolds writes,The secretary’s position on the uranium potential at Coles Hill seemed to reflect that of his boss, President Barack Obama. When the president was campaigning in Virginia last year, The Roanoke Times carried the following report:

According to an e-mail from his Virginia communications director, Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining. But, he adds, ‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

Question: Who was the communications director who sent the e-mail stating that Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining?

Question: Is this President Obama's quote or from the un-named communications director, "‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

Mr. Reynolds writes, "On the larger subject of using nuclear energy to power America, Chu told the local audience of about 275 people that the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Energy are “very supportive of restarting the nuclear power industry,” adding that he believes it can be done safely."

Question: Does this mean that you, Secretary Chu, believe mining and milling of uranium can be done safely? If so, please elaborate reasons for that belief.


Mr. Reynolds writes, "For those of us who have worked long and hard on the Coles Hill project, it is gratifying that the nation’s highest energy official saw fit to come to Pittsylvania County and to endorse the scientific study and to state so unequivocally the Obama administration’s high commitment to getting nuclear back on track in the United States. We look forward to moving ahead hand in hand with such enlightened thinking."

Question: To what extent is the Obama administration involved with the uranium industry ?


Mr. Reynolds writes, "What Dr. Chu is talking about goes straight to the heart of energy independence for our nation. Yes, we need to move ahead on all fronts that make sense. But let us keep in mind that of the 55 million pounds of uranium needed to operate nuclear facilities for one year in this country, over 50 million pounds are imported. That is a frightening statistic in a world as unpredictable as the one in which we are living."

Question: Will the Obama administration and subsequent administrations require uranium mined at Coles Hill or in the United States to remain in the states for the sole purpose of American energy use?

Question: Can sale to foreign countries be prohibited?

Question: Why is the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission studying market trends for the uranium industry as part of its invironmental study?

"Tom [Perriello] In Your Town" Events Come to Southside

During the August district work period, Congressman Perriello will be visiting every locality in the 5th District and hosting “Tom In Your Town” events.

"Tom In Your Town" is a chance for constituents to meet one-on-one with the congressman [Tom Perriello] to discuss policy issues, give suggestions, or to get help with federal programs like Medicare, Social Security, or veterans’ benefits.

All constituents are invited to come by anytime during the time period and sign in.

Meetings are first-come, first-served. After the constituent meets with the congressman, staff members will be there to follow up with any concerns.

This schedule can also be accessed at www.perriello.house.gov under “Newsroom,” then Upcoming Events.

Further media events will be announced at a later date.

August 3, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Martinsville: Martinsville High School (Library), 351 Commonwealth Blvd.

August 4, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Henry County: Laurel Park Middle School (Library), 280 Laurel Park Ave., Martinsville

August 5, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Danville: O.T. Bonner Middle School (Auditorium), 300 Apollo Drive

August 6, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Pittsylvania County: Chatham Middle School (Cafetorium), 11650 Hwy 29 N, Chatham

August 7, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Halifax County: Halifax High School (Auditorium Balcony), 310 High School Circle, South Boston

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Thank you, Mister Secretary

BY NORMAN W. REYNOLDS

Published: July 26, 2009

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not have picked a better spot than Pittsylvania County to sound his ringing call for “restarting” our nation’s nuclear energy program, as well as endorsing Virginia’s state-sanctioned study to assess the safety and feasibility of mining and milling uranium in the commonwealth.

The setting for Chu’s speech at a local farm last Saturday was just 10 miles south of the Coles Hill uranium site and 50 miles south of the City of Lynchburg, one of the most dynamic hubs of advanced nuclear technology in Virginia. Coles Hill is where Virginia Uranium proposes to mine and mill the largest known undeveloped uranium deposit in the United States.

Speaking to concerns that have been raised about mining in Virginia, Chu — a Nobel laureate in physics — explained that in “any kind of mining, whether it’s uranium, coal or nickel, or you name it, it has to be done in a way that protects the environment and protects the people. … there’s a study going on as to whether uranium mining in Virginia is going to do that. … we will wait for the results of that study.”

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission is working with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study to address concerns of Virginians about safety to people, livestock, crops and the environment.

The secretary’s position on the uranium potential at Coles Hill seemed to reflect that of his boss, President Barack Obama. When the president was campaigning in Virginia last year, The Roanoke Times carried the following report:

“According to an e-mail from his Virginia communications director, Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining. But, he adds, ‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

On the larger subject of using nuclear energy to power America, Chu told the local audience of about 275 people that the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Energy are “very supportive of restarting the nuclear power industry,” adding that he believes it can be done safely.

Secretary Chu’s comments echo those heard from various Virginia officials over the past two years, starting with the Virginia Energy Plan released in the fall of 2007. In addition to numerous references to the massive uranium deposit in Southside Virginia, the energy plan states:

“There are sufficient resources to support a uranium mining industry in Pittsylvania County with enough to meet the fuel needs of Virginia’s current generation. Significant work to assess the risk from mining and need for regulatory controls must be completed before any decision can be made whether such mining should take place.”

For those of us who have worked long and hard on the Coles Hill project, it is gratifying that the nation’s highest energy official saw fit to come to Pittsylvania County and to endorse the scientific study and to state so unequivocally the Obama administration’s high commitment to getting nuclear back on track in the United States. We look forward to moving ahead hand in hand with such enlightened thinking.

We haven’t the slightest doubt that all aspects of the nuclear cycle — from mining to operating reactors — can be done as safely as any other industrial undertaking. When the same safety issues were studied by the state 25 years ago, scientists found that under well-defined guidelines our project could go forward safely. I am confident that similar findings will be reached this go-around.

What Dr. Chu is talking about goes straight to the heart of energy independence for our nation. Yes, we need to move ahead on all fronts that make sense. But let us keep in mind that of the 55 million pounds of uranium needed to operate nuclear facilities for one year in this country, over 50 million pounds are imported. That is a frightening statistic in a world as unpredictable as the one in which we are living.

We should be grateful for the enlightened approach expressed by Secretary Chu. And we should support sensible efforts to achieve greater energy independence, including the full development of our nuclear resources.

* Reynolds is president and chief executive officer of Virginia Uranium Inc., as well as Virginia Energy Resources.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/community_voices/article/thank_you_mister_secretary/12811/

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

HUD Advances Sustainable Communities Initiative

By Erika Morphy
July 27, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC-The Department of Housing and Urban Development has appointed Shelley Poticha as senior advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities--a new office that HUD is trying to create through Congressional legislation sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT). Poticha will direct the office if the bill becomes law.

Among other responsibilities, the office would oversee a $150-million sustainable communities fund as well as a $100-million energy innovation fund, a HUD spokesperson tells GlobeSt.com. The office’s creation was part of HUD’s 2010 budget, submitted in May. The budget also proposes eliminating or consolidating 27 programs and activities.

Its mission also includes providing technical and policy support for energy, green building, and integrated housing and transportation programs at HUD and managing HUD’s relationships with the departments of Transportation and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The new office is part of HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s push to create a paradigm shift in how the US thinks about community development, the spokesperson says. "It is why we are seeing more conversations between HUD, Transportation and Energy--it has been recognized there needs to be more focus on tomorrow’s communities."

Poticha currently serves as the president and CEO of Reconnecting America, an organization that studies land use and transportation planning and policy with the goal of creating more sustainable and equitable development. Another senior advisor to the office is James Lopez, senior advisor for sustainability issues to the Deputy Secretary and former Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management for King County, Washington. HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims will spearhead the Sustainable Communities Initiative.

http://www.globest.com/news/1460_1460/washington/180058-1.html

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Santoy Becomes Virginia Energy Resources Inc., Revises Board & Management

Thu Jul 23, 2009

News Release: 09-15

Santoy Resources Ltd. (TSX.V: SAN) is pleased to announce that Pursuant to a Plan of Arrangement, (originally announced in a Company news release dated December 22, 2008, and approved by both company's shareholder votes announced May 22, 2009) Santoy Resources Limited ("the Company") has now completed its business combination with privately held Virginia Uranium Ltd. Post-closing, the Company has changed its name to Virginia Energy Resources Inc. ("Virginia Energy"), has consolidated its issued share capital to approximately 54,377,279 common shares outstanding, and will have its trading symbol changed from SAN to VAE on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Virginia Energy currently holds a 20.8 per cent equity interest (in the process of increasing to 22.2 percent) in the Coles Hill uranium deposit, located in southern Virginia. Coles Hill, considered to be one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the United States, had been advanced through to the feasibility stage in 1982. It has an estimated measured and indicated resource of 119 million pounds of U3O8 (at a cut-off grade of 0.025 per cent U3O8) based on a National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Coles Hill property prepared for Santoy Resources by Behre Dolbear and Co. Ltd., Marshall Miller and Associates Inc., and PAC Geological Consultant Inc. (Dr. Peter Christopher, PEng) dated Feb. 2, 2009, and revised on April 29, 2009. This report is available on SEDAR and on Santoy Resources' website.

Excerpt from Table 1.1
Resource Estimates -- June 4, 2008
(Millions of Tons and Pounds In-Place)

Cutoff
%U3O8

Measured1

Indicated1

Total1

Tons2

%
U3O83

Pounds U3O8

Tons2

%
U3O83

Pounds U3O8

Tons2

%
U3O83

Pounds U3O8

Project Total (South and North Coles Hill Deposits)

0.100

0.755

0.228

3.45

6.27

0.215

26.9

7.03

0.216

30.4

0.075

1.35

0.164

4.44

24.0

0.116

55.9

25.4

0.119

60.4

0.050

2.28

0.124

5.65

35.4

0.101

71.7

37.7

0.103

77.4

0.025

6.62

0.064

8.42

92.1

0.060

111

98.7

0.060

119

1Total tonnage above cutoff grade and average weight % U3O8 of that tonnage
2Short tons based on a rock density of 2.56 g/cc
3Weight %

1. The "Qualified Persons" (as defined in NI 43-101) who prepared the resource estimate were Betty L. Gibbs for Behre Dolbear and K. Scott Keim for Marshall Miller and Associates, Inc.
2. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, marketing, or other relevant issues.


At the same time, shareholders will gain diversification and will benefit from Santoy's exploration properties. The business combination complements Santoy's portfolio of uranium exploration properties in the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan, the Otish Mountains in Quebec and the Central Mineral Belt of Labrador. The Company is also the largest shareholder of Boss Power Corp. which owns the Blizzard uranium deposit in British Columbia.

Messrs Bill James and Pat Barry have resigned from the Company's Board of Directors. Their very significant contributions during the past several years have been much appreciated. Their positions have been filed by the appointment of Walter Coles, Sr., Norm Reynolds and Harvey Roberts, all resident in Virginia. The new Board will now consist of Walter Coles, Sr., Norm Reynolds, Harvey Roberts, Ron Netolitzky, Ron Hochstein, Robert Matthews, and Robert Ingram. Walter Coles, Sr. has been appointed Chairman of the Board. The Management Team will now consist of Norm Reynolds - President & CEO, Walter Coles, Jr. - Executive Vice-President, Karen Allan - Chief Financial Officer, and Mike Cathro -- Vice President, Exploration. Ron Netolitzky will remain very active in the company's direction as we continue to explore our exploration properties and advance the Coles Hill uranium deposit.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors
SANTOY RESOURCES LTD.

"Ron Netolitzky"

R. K. Netolitzky, President & CEO

http://www.santoy.ca/s/NewsReleases.asp?ReportID=356910&_Type=News-Releases&_Title=Santoy-Becomes-Virginia-Energy-Resources-Inc.-Revises-Board-Management

Wind-generated jobs: Minnesota could see more than 3,000 renewable energy positions

By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM

Minnesota could generate at least 3,000 jobs by catering to industries involved in making and installing wind towers likely to result from the state’s ambitious renewable energy standard, advocates said Wednesday.

Minnesota 2020, an organization that promotes wind, said the state’s renewable energy standard – which obligates utilities to derive at least 25 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025 – can be an economic engine.

The group estimates 3,000 to 5,000 jobs could be created from attracting companies that make components for wind turbines or that erect them on the massive wind farms that are dotting the prairies.

Wind-related industries could also pump $8 billion into Minnesota’s economy over the next 20 years, according to the analysis by Minnesota 2020, a “think tank” based in St. Paul.

“I think my estimate is conservative,” said Nathan Paine, a research fellow with the organization, who used economic models developed by University of Minnesota economists.

Minnesota has a good base to build upon when it comes to developing industries involved in wind power, said Joe Sheeran, a Minnesota 2020 spokesman.

The state ranks fourth in terms of its installed wind-energy capacity, about 1,800 megawatts, or enough to power 450,000 homes, according to Minnesota 2020’s figures.

Also, the state has a highly skilled work force, including in welding and manufacturing, that could be put to work building components for wind turbines, Sheeran said.

Minnesota already produces parts for wind towers, including turbines, housings for the gearboxes and bolts for the towers.

The severe recession has taken a toll on jobs in Minnesota, which has shed 35,000 or more positions in the past year, Sheeran said.

Although state and federal subsidies, including the production tax credit, make wind power economically viable, renewable energy sources will become more affordable if fossil fuels are subject to a carbon tax, he said.

Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said the city is working toward the goal of installing a third municipal wind turbine. The two towers, becalmed in the gentle breeze Wednesday morning, were visible in the background as the wind proponents spoke.

“We’ll use as much as we can,” the mayor said, noting that every kilowatt generated by wind turbines means the city’s customers don’t have to buy power elsewhere. More than half of Moorhead’s electricity comes from hydropower, but that does not count as a renewable source, he said.

As utilities scramble to meet the 25 percent renewable energy standard by 2025, more wind farms will be needed to meet the demand.

“I’d like to see a lot of these projects built in Minnesota,” Paine said.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/247562/

Uranium Mining and Extreme Flooding in Virginia








(Figures 1-3, modified for size, are above. #1- uppermost, #2 - middle, #3 - bottom. They are from the USGS, Circular 1245. Links for Figures 4-5 are below the text document and are from the Piedmont Environmental Council.)


Uranium Mining and Extreme Flooding in Virginia

The Need for a Sediment Transport/Water Quality Model and PMP Failure Analysis

by

Thomas M. Leahy


July 1, 2009


Extreme Flooding in Virginia

Figure 1 is a map of the United States showing the location of approximately 23,000 past and present USGS stream flow gauges. Figure 2 is the same map showing only those stream flow gauges (about 3,000) that have recorded extreme flooding events. The screening criteria that the USGS used to define an extreme flooding event was 100 to 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) per square mile for small water sheds (less than 1000 square miles) and 50 to 100 cfs per square mile for large watersheds (1,000 squaremiles and greater). The average stream flow for watersheds in Virginia and adjacent states is about 1.0 cfs per square mile. Therefore, Figure 2 shows the locations where stream flows have been recorded that were at least 50 to 300 times greater than the average normalized stream flow in Virginia.

For the contiguous 48‐states, Figure 2 shows that other than the west coast, extreme flooding occurs mostly in the southeast quadrant (south of the 40th parallel and east of the 100th meridian). Moisture for the precipitation that fuels these events is provided by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. These floods can be represented by three primary clusters.

The first is the central mid‐west and lower Mississippi Valley which includes eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and western Tennessee and Alabama. These regions have been nicknamed Tornado and Dixie Alleys due to the frequency and magnitude of tornados that result from intense thunderstorms known as super-cells, formed by the collision of cool dry Canadian air with warm humid Gulf of Mexico air.

The other two clusters of extreme flooding events are southern Texas and the eastern ridge of the Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountain chain from Georgia to Maine, including a distinct concentration in Virginia. The USGS determined that these regions are prone to extreme flooding because topography provided by mountain ranges and escarpments can rapidly lift moisture laden air into the cooler upper atmosphere:

“Within the eastern conterminous United States, the pattern of large flows closely corresponds to the proximity of subtropical moisture derived from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Finer‐scale patterns within this region, however, are clearly linked to topography. Orographic lifting of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico triggers convective instability and has caused concentrations of large floods at topographic features such as the Balcones Escarpment in south central Texas, the Ozark Mountains of western Missouri, and along the eastern edge of the Appalachians on the eastern seaboard. The important role of topographic relief is also illustrated by the lack of exceptional discharges in Florida, and along the coastal plain of the southern and eastern tier States. Despite being closest to the moisture sources and subject to frequent landings of major hurricanes, these relatively flat areas have few stations that have recorded flows exceeding the large‐flow criteria . . .”
--Large Floods in the United States: Where They Happen and Why, USGS Circular 1245, 2003, p.9. Emphasis added.

Figure 2 also shows that there are very few extreme flow events in the western states or in the northern mid‐west. Where they do occur, they are mostly confined to very small watersheds. This is the result of a lack of an available moisture source and/or cooler air temperatures, both of which limit the moisture content in the air.

Probable Maximum Precipitation [PMP] in Virginia

The screening criteria for identifying the extreme flows depicted in Figure 2 ranged from 50 to 300 cfs per square mile. However, depending upon duration, a Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) event in Virginia and surrounding areas will deluge an area with 1,000 to 7,000 cfs per square mile.

Figure 3 is the same as Figure 2, except that the locations of storms with precipitation approaching the PMP have been shown. Figure 3 also includes the location of the proposed Coles Hill uranium mine, in Pittsylvania County, VA. In the eastern US, the locations of the near‐PMP events mimic the location of the extreme flooding events identified by the USGS: Tornado and Dixie Alleys, southern Texas, and the eastern ridge of the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains.

In fact, Figure 3 shows a string of at least 8 near‐PMP storms east of the Blue Ridge Mountains from North Carolina to Maine. These events occurred along a corridor that cuts a path right through the uranium ore deposits in Pittsylvania County and the ore deposits in four counties west of Fredericksburg.

Two of the storms occurred in Virginia ‐ one in 1969 in Nelson County about 60 miles from the Pittsylvania uranium deposits (Figure 4), and the other in 1995 in Madison County, one of the four counties west of Fredericksburg where uranium ore deposits have been identified (Figure 5).

The Need for a Sediment Transport and Water Quality Model and Failure Analysis

As a consequence of the topographic relief provided by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the subtropical moisture provided by the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the Piedmont region in Virginia just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains is prone to extreme flooding and has a much higher likelihood of experiencing catastrophic precipitation events than many other areas in the country. However, this is also the same location of the uranium deposits in Pittsylvania County and west of Fredericksburg.

Stakeholders concerned about the potential impacts of uranium mining have asked to be shown locations and examples of uranium mines and mill tailing cells that occur in areas that have similar climate, geography, and population density as Virginia. This may be problematic ‐ there may not be any other locations where uranium mines and milling operations, an unlimited source of hot humid air, topographic/orographic lifting potential, and high population density all intersect.

Even if a uranium mine and milling operation located in a relatively wet climate (i.e., 45‐inches per year of precipitation) could be identified, that location might not be prone to extreme precipitation events due to its particular meteorological and physiographic characteristics. It is even less likely that a uranium mine or milling operation will be indentified that has ever experienced a PMP event similar to the two that have occurred in Virginia (about thirty inches of rain in six‐hours).

Therefore, it is important to assess what the potential consequences would be if a storm similar to the Nelson County or Madison County storms were to strike a mining and milling operation and transport a significant load of mill tailings downstream to the receiving rivers and reservoirs. This will require an engineering study that includes a sediment transport and water quality model.

The model must be able to accept as input, various precipitation events ranging from severe hurricanes and nor’easters that strike Virginia relatively frequently to a probable maximum precipitation (PMP) event. The modeling of the fragmentation of a mill tailing dewatering facility, storage area, or confining cell will be a difficult task, subject to much debate. So, initially, the model should be designed to accept as input, assumptions of various amounts of mill tailings that might be released as the result of a catastrophic precipitation or flood event that would strike the proposed Cole’s Hill mining operation.

The model would then predict the downstream transport and fate of the mill tailings in terms of location and quantity beginning with the Banister River, through Kerr Reservoir, through Lake Gaston and Roanoke Rapids, and downstream through the Roanoke River and flood plains, and into Albemarle Sound.

After the model has determined the location and quantity of the transported mill tailings, a water quality component will predict the increased radioactivity and other contamination that will result in the downstream waters for any given amount of mill tailings released. The water quality parameters that will be considered are gross alpha, gross beta, radium isotopes, radon, and uranium. Other toxic substances typically associated with mill tailings will also be considered.

The model will also include an assessment of how long the increased radioactivity or other contamination would persist given normal weather and flow patterns.

Figure 4: http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,557,2133,0,html/Properties-with-Former-Uranium-Mining-Leases-and-Downstream-Water-Supplies-Southside-Region

Figure 5: http://www.pecva.org/anx/ass/library/19/downstreamflow_counties_wtr.pdf

Uranium poised for another boom

Warning signs and barbed wire mark the old townsite of Uravan. Once home to a uranium mill, the entire town was removed during a Superfund cleanup that ended last year. (Photo by Joe Hanel)

Warning signs and barbed wire mark the old townsite of Uravan. Once home to a uranium mill, the entire town was removed during a Superfund cleanup that ended last year. (Photo by Joe Hanel)

The Rocky Mountain Independent is running a three-part series of environmental snapshots from the Front Range. Part two examines how some Colorado residents fear that the industry and government regulators will repeat previous safety missteps.

No one wanted the piles of gray rocks with the yellow and bright green flakes. They lay in piles outside the vanadium mills in Southwest Colorado until World War II.

The suddenly, military men arrived and claimed the piles for the Manhattan Engineering District. A mill town called Uravan became a secret military city.

The yellow flakes became fuel for the first American atomic bombs, and Colorado’s uranium boom was born. For decades, the government bought all of the uranium that miners could find. But in the 1980s, the market crashed, and uranium resumed its status as a nearly worthless rock.

Now uranium is poised for a comeback. Companies are pushing projects near Fort Collins and Cañon City and in Southwest Colorado’s remote Paradox Valley.

“Population is growing, demand is increasing, and the world is also looking for affordable energy that produces no (greenhouse) emission and is very safe,” said Stuart Sanderson, president of the Colorado Mining Association.

Uranium prices have rebounded since the early part of this decade. Although, at $50 a pound, they are below their record $138 during a speculative bubble in 2007. A U.S.-Russian program to use fuel from old Soviet weapons in American power plants will end in 2013, which could create demand for domestic uranium. Also, nuclear power might become more popular as an alternative to fuel sources that emit global-warming gases.

Uranium critics scoff at the idea that it is a safe fuel source.

“I’ve been in misery, sometimes literally hell, for 41 and a half years,” said Reed Hayes, of Paradox, who fell into a vat of uranium in 1967 at a mill in Moab.

Hayes has suffered rashes all over his body and sometimes in his mouth and eyes. Of the 26 workers who started at the mill when it opened, 23 have died, mostly of cancer. By contrast, most of his high school class is still alive, Hayes said.

He opposes a new uranium mill planned for his valley, saying that the element of human error can never be overcome.

“I don’t want to see any more people die,” he said.

In every place in Colorado where a company has proposed a uranium project, a citizens group has risen up to oppose it.

  • Powertech Uranium Corp. plans to open an “in-situ” mine east of Fort Collins that would leach uranium out of the groundwater. Coloradans Against Resource Destruction is fighting
  • the plan.Cotter Corp. plans to reopen
  • its Cañon City uranium mill by 2014. It shut down the mill in 2005, and Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste wants it to remain closed. The mill polluted the nearby Lincoln Park neighborhood, and residents blamed it for causing cancer in their families.
  • Energy Fuels Inc. plans to build a uranium mill in the Paradox Valley. Mill backers say it would spur the region’s dormant uranium mines back into production. But opponents in the Paradox Valley, which has become a haven for organic agriculture, want the region to turn its back on mining permanently.

Both the Cañon City mill and the Uravan mill — just outside the Paradox Valley — were on the federal Superfund list for environmental cleanups. Although the Cañon City mill remains, Uravan had a different fate. The entire town — homes, church, swimming pool, soda fountain — has been wiped off the map. All that remains is an office building and a barbed-wire fence marked with red-and-yellow radiation signs.

During the last uranium boom, government regulators failed to keep people safe. The Department of Energy published an extraordinary mea culpa during the Clinton administration, admitting that health experts in the federal and Colorado governments knew about the dangers of unventilated mines but hid the danger from miners. That story and many others are chronicled in the DOE Openness Project.

Congress set up a compensation system for uranium workers in 1990. But not everyone qualifies, and payments come slowly, if at all. The Department of Labor has paid only 43,000 claims out of 165,000 filed, according to a 2008 Rocky Mountain News investigation.

State health officials say things will be different this time.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has no applications on file for uranium mills. But Powertech, Cotter and Energy Fuels all will need radiation permits before they start operating. Warren Smith, of the state health department, said he expects Powertech and Energy Fuels to apply for their permits this year. When they do, it will trigger an intense 15-month review that includes at least two public meetings.

Steve Tarlton, who is in charge of the health department’s radiation program, says times have changed.

“When I was a kid, we didn’t have seat belts. Things are different now. The same is true of the uranium industry,” Tarlton said. “We have learned a lot from past mistakes.”

Joe Hanel reports from Denver for The Durango Herald and the Cortez Journal. Watch www.durangoherald.com and www.cortezjournal.com this month for a four-part series on uranium mining in Southwest Colorado.

http://www.rockymountainindependent.com/2009/07/uranium-poised-for-another-boom/

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Navajo Nation Approves First Tribal 'Green Jobs' Legislation

While economists bemoan the rising U.S. unemployment rate, nearing 10 percent, there's a part of the country that has long struggled with unemployment many times higher – the Navajo Nation.

The unemployment rate across the sprawling region is 44 percent right now. But on Tuesday, its leaders approved groundbreaking legislation that they hope will bring change for their people.

The Navajo Nation became the first Native American tribe to pass green jobs legislation intended to grow thousands of jobs in ways that follow the Navajo traditions of respecting the Earth. The Navajo Nation Council voted to establish a Navajo Green Economy Commission that will draw on federal, state and foundation funding to pay for green initiatives ranging from farmers’ markets to small-scale energy projects.

“This is huge,” says Wahleah Johns, Field Organizer for Black Mesa Water Coalition, part of the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, which lobbied for the legislation.

“One of the largest indigenous nations in the U.S. is paving a pathway for green jobs development in Indian country. It could be a model for most Indian nations throughout the world.”

The Navajo Green Economy Coalition hopes the initiative will alleviate the area's high unemployment rate. Many employed members of the Navajo Nation, which spans 26,000 miles – about the size of West Virginia – have to travel far to jobs off the reservation. Some 77 cents of every dollar earned on the reservation ends up being spent off of it.

“I think this legislation is really important, because we have a lot of really smart, talented people who go to college and return and can’t find a job. I was one of them,”
says Nikke Alex, a member of the coalition and a recent University of Arizona graduate.

Many of the jobs that are on the reservation are with schools, hospitals and tribal government, or in industries like coal mining, oil drilling and, until a 2005 tribal ban, uranium mining.

The legislation defines "green businesses" as businesses and industries that contribute to the economy with little or no generation of greenhouse gases and/or can counteract the negative effects of greenhouse gases.

“With this green jobs program, we hope we will support existing sustainable practices, like local organic farming that already exists but just needs a good marketing mechanism, and ranching organic meats like sheep and cattle that a lot of folk raise on Navajo reservation that could be made into gourmet foods,” Johns says.

The commission also expects to fund weavers’ co-operatives and wool mills, since shepherding and weaving wool are part of traditional Navajo culture. Energy will be a focus in the form of weatherization, energy efficiency and small-scale solar and wind projects within homes and communities.

“Our government has been relying on dirty energy and it’s time that our tribal government turns to more energy efficient and sustainable jobs,” Alex says.

Johns touted the benefits of the reservation’s sunny location – surrounded by Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, it has more than 300 days of sunlight annually – and its proximity to California, a leader in renewable energy standards that could become buyer if the Navajo Nation produces and sells solar or wind energy.

Rural electrification and rainwater harvesting are also becoming priorities for the Navajo Nation; 50% of the reservation lacks electricity and running water. The legislation will also create green jobs training programs in collaboration with Diné College and Navajo Technical College.

The legislation aligns with Native American cultural values, Johns says:

“All indigenous nations have always had a philosophy of being caretakers of Mother Earth. It’s something our people have been practicing for countless generations and it’s nothing new for our people.”

The newly established Navajo Green Economy Commission will take two years to implement the legislation, spending the first year researching the community’s job needs and applying for funds. The Commission intends to seek funding from various federal initiatives, including the newly established Clean Energy Corps, from state agencies, and from large foundations. The commission will then assess and grant funds for green projects.

The impetus for the legislation came from a grassroots coalition, formed in the spring of 2008, of individuals and the Sierra Club, 1Sky New Mexico, Grand Canyon Trust, Diné CARE, New Energy Economy and New Mexico Youth Organized.

Other Native American groups are also pursuing green opportunities. In South Dakota, two tribes are working on wind power. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe launched the Sioux Wind company with the goal of building a wind farm on or near the tribe's reservation. The Oglala Sioux tribe approved the creation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Renewable Energy Development Authority in May to oversee renewable wind power development on the wind-swept Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

http://solveclimate.com/blog/20090722/navajo-nation-approves-first-tribal-green-jobs-legislation

Tea Party Attacks Rural Tour in Pittsylvania County

"Attacks"? We weren't there but nothing we've read about sounds like an "attack" by any special interest group.

By Matt Tomsic

Published: July 22, 2009

News of Saturday’s Rural Tour in Pittsylvania County has done laps around the Web after county sheriff’s deputies asked members of the Danville Tea Party Committee to leave the farm where the forum was hosted.

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Pittsylvania County last weekend. They toured Piedmont BioProducts and hosted a community forum at a local farm. The tour is visiting different rural areas around the country to talk with local residents about government programs for rural communities and to listen to each area’s concerns.

Sgt. M.C. Davis of the Virginia State Police said that the security detail with the secretaries of energy and agriculture brought the local authorities’ attention to a group of people, which included Bobbie Conner and Nigel Coleman, during the community forum. Coleman is the chairman of the Danville Tea Party Committee, and Conner is its vice chairman.

“Obviously, you look into these things when people act differently than the rest of the crowd,” Davis said.

Conner and Coleman were standing beside a block of seats, about six rows back. The group talked audibly to each other during the forum and looked upset at times with the secretaries’ answers and some questions. They left just before the question-and-answer session ended.

Sheriff’s deputies approached them after seeing the group pull protest signs out of their car, said Capt. Donald Motley of the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

“When they were approached by law enforcement, the event itself was over,” Motley said. “They told them that if they were going to put those up, they would have to leave.”

Organizers held the event on private property, which allowed the property owner to decide whether law enforcement could remove people.

Buddy Mayhew, who owns the farm where the community forum was held, said he hadn’t heard about the incident until afterward.

Mayhew talked to sheriff’s deputies before the community forum began Saturday about whether they should ask anyone to leave his property. He said that if protesters were there and behaving, then they could stay.

“But if something occurs that is of a disruptive nature, that has no place to be there, you have my permis-sion to ask them to leave,” Mayhew said he told the deputies.

The state police followed up on the incident Monday when a trooper visited Conner’s house.

“They were questioned about their actions during the meeting,” Davis said. “We were trying to inquire that they were asking a question and didn’t know how to go about it.”

The trooper got the information he needed, and the investigation ended.

“As far as I know, it was over with,” Davis said. “They were satisfied with the answer they received.”

The Monday police visit to Conner’s home and the request for the Tea Party members to leave on Saturday have led to other allegations from the committee that the event was staged. Organizers and those who asked questions deny that claim.

Diane Arnold, director of the Danville office of the Longwood Small Business Development Center, at-tended the event and asked a question. Arnold said that she was invited to the forum after a news article about her organization earlier in the year attracted the attention of politicians in Washington.

“I was called and told that folks in D.C. were very tickled to see a group like ours,” she said.

She said that they told her the government was planning a tour of Southside and that they would like her to come to it. Arnold said she got an invitation from the local Chamber of Commerce and then got a phone call from Secretary Chu’s office on July 15.

“She said that if you want to ask a question, just be sure to get close to a microphone,” Arnold said. “She called out of courtesy to make sure we knew about it.”

Arnold added that she was not asked what her question would be, and no one asked to preview her ques-tion.

“I don’t feel like it had been planned, or we would have gotten different questions,” she said.

Two other community members who asked questions also said they were not approached by anyone and were not told to have questions prepared. Ray Emerson Jr., of Pittsylvania County, said he stood up three or four times before the girl with the microphone noticed him.

“As far as something being preplanned between me and the secretary of agriculture is ludicrous,” he said.

Eloise Nenon, of Chatham, also had the chance to ask a question. She asked about solar energy.

“No one asked me to speak, but the people who know me, know that I don’t have to be asked,” she said.

Coleman and Conner said they thought the event was staged after talking with someone who was there. The two men said the person was called in advance about the community forum.

“That leads me to believe it was all set up,” Conner said.

The forum gave cabinet members of President Barack Obama’s administration the chance to see Pittsylvania County and to directly interact with its residents. But that one interaction between law enforcement and the Tea Party Committee has overshadowed the forum, forcing everyone to spend the last four days figuring out what happened and turning the focus away from the Rural Tour’s impact on the community.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/tea_party_attacks_rural_tour_in_pittsylvania_county/12652/

NWS confirms Campbell tornado

Yep, this is exactly where we need a uranium mine, mill, and tailings heap...right in the center of a little tornado alley. Imagine all the places that radioactive sand and rock could blow!

By Dave Thompson

Published: July 18, 2009

The National Weather Service confirmed that, in addition to two tornadoes that touched down in Pittsylvania County mid-day Friday, a tornado also struck the Brookneal area of Campbell County.

The twister, according to meteorologists, was an EF-0 scale, with winds between 85 and 90 mph.

Meteorologist William Perry said the tornado uprooted some trees a few miles northwest of Brookneal, and that a microburst did damage to a few structures in that area.

Appalachian Power Company’s Web site reported no outages Saturday, and representatives did not immediately return phone messages left Saturday evening.

Daisy Pridgen, with Dominion Virginia Power, said at the storm’s height, about 3,300 people in southern Campbell County were without power.

As of 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Pridgen said 500 customers were still without power but estimated they would all have their power restored by this morning.

Perry said for this time of year, this storm system was unusual and was aided by the cooler temperatures in the area.

The last time tornadoes touched down in the area, Perry said, was in May of 2008, when twisters were confirmed in Henry, Pittsylvania and Appomattox counties.

http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/nws_confirms_campbell_tornado/17815/

UNLV prof to Congress: Mining contaminates Colorado River

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 4:13 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

This April 2008 photo provided by the Center for Biological Diversity shows a mining claim staked north of the Grand Canyon in the area that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has withdrawn for protection from new claims. The Interior Department announced Monday it is temporarily barring the filing of new mining claims, including for uranium, on nearly 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon.

Restarting uranium mining near the Grand Canyon poses a contamination risk to the Colorado River, serving more than 25 million people in western states, a UNLV hydrology professor told a congressional committee today.

David Kreamer, a UNLV professor, said that assuming renewed uranium mining would have little or no effect on the river and surrounding springs is "unreasonable" and cannot be supported by past investigations and research.

Kreamer and his students have been conducting studies on springs in the Grand Canyon for 25 years and he told the House Natural Resources Committee's parks subcommittee that past mining activities have polluted a spring that feeds the Colorado River and that pollution is expected to continue if more mining occurs.

The committee is hearing a bill by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., that would permanently bar new claims filed on 1.1 million acres of federal lands north and south of the canyon. Renewed interest in building nuclear power plants as alternative energy sources has spurred a surge in uranium mining claims in the area, Grijalva said.

As many as 10,000 mining claims exist on neighboring federal lands for all hard-rock exploration and some 1,100 uranium mining claims exist within five miles of the canyon.

Neither the proposed bill nor Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement Monday that he is barring new claims on public lands for two years while a study is conducted would stop mining on existing claims.

Kreamer said his research found uranium levels three times above the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit on water supplies in Horn Creek, a canyon creek that runs into the Colorado. He said that the uranium polluted the creek's water from mining that stopped more than 10 years ago.

The potential for uranium reaching the Colorado River poses a risk for water consumers in California, Nevada and Arizona, said Kay Brothers, deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Las Vegas draws 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River, she said.

Two scientists said modern mining has improved environmental protection and new mining development shouldn't stop because of old practices.

Most of the uranium claims have been staked in the Arizona Strip, an area just north of the Grand Canyon National Park notable for its superior uranium ore.

Uranium mining stopped 20 years ago as the price of uranium for nuclear energy, weapons and medicine went into freefall. The nuclear industry believes mining should be restarted as the price of uranium has climbed to about $55 a pound.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jul/21/unlv-professor-congress-uranium-mining-contaminate/

NRC Director to Speak at Lynchburg Energy Conference

By Ray Reed

Published: July 21, 2009

An energy conference featuring the director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be held in Lynchburg on Monday [July 27. 2009].

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th District, is sponsoring the conference, which will bring NRC Director Kristine Svinicki and two other speakers to Central Virginia Community College for the 10 a.m. event.

“This conference will have a lot of useful information about energy needs, about legislation in Congress, and three guest speakers, all of whom should be interesting,” Goodlatte said.

It also promises information about alternatives to the energy bill the House of Representatives passed in June, over Goodlatte’s opposition.

Although he’s in favor of developing new energy sources in the Democrat-backed bill, Goodlatte said, “it’s far too expensive to replace nuclear, coal and gas-powered vehicles.”

“Those are the sources of energy we are heavily dependent on in this country,” and “we’re going to be heavily reliant on them for years to come,” he said.

“Where the Democratic bill went off track was by raising the cost of utilizing them before we had anything to replace them with” in the form of proven and renewable green-energy sources, Goodlatte said.

Speakers, in addition to Svinicki and Goodlatte, will be Ben Lieberman of the Heritage Foundation and Timothy Davidick, an executive with ADM Micro Inc., an energy management company in Roanoke.

Goodlatte said he expected several energy-related companies to set up display tables at the conference, including Areva nuclear company, American Electric Power, Dominion Virginia Power, Innovative Wireless Technologies, Babcock & Wilcox Co. and Virginia Uranium Inc. of Pittsylvania County. A Toyota energy-efficient car will be on display, Goodlatte said.

Svinicki has been commissioner of the NRC since March 2008. She is a nuclear engineer and was a policy adviser for the Senate Armed Services Committee under former Sen. John Warner, R-Va.

She worked on defense science and technology programs, including nuclear weapons, security and environmental management programs.

Lieberman, a specialist in energy and environmental issues, frequently comments on TV news channels and advocates free-market solutions to rising energy prices while supporting access to domestic energy supplies.

Davidick heads up an ADM Micro initiative to help commercial properties upgrade their electricity metering and sustainable energy programs such as power from solar, wind and biofuel sources. The company provides systems that manage electricity use in stores, restaurants and government buildings.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/nrc_director_to_speak_at_city_energy_conference/17878/

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Nuclear Regulatory Commission to inspect uranium finding at B&W

By Bryan Gentry
Danville Register & Bee

Published: July 20, 2009


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent a special inspection team to investigate how radioactive material ended up in an oil receptacle at Babcock & Wilcox last week.

The inspection will help NRC officials decide whether B&W should be fined for the July 15 incident, when some weapons-grade uranium was found outside its normal controls that ensure it will not accumulate and cause a criticality, or a strong burst of radiation.

There was not enough uranium to cause an explosion, but the NRC is concerned that the material got out of its proper safety controls.

“The event that happened on July 15 was serious enough to prompt us to want to get in there and look at the processes” the company uses, said NRC spokesman Joey Ledford.

The incident began when a B&W employee noticed what appeared to be a kind of metal in a container of oil. The oil had been used in a saw that cuts nuclear fuel components.

When the metal turned out to be uranium, the company notified the NRC, which then declared an alert, which is its lowest emergency declaration. The alert was cleared five hours later when B&W confirmed that there was not enough uranium to cause danger.

The NRC began considering whether to call for a special inspection. Ledford said that four inspectors were scheduled to arrive in Lynchburg on Monday.

Special inspections are not uncommon, Ledford said. The commission probably has dozens of them each year, he said, although he did not have an exact number. They are prompted by events that make officials concerned about the plants handle nuclear materials.

The four-person inspection team plans to be on site at B&W’s Mt. Athos Road facility for about one week. “They’re likely to leave the inspection open until after B&W concludes its own investigation (into) the root cause,” Ledford said. “Going through that with a fine tooth comb is part of the special inspection.”

B&W spokeswoman Carla Parks said in an e-mail last week that B&W is performing a thorough investigation to identify the cause of the incident and to decide how to prevent it from happening again.

After the NRC closes its special inspection, it will release a public report on the incident within 45 days.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/nuclear_regulatory_commission_to_inspect_uranium_finding_at_bw/17848/

ANTI-MINING GROUP TO STAGE SIT-IN AT CANADIAN EMBASSY IN MEXICO CITY: FAO marks Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining

Anti-mining activists are marking the first ever Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit mining with a 36-hour sit-in outside the Canadian Embassy building in Mexico City. The action is being planned by the Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO), a coalition opposed to Canadian corporation New Gold’s Cerro de San Pedro open-pit gold and silver mine in Central Mexico. New Gold Inc. is based in British Columbia.

“The sit-in is a nonviolent protest to demand that the Canadian government intervene in the case of New Gold’s Cerro de San Pedro mine”, said FAO member Juan Carlos Ruiz Guadalajara. “The mine is still operating despite having lost its environmental permit in a recent court ruling. We are reminding the embassy that we will continue to raise our voices against corruption, human rights abuses and environmental destruction”.

Mexican Secretary of the Economy figures reveal that more than 70% of all mining exploration, development and production projects in Mexico are owned by Canadian corporations. Canadian mining companies have benefited from legal reforms that the Mexican government adopted in order to accommodate NAFTA
and draw foreign investment.

Open-pit mines, such as Cerro de San Pedro, have generated controversy due to their devastating environmental and social impacts.

“The Cerro de San Pedro mine has already left a legacy of irreversible ecological destruction”, stated FAO member Martha Rivera. “Aside from destroying a mountain, polluting the air and contaminating the water, the mine has created divisions in a tight-knit community and generated opposition in the entire region”.

The sit-in at the site of the Canadian embassy will begin at 8 am on July 21st and end at 8 pm on July 22nd. Parallel events are planned in Toronto, Montreal, and other cities worldwide.

http://faomontreal.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/sit-in-at-canadian-embassy-in-mexico-city/

Officials working to sign first tenant for mega-park

By Denice Thibodeau

Danville Register & Bee
Published: July 20, 2009

Danville and Pittsylvania County leaders are working to sign the first tenant to the region’s first industrial mega-park, if all the details can be worked out with American Municipal Power.

According to a presentation given to the Regional Industrial Facility Authority, AMP may build a natural gas-fired, 270- to 550-megawatt electricity generating plant in the southwest corner of site. The plant would provide intermediate and peaking power needs to its members, including Danville, and would employ up to 35 people.

Danville Deputy City Manager Joe King said the deal isn’t final yet, but commented that it is “close.”

The plant would cost between $321 and $528 million, depending on whether AMP decides on the 270 or 550 megawatt facility, and would require the company to construct a $25 million high-capacity electric transmission line and interconnection facility at the Axton American Electric Power substation located 10 miles northwest of the proposed site in the mega-park.

RIFA also proposes to name the mega-park on Berry Hill Road the “Southern Virginia Energy Park.”

But first, AMP wants assurances from both the city and the county that the plant’s water, wastewater and natural gas needs will be met.

Danville City Manager Lyle Lacy and Pittsylvania County Administrator Dan Sleeper have jointly sent a letter to AMP supporting the project, but resolutions of support have also been asked for from Danville City Council and the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

City Council will vote on whether to support the proposal tonight at its regular meeting, at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building on Patton Street.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/officials_wor
king_to_sign_first_tenant_for_mega-park/12587/

More stimulus headed for Michigan's small businesses; $15 million to be split among businesses making renewable energy

Gov. Jennifer Granholm just announced the state will divide $15 million among businesses who want to make renewable energy equipment.

Those funds are part of an $82 million stimulus package Michigan will get for its state energy program. The governor says this will be a big help to auto suppliers.

"We know that the financial institutions have basically redlined the auto industry and it's been very difficult for auto suppliers to get access to capital," she said.

"What we're announcing today will enable them to have access to capital to diversify."

Any manufacturer with 500 or fewer full-time workers can apply for the grants by Aug. 14. Granholm says firms must show they can obtain private funding as well.

The governor wants makers of car parts to apply their expertise to building wind turbines and solar panels.

The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth will oversee the process.

The agency's director hopes these grants to lead to even more federal loans down the line.

"If an applicant for these monies that we're offering today would get $2 million and that would enable them to qualify for other loans so that they could get $5 million more, then we've pieced together a financial plan for a company to make it," said Michigan DELEG Director Stanley Pruss.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6924129

Drowning island pins hopes on clean energy

(CNN) -- Tuvalu, the fourth smallest nation on the planet, has announced it aims to be totally powered by renewable energy sources by 2020.

Located between Hawaii and Australia, the tiny Pacific nation is one of the world's climate change hotspots and many believe it is already seeing the negative affects of rising sea levels.

The highest elevation on the island is just 4.5 meters (14.8 feet), and king tides have become increasingly damaging over the past 10 years, threatening the homes and livelihoods of its 12,000 inhabitants.

The government of Tuvalu is working with the e8, a consortium of 10 energy firms from the G8 nations that was set up after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit as a non-profit organization. The Tuvalu government estimates that it will take around $20 million in investment to reach the goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2020.

The first stage of the project has seen the roof of the country's largest football stadium covered in solar panels, which supplies 5 percent of the electricity needed by the nation's capital, Funafuti.

According to e8 figures, after 14 months in operation the solar stadium has reduced consumption of generator fuel shipped from New Zealand by 17,000 tons and saved 50 tons of CO2 from being released in the atmosphere. A further benefit is the reduced risk of diesel spills around the atoll's reefs.

"There may be other larger solar power installations in the world, but none could be more meaningful to customers than this one," said Takao Shiraishi, general manager of the Kansai Electric Power Company that helped implement the scheme.

"The plight of Tuvalu versus the rising tide vividly represents the worst early consequence of climate change. For Tuvalu, after 3,000 years of history, the success of UN climate talks in Copenhagen this December may well be a matter of national survival," he said in a press statem

The next scheme is building a solar power system for a secondary school on Vaitupu, one of the outer islands.

"We thank those who are helping Tuvalu reduce its carbon footprint as it will strengthen our voice in upcoming international negotiations. And we look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all -- powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind," said Kausea Natano, Tuvalu's minister for public utilities and industries.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/21/tuvalu.cleanenergy/

Santoy Resources and Virginia Uranium Complete Business Combination

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - (Marketwire - July 21, 2009) -

Santoy Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:SAN) (the "Company" or "Santoy") is pleased to announce that the Plan of Arrangement (the "Arrangement") pursuant to which Santoy will complete a business combination with Virginia Uranium Ltd. ("Virginia") is expected to close today, July 21, 2009 (the "Effective Date"). Post closing, the Company will have approximately 54,377,279 common shares outstanding, will have changed its name to Virginia Energy Resources Inc. and will hold a 20.8% interest in VA Uranium Holdings, Inc. The outstanding common shares include the closing of the first tranche of the subscription receipts from the private placement financing dated July 17, 2009. The new company will trade on the TSX-V under the symbol VAE.

Procedural Information Respecting the Plan of Arrangement

The following information is a summary of certain features of the Plan of Arrangement. Immediately following the closing of the Arrangement, the Company will consolidate its shares on a one new for each five old basis. All share figures and exercise and other share prices given below are on a pre-consolidated basis.

Distribution of Santoy Incentive Warrants to Santoy Shareholders

Holders of Santoy common shares (excluding certain Small Lot Holders described below) will be entitled pursuant to the Arrangement to receive one (1) Santoy Incentive Warrant for every four (4) Santoy common shares held. Each one (1) Santoy Incentive Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one (1) Santoy common share at a price of CDN$0.12 for a period of 12 months following the closing of Arrangement. The Santoy Incentive Warrants are expected to be listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange.

For settlement reasons in connection with any trades of Santoy common shares during this period, the Company understands that the last day to purchase Santoy common shares that will be entitled to participate in the distribution of Santoy Incentive Warrants is July 23, 2009. Santoy common shares purchased on or after July 24, 2009 will not participate in the distribution of Santoy Incentive Warrants. The most recent private placement is not included and will not participate in the distribution of the Incentive warrants. These dates are subject to change and in such event, the Company will issue a news release announcing any such change.

Computershare Investor Services Inc. (the "Depositary") will forward to each Santoy shareholder who is entitled to receive Santoy Incentive Warrants, certificates representing their allotted number of such Warrants in accordance with the Arrangement.

Santoy Small Lot Holders (a "Small Lot" being less than 500 Santoy shares)

Registered Small Lot Holders will have their Santoy common shares cancelled as of the Effective Date and will not be entitled to receive any Santoy Incentive Warrants unless they have elected, by duly completing and returning to the Depositary an Election Form prior to the Effective Date, to retain their Santoy common shares and to receive a certificate representing Santoy Incentive Warrants.

If the election was not made, the registered Small Lot Holder will be entitled to receive only $0.10 per Santoy common share owned. To receive this cash payment in exchange for a Small Lot, the registered Small Lot Holder must complete the Election Form and deliver the Election Form together with the certificate(s) representing the Small Lot within six years of the Effective Date to the Depositary at the address provided in the Election Form. Santoy will deposit funds with the Depositary sufficient to pay the cash payments to registered Small Lot Holders, which funds will be held in a trust account to be used to pay the cash payments. Upon expiry of six (6) years from the Effective Date, all unused funds will be returned to Santoy. Due to the administrative costs of effecting exchanges, if a cash payment payable to a Small Lot Holder would be less than $10, such payment will not be made.

Registered Small Lot Shareholders should refer to the Election Form and the plan of arrangement attached to the joint information circular mailed to shareholders in connection with the Santoy meeting and available on SEDAR under Santoy's profile for additional information.

Exchange of Common Shares for shares in Virginia Energy Resources Inc. Pursuant to the Arrangement, each of the issued Virginia Uranium Ltd. common shares will be exchanged for 1.2 shares in Virginia Energy Resources Inc. and each of the Santoy common shares will be exchanged at the ratio of five for one common share of Virginia Energy Resources Inc. As a result of this exchange, the new company will have post closing, approximately 54,377,279 common shares outstanding.

In order to receive the Virginia Energy Resources Inc. common shares for their Virginia Uranium Ltd. common shares, a registered Virginia Uranium Ltd. shareholder must complete and sign the Letter of Transmittal and deliver it, together with certificates representing their Virginia Uranium Ltd. common shares (in the case of registered Virginia Uranium Ltd. shareholders) and the other required documents, to the Depositary in accordance with the instructions contained in the Letter of Transmittal. The Letter of Transmittal was mailed to Virginia Uranium Ltd. shareholders in connection with special meeting of Virginia Uranium Ltd. shareholders held on May 21, 2009 and is available from the Depositary upon request. Virginia Uranium Ltd. shareholders who are not registered shareholders because they hold their Virginia Uranium Ltd. common shares through their broker or other intermediary should contact their broker or other intermediary. Any Virginia Uranium Ltd. common share certificate which has not been duly surrendered, with all other documents required by the Depositary, on or before the sixth anniversary of the Effective Date, will cease to represent any claim against or interest of any kind or nature in Virginia Uranium Ltd., Santoy or the Depositary and shall be deemed to have been surrendered to Santoy and cancelled.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

SANTOY RESOURCES LTD.

R. K. Netolitzky, President & CEO

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future results, events and objectives could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include exploration and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. www.santoy.ca

http://newsblaze.com/story/2009072107140200002.cc/topstory.html

Monday, July 20, 2009

Feds send team to assess Va. uranium incident

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent a special inspection team to assess an incident involving uranium at Babcock & Wilcox's operation in Lynchburg.

The commission said Monday that the four-member team will spend about a week reviewing factors that led to the buildup of enriched uranium last week.

The commission says a saw used to cut fuel components discharged oil containing a small amount of highly enriched uranium into a container.

The commission says the incident prompted the company to go into alert status for five hours. An alert is the lowest emergency classification for operations such as the one in Lynchburg.

The commission says its inspection team will review the company's investigation of the cause.

The operation handles highly enriched uranium used in nuclear fuel.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D99IE9A80.htm

Radioactive leak is feared: Contamination found underground at former weapons site

NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER