Public forum to outline community's right to block uranium mining

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Thursday, April 30, 2009 12:35 PM EDT

The anti-uranium group The Alliance will sponsor a public forum for residents and elected officials titled "Who Decides Whether Southside Virginia will be Sacrificed for Uranium Mining?" Friday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Chatham High School.

The forum will be presented by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a Pennsylvania-based community rights organization.

"Who decides whether the people of Southside Virginia should have to endure uranium mining and its catastrophic impacts on human health and our environment - the citizens or the corporate officers of Virginia Uranium Inc., enabled by the Virginia legislature?" said Shireen Parsons, an organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and adviser to The Alliance.

"That's the question that will be posed to the citizens and elected officials of the Southside communities that would be directly affected by the proposed mine in Pittsylvania County," she said.

Presenting the case for decision-making by the people will be attorney Thomas Linzey, founder and executive director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and Mari Margill, associate director of the Legal Defense Fund.

Since 1995, the Legal Defense Fund has assisted community groups and local governments in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington state and Virginia draft municipal ordinances that prohibit corporate activities determined by the citizens to be a threat to their health, safety, environment and quality of life.

Ordinances have tackled issues including mining, ground water withdrawals, factory farms, land application of sewage sludge and corporate waste dumping.

Last year, Halifax became the first town in Virginia to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance aimed at uranium mining.

Chatham considered a similar ordinance, but abandoned the idea following an attorney general's opinion that the law is unconstitutional.

Friday night's presentation will bring the necessity for action to the forefront, said Parsons, who lives in Christiansburg.

"Gathering data, writing to legislators, petitioning regulatory agencies, testifying at public hearings - these are not self-governing activities, but grievance procedures," she said.

Participants will learn about the origins of rights-based community organizing, about the structure of law - including Dillon's Rule - that prohibits communities from saying "no," what has been achieved in Virginia and in other states, and the next steps in rights-based organizing in Pittsylvania County and other Southside communities.

"There is no hero waiting in the wings to save our communities from ruin," said Parsons. "We are the ones we have been waiting for. The time is now. "

The Alliance is led by Gregg Vickrey, who previously served as chairman of the Chatham-Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens.

Southside Concerned Citizens was formed 30 years ago when one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States was discovered in Pittsylvania County.

The Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Three years ago, the Coles and Bowen families, who own the land and ore, formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to explore the possibility of mining uranium.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982.

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission recently agreed to study the dangers and benefits of uranium mining.

The study, which is just getting under way, is expected to take about two years.

Last week, The Alliance launched a petition aimed at forcing the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to ban uranium mining.

If supervisors refuse, they will have rendered themselves "illegitimate" under the Virginia Constitution, the petition states.

The Alliance then plans to ask residents to elect 11 representatives to draft a constitution for the county that bans uranium mining while recognizing the right to community self-government.

County residents would be asked to ratify the constitution.

If supervisors fail to adopt the constitution, it would "automatically become the new governing law of the county" and a mandate for new elected representatives.

"This is democracy built from the ground up," said Parsons.

The Alliance hopes to get a majority of county residents - at least 30,000 - to sign the petition before presenting it to supervisors.

County Administrator Dan Sleeper called the petition misguided and said there is no such thing as a county constitution.

tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/04/30/chatham/news/news46.txt

The Alliance’s tough talk on wrong road

By Published by The Editorial Board

Danville Register & Bee

Published: April 26, 2009

The Alliance, one of the groups fighting a proposed uranium mine in Pittsylvania County, hopes a petition it’s circulating will eventually be signed by tens of thousands of county residents.

Once The Alliance has signed petitions in hand, it will present them to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors — and give supervisors just three months to do the right thing.

What’s the right thing?

In this case, that means banning uranium mining in the county.

If the Board of Supervisors doesn’t, it will not “… represent the majority of the people in the county …” and it will become “… illegitimate under the Virginia Constitution …,” the petition states.

“Our goal is not to stop uranium,” said Shireen Parsons, an organizer with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. “Our goal is to seize local governing authority.”

We’re not sure the Board of Supervisors has that legal authority to ban uranium mining, regardless of how individual members may feel about it or what their constituents are saying.

For that matter, we don’t think 30,000 to 40,000 people in one of the most conservative Republican counties in Virginia will sign a petition that would put their county’s government in the hands of The Alliance and other anti-uranium mining groups, regardless of how those residents feel about uranium mining.

Finally, we’re not sure how county residents really feel about uranium mining. If we had to guess, we’d say most of them are skeptical of Virginia Uranium’s plans but want more information.

But in tone and tactics, The Alliance is making a big mistake.

Uranium mining has been an environmental disaster all over the world. Pittsylvania County residents — and everyone in the Dan River Region — have good reason to be concerned about a uranium mine at Coles Hill. But even people who are against uranium mining should be concerned with The Alliance’s my-way-or-the-highway bullying.

Virginia Uranium has to prove that its project won’t harm the environment, the economy and the future of Pittsylvania County. The company has to overcome decades of mistakes by the uranium mining industry and deep skepticism of modern mining methods.

Virginia Uranium also has a large Canadian partner and paid lobbyists making its case in Richmond. The company is represented by a professional public relations firm and makes campaign contributions to the state’s politicians. While those things are common characteristics of modern companies, they are the kind of things that make people even more suspicious.

In contrast, the local uranium mining opponents are citizen volunteers spending their own time and money to oppose VUI.

We can all respect the passion and commitment members of The Alliance bring to this debate. But the group has taken a wrong turn and risks alienating more people than it could ever hope to bring to its side. They need to tear up their petition.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/editorials/danville_editorials/article/the_alliances_tough_talk_on_wrong_road/10654/

Demands put uranium mining foes at odds

It should be noted that Eloise Nenon is a founding member of Southside Concerned Citizens who remains actively committed to SCC and to the defeat of uranium mining at Coles Hill.

By John Crane

Published: April 22, 2009

A board member of Southside Concerned Citizens said she does not support the petition that would demand that the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors ban uranium mining.

If supervisors refused to ban uranium mining in the county, they would be declared “illegitimate under the Virginia Constitution,” according to the petition The Alliance and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund planned to circulate at a meeting at Averett University on Wednesday night. Averett officials asked that the petition not be circulated at the meeting, and the groups complied.

Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham.

Virginia currently has a moratorium on uranium mining.

The petition demands that supervisors ban uranium mining within three months of receiving it. It also calls on residents to vote on ratification of a proposed county constitution banning uranium mining and to declare that the supervisors be given the choice to adopt it. If the board doesn’t, the constitution wouldstill become law and a special election would be held to elect new supervisors.

The petition also states the Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens, an anti-uranium mining group, would oversee a county election of 11 people to draft a county constitution banning uranium mining and recognizing the right to community self-governance.

Eloise Nenon, a board member of Southside Concerned Citizens, said the group would not be a part of the effort to overthrow the county’s Board of Supervisors.

“We are opposed to that process, and we will not participate in that,” Nenon said during a telephone interview Wednesday.

Gregg Vickrey, a founder and chairman of The Alliance, said the petition mentioning the SCC was the wrong one. Vickrey used to chair the Pittsylvania County SCC, but left the group in February to form The Alliance.

Shireen Parsons, Virginia community organizer with the CELDF, said the petition mentioning SCC was an old copy, and that the voting process would be determined later if the scenario described in the petition became reality.

Nenon said she prefers to work within the existing system of government to educate lawmakers about the environmental consequences from uranium mining. The Pittsylvania County chapter of SCC never formally existed, Nenon said.

Parsons said whatever Nenon does is her choice.

“This is democracy,” Parsons said. “She can do whatever she wants.”

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/demands_put_uranium_mining_foes_at_odds/10563/

The Alliance Holds Forum Against Uranium Mining in The Area

Photo: Traci White/Register & Bee
(Gregg Vickrey and Shireen Parsons)

By John Crane

Published: April 22, 2009

About 40 people got a wake-up call Wednesday night urging them to seize their right to self-government and make their representatives put a stop to corporate assaults on their communities.

The Alliance, a local rights group opposing uranium mining in Pittsylvania County, and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund gave that presentation at Averett University’s student center on the devastation they say uranium mining and milling would inflict on Pittsylvania County. They also strongly encouraged attendees to act now and make sure their elected officials protect their health and safety from environmentally damaging activities.

The event included a mixture of Averett students and local residents.

Gregg Vickrey, a founder and chairman of The Alliance, outlined the history of uranium mining speculation in Pittsylvania County, starting when Marline Uranium wanted to mine and mill uranium deposits in Pittsylvania and Orange counties in the early 1980s but abandoned the idea when the price of uranium dropped from $40 a pound to $9.

In 2007, the price climbed to $135 a pound.

Today, Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million pound uranium deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. Virginia has a moratorium on uranium mining. The Virginia Coal & Energy Commission is overseeing a study to determine whether mining and milling can be done safely in the commonwealth.

Patrick Wales, geologist and spokesman for VUI, said during a telephone interview Wednesday night that the company doesn’t want to get involved in a debate with a group that’s talking about overthrowing the county government, a reference to a petition by the two groups.

Vickrey said during his presentation that a mine at Coles Hill would be about 55 blocks wide, cover 110 acres, and be a block and a half deep. Vickrey also showed photos taken on a road near Coles Hill after heavy rains that showed water along the road and the side of the road. He questioned how rainwater would be contained and said it would seep through tailing piles and contaminate water sources.

Shireen Parsons, Virginia community organizer with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, said during her presentation that uranium mining in the county is a “corporate assault.” She said uranium mining has never been done safely anywhere. Once mining takes place, everything within a 30-mile radius of Coles Hill would be contaminated, or a “dead zone,” Parsons said.

If VUI’s plans at Coles Hill are realized, a few fortunate property owners will be bought out and other families will have to walk away from their homes, with those left behind forced to deal with the health hazards of uranium mining, Parsons said. Residents must insist that their local representatives pass ordinances, such as a chemical-trespass ordinance, to protect their community from corporate assaults that would damage the air, water, land and the public health, she said.

“You cannot trust the government to save you,” Parsons said. “You have to save yourselves.”

Southside Virginia, in government and corporate language, is a sacrifice zone, Parsons said. The area has low income and education levels and a high minority population. Corporations are allowed to come to such places and engage in practices they can’t do in other areas, she claimed.

“You’re blessed with this beautiful place, but it’s a sacrifice zone,” Parsons said.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/local_rights_group_holds_forum_explaining_what_uranium_mining_would_do_to_a/10566/

Petition Asks County to Ban Uranium Mining, Proposed 'Constitution' Could Replace Supervisors

It is our understanding that as the Star-Tribune went to press, The Alliance acquiesced to a request from Averett University to not introduce the petition at the seminar to be held at Averett this evening. However, since the petition will be introduced somewhere very soon, and because the Star-Tribune has published the entire petition, we believe the article is important and deserves to be read. SB


By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:02 AM EDT

An anti-uranium group called The Alliance plans to launch a petition today aimed at forcing the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to ban uranium mining.

The petition will be unveiled at an educational seminar sponsored by The Alliance and Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund at Averett University.

The program, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Averett's Student Center multi-purpose room on the corner of Woodland Drive and Townes Street in Danville.

Alliance president Gregg Vickrey of Chatham will lead the seminar, which will focus on the environmental, social and economic impact of uranium mining in the county.

Informational handouts will be available, and a question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.

Vickrey previously served as chairman of the Chatham-Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens, which was formed 30 years ago when the prospect of uranium mining first surfaced in the county.

The Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, is one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States and is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Three years ago, the Coles and Bowen families formed Virginia Uranium Inc. to explore the possibility of eventually mining uranium.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982, but last year the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission agreed to study the benefits and dangers of uranium.

The study, which is just getting under way, is expected to take about two years.

According to Vickrey,The Alliance was formed to wage a grassroots battle to convince localities to ban uranium mining.

The group's petition begins with: "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...."

The petition calls for supervisors to ban uranium mining within three months of receiving the petition.

If supervisors refuse, they will have rendered themselves "illegitimate" under the Virginia Constitution, the petition states.

The Alliance then plans to ask residents to elect 11 representatives to draft a constitution for the county that bans uranium mining while recognizing the right to community self-government.

County residents would be asked to ratify the constitution.

If supervisors then fail to adopt the constitution, it will "automatically become the new governing law of the county," the petition states.

"If the county supervisors refuse to adopt the new constitution, the undersigned hereby authorize that another vote be taken to elect new county supervisors, who shall possess the legal and constitutional mandate to replace the existing county supervisors," it concludes.

"This is democracy built from the ground up," said Shireen Parsons of Christiansburg, a Virginia organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and adviser and Alliance board member.

"We're asking - no, they work for us - telling them they have to ban uranium mining," said Parsons.

"This is something that requires drastic action, and this is drastic action," she said. "If we don't stop it locally, it is going to happen."

The Alliance hopes to get a majority of county residents - at least 30,000 - to sign the petition before presenting it to supervisors.

The group also plans to ask Danville and the towns of Chatham, Gretna and Hurt to adopt "chemical trespass" ordinances against uranium mining.

Last year, Halifax became the first town in Virginia to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance aimed at uranium mining.

Chatham considered a similar ordinance, but abandoned the idea following an attorney general's opinion that the law is unconstitutional.

County Administrator Dan Sleeper said the petition is misguided.

"There is no such thing as a constitution for a county," he said.

Although rare, counties can ask the General Assembly for a charter, which gives them the same authority as cities.

Residents also can recall elected officials by obtaining signatures from at least 10 percent of registered voters and petitioning for a recall vote.

The full petition reads:

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:

1. That the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors adopt an ordinance that bans uranium mining from occurring within the county, and that the ordinance be adopted within three months of the submission of this petition to the Board of Supervisors;

2. That local governments in Pittsylvania County adopt ordinances that protect residents from uranium mining, as a disincentive for the mining to occur;

3. 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 under Article 1, §2 of the Virginia Constitution, which declares that "all power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people;"

4. That if the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors does not represent the majority of people in the county, that is has rendered itself illegitimate under the Virginia Constitution, and that Article 1, §3 of the Virginia Constitution provides that "a majority of the community hath an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish it;"

5. That the undersigned, representing a majority of the residents of Pittsylvania County, hereby call for a vote of the residents to elect eleven people to draft a Constitution for the County of Pittsylvania that bans uranium mining while recognizing the right to community self-government. The undersigned call on the Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens to develop and implement a democratic voting process for the election of those eleven individuals;

6. That the undersigned, representing a majority of the residents of Pittsylvania County, hereby call for a vote of the residents to ratify the finalized Constitution, and declare that the county supervisors be given the option to adopt the Constitution, and that if they fail to do so, that the County Constitution shall automatically become the new government law of the county.

If the county supervisors refuse to adopt the new constitution, the undersigned hereby authorize that another vote be taken to elect new county supervisors, who shall possess the legal and constitutional mandate to replace the existing county supervisors.

tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/04/22/chatham/news/news50.txt

No Petition at Mining Seminar [Tonight]

By John Crane

Published: April 22, 2009

Groups presenting an anti-mining seminar at Averett University tonight will not circulate a petition as planned to ban uranium mining in Pittsylvania County and remove the Board of Supervisors if it doesn’t adopt a new county constitution outlawing the practice.

Averett officials requested that the petition not be included in an anti-uranium presentation Tuesday.

“We respectfully asked the Alliance to refrain from introducing the petition at this educational forum, and they are cooperating with our request,” Susan Huckstep, Averett spokeswoman, said via e-mail Tuesday.

The Alliance and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund are presenting the seminar. Gregg Vickrey, a founder and chairman of the Alliance, said he had no problem with the school’s request, and the event will take place as scheduled at 7 p.m. today at Averett’s student center.

“They’re trying to offer educational forums, and I respect that,” Vickrey said. He said the Alliance hopes to debut the petition at a later event at a different location.

Shireen Parsons, Virginia community organizer with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, will also speak at the seminar about how a community can practice self-governance.

Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119 - million pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. Virginia currently has a moratorium on the practice.

Opponents have drafted the petition, which demands that supervisors ban uranium mining within three months of receiving it. The petition also calls for an election of 11 people to draft a new constitution for the county, which would ban uranium mining and would recognize the right to self-government. The county’s chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens would oversee the election.

The petition calls for residents to vote on ratification of the constitution and to declare that the supervisors be given the choice to adopt it. If the board doesn’t, the constitution would still become law and a special election would be held to elect new supervisors. Vickrey said he hopes everyone attends the presentation to see what the groups have to say and make informed decisions.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/no_petition_at_mining_seminar/10547/

Anti-Mining Group Takes Stand

By John Crane

Published: April 20, 2009

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. [We have been unable to find the link to the entire petition at the GoDanRiver.com website...SB]

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/anti-mining_group_takes_stand/10521/

We have removed the Readers Reactions from our post. So many have been left at the GoDanRiver.com website (link above), we thought it unfair to only post the first few here.

Garden Club to Showcase Coles Hill

This seems just nuts on so many levels.

By John Crane

Published: April 3, 2009

The historic home at Coles Hill, where Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a uranium deposit, will be featured in the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week Tour this month.

The home made the cover of the Garden Club of Virginia’s tour guidebook this year, Staci Wall, co-chair of Chatham’s Historic Garden Week Tour, said. VUI Chairman Walter Coles Sr. owns the Georgian-designed, three-story home that was built in 1817 and sits among more than 1,000 acres on Coles Road. His ancestors settled in Pittsylvania County in 1790 and several generations of the Coles family have lived in the house since it was constructed.

The Chatham Garden Club, a chapter of the state’s club, decided to include the Coles Hill property before VUI proposed to mine and mill uranium there, Wall said.

“Their home was selected to be in this tour three to five years ago,” Wall said.

The Garden Club has no ties to uranium or to VUI.

The tour will showcase two homes and a lecture hall in Chatham built respectively in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The other structures include the Heitzler home, a bungalow built in 1916 and located at 69 N. Main St. in Chatham, and Chatham Hall’s Van Voorhis Lecture Hall at 800 Chatham Hall Circle.

The tour will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. April 19 during Historic Garden Week. Tickets can be purchased at the sites and people can tour the buildings in any order, Wall said. Tickets are $10 for the entire tour or $4 to tour an individual structure. Guidebooks featuring every garden tour site across Virginia will be handed out on the tour.

Last year’s Chatham Garden Week Tour attracted about 400 people, Wall said. This year is the 76th anniversary of the state’s garden week, Wall said.

Historic Garden Week in Virginia lasts from April 18 through April 25.The state garden club uses the ticket proceeds to restore historic gardens and landscaping. For more information, visit http://www.vagardenweek.org.

At least one uranium mining opponent said the Coles Hill home tour is ironic. Gregg Vickrey, founder and chairman of the Alliance, praised the statewide tradition the garden club represents, but said Coles should consider having docents show visitors the uranium mining operation.

“They can tour the home and see the open pits,” view where uranium cores are held and where milling will take place, Vickrey said. They could also talk about what the property would look like after mining, Vickrey said.

Coles, who said he will continue to live in the house if mining and milling occur, said the lease agreement requires that the land be returned to its original contour after mining is complete and put into a conservation easement in perpetuity. The home was featured in one of the first Chatham garden tours in the early 1930s, and Coles said he is pleased his home is on the guidebook’s cover.

“We were happy that it happened,” Coles said of making the highly coveted and competitive cover of this year’s guidebook. He lives in the house with his wife, Alice Clement Coles.

Six hundred acres surrounding the home is a protected area, including the house, a family graveyard dating to the 1800s, an old, renovated schoolhouse and stables, Coles said. The Coles Hill property totals about 1,000 acres jointly owned by Coles and his sister Sarah Coles McBrayer. No uranium-related activity will take place on the 600-acre portion.

The Coles Hill home features furniture dating from the early 1800s, documents signed by prominent figures from the time, an old library and one room devoted to Teddy Roosevelt. Coles’ great uncle used to fish with the man who was the nation’s youngest president, Coles said.

The Heitzler home has Craftsman and Neo-Federal architecture and includes a summer house and goldfish pond.

The Van Voorhis Lecture Hall opened this year and is named after Jerry Van Voorhis, a former rector of Chatham Hall. The lecture hall was built using “green construction,” including geothermal heating with underground wells providing warmth and cooling using minimal energy. The hall can seat 320.

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/garden_club_to_showcase_coles_hill/10199/

Hats Off to Virginia Uranium! [Says Cole]

Oh, my...the VUI Kool-Aid is running like water here. Whew!

Mr. Cole must not have read the recent statement by Walter Coles that the study must only establish that it's "fairly clear" that the mining will be safe. Thus we needn't be reading any more quotes about "If it can't be done safely, it won't be done at all"; the new standard must now be quoted as "If it can't be done fairly safely...blah, blah blan." All we need to determine is what "fairly" means. With uranium, particularly with radon and water contamination, it's pretty much all or nothing...there's no "fairly safe" to it.

I live in KY...lots of mines and miners in KY. I've never yet met a wealthy miner. Wealthy mine owners, yes. Fairly wealthy off-site mining supervisors, yes. Comfortable mine inspectors, yes. But wealthy miners, never.

Chatham Star-Tribune
Opinion

Just to set the record straight, I recall it was Virginia Uranium that originally said, "If it can't be done safely, it won't be done at all" in reference to the feasibility and possible development of a mine in the area.

Instead of raking Virginia Uranium over the coals with unfounded accusations, anti-mining groups should applaud a company that makes a statement like that and wants to stand behind it.

In the next decade the supply for domestic energy will nearly double and alternative energy just won't meet the demand.

But oddly enough, the SCC, Alliance and other naysayers insist that uranium - the very mineral that produces 30 percent of the domestic electricity in Virginia - should not be mined.

Simply put, these groups don't like mining, whether uranium, coal or otherwise, but they enjoy the daily benefits of a warm house, lights, computer, etc.

If you are so adamant, please call the power company and disconnect your electric service.

Better yet, stop driving your car and move into a mud hut, because those are all made from mined materials.

Although the existing moratorium is what carries the real weight, agencies and supervisors are being pestered with proposals for bans and resolutions.

A detailed study is being overseen by the Coal and Energy Commission and the opportunity to comment was given.

Yet before the study even started, the naysayers declared it "bogus" and publicly accused sub-committee members of taking bribes, which is untrue.

If opposers had any integrity, they would either prove their accusations or make a public apology.

Some accuse Virginia Uranium of greed, then turn around and want to tax a mineral deposit before it's even mined. How reasonable is that?

Until the study is completed all this posturing and conjecturing is a waste of time and money.

Homer Hickham, NASA engineer and author of "Rocket Boys," which was made into the movie "October Sky," gave a most stirring and inspirational speech last Monday at a benefit dinner for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Danville and Chatham.

His roots go deep into the coal-mining town of Coalville, West Virginia, and he is proud of his heritage.

He said that this nation has been carried on the backs of coal miners like those of West Virginia.

So why don't we honor the mining industry instead of demeaning it?

Let me salute Virginia Uranium and Walter Coles for trying to do the right thing in the face of such opposition.

Frank Cole

Sheva

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/03/25/chatham/opinion/opinion03.txt

"The Alliance" To Target Uranium Mining At Grassroots Level

By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:27 AM EDT

A new anti-uranium group called The Alliance hopes to stop uranium mining at the grassroots, local level.

The Alliance was formed by Gregg Vickrey and about a dozen others, and recently held an organizational meeting at Vickrey's home on North Main Street in Chatham.

Vickrey is chairman of the new group, Andrew Lester of Chatham is vice chairman, and Vickrey's wife, Barb, is secretary-treasurer.

Vickrey previously served as chairman of the Chatham-Pittsylvania County Chapter of Southside Concerned Citizens, which was formed 30 years ago when the prospect of uranium mining first surfaced in the county.

The Coles Hill deposit, about six miles northeast of Chatham, is one of the largest uranium deposits in the United States and is worth between $8 billion and $10 billion.

Vickrey said Southside Concerned Citizens is focused more on the state legislature, which has the power to lift Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining.

Vickrey is still a member of the group, but hopes The Alliance will do more, especially on the local level.

"They are a fine group," he said. "But they stop with education. We take it a step further by encouraging people to actively participate in local government."

Vickrey believes The Alliance can be effective in convincing local officials to strengthen and enforce zoning and hazardous waste laws.

The group's ultimate aim is to convince localities to ban uranium mining.

"We're really a local rights-based organization," he said. "We're not an environmental group. We educate people on what the problem is and then we offer solutions."

Vickrey, a former manager of Piedmont Mall in Danville, recently retired because of heart problems. He has lived in Chatham about 13 years and is dead against uranium mining.

"We're anti-nuclear. We don't want to see uranium mining and milling anywhere. It kills people," he said.

"We feel like there are other technologies that are less expensive and are a lot cleaner and won't kill people."

Shireen Parsons, a Virginia organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, is an adviser and Alliance board member.

Based in Pennsylvania, the Community Environmental Defense Fund has been successful in getting more than 125 communities to pass ordinances against a variety of "corporate assaults," including the spreading of sewage sludge.

"Our primary tool is local law making," said Parsons. "We tell people what their rights are and assist communities in seizing and wielding their inherent government authority."

Last year, Halifax became the first town in Virginia to adopt a chemical trespass ordinance aimed at uranium mining.

Chatham considered a similar ordinance, but abandoned the idea following an attorney general's opinion that the law is unconstitutional.

Both Vickrey and Parsons are convinced that uranium opponents are not going to win at the state level.

"What we hope to do is to help people understand that they have the power to stop it," Vickrey said. "We need ordinances, not resolutions."

An Alliance membership form and calendar of events are available on the group's Web site at thealliance123.blogspot.com.

Founding members can join for a one-time fee of $25 through Memorial Day. After May 25, the fee will be $25 a year.

The group is applying for tax-exempt status, and Vickrey said dues will be used to "strictly promote the cause."

The Alliance offers free, educational seminars on the dangers and perils of uranium mining.

Contact the Star-Tribune: tim.davis@chathamstartribune.com or 434-432-2791

http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2009/03/18/chatham/news/news51.txt

New Uranium Mining Group Forms

By John Crane

Published: February 26, 2009

Gregg Vickrey, who was chairman of Southside Concerned Citizens’ Chatham-Pittsylvania County chapter, has split from the anti-uranium mining group and formed a separate organization.

Vickrey is seeking nonprofit status for the Alliance, which he said will expand its reach statewide and nationally in other issues in addition to uranium mining in Pittsylvania County. He said the group’s mission is to help people organize and assert their right to self-governance in the face of corporate assaults on the environment and in communities.

“I feel like we can be more effective operating under the Alliance,” Vickrey said Thursday.

The community activist said he and two others, John Chaney and Deborah Dix, officially started the Alliance on Wednesday. Vickrey said the group will continue to work with SCC in opposing uranium mining in the county.

Virginia Uranium Inc. seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit six miles northeast of Chatham. Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since the early 1980s.

Jack Dunavant, head of the Halifax-based SCC, said there is no animosity between SCC and the Alliance.

“Gregg felt he could do better under another banner,” Dunavant said. “People have different ideas about how to fight this battle.”

Dunavant added that SCC will team up with the Alliance and other groups on issues affecting the quality of life in Southside.

“We all have the same goal: to prevent uranium mining,” Dunavant said.

SCC, with a membership that’s reached more than 300 people, started in 1982 in Chatham to oppose Marline Corp.’s plans to mine and mill the Coles Hill deposit. The group moved to Halifax in 1983, Dunavant said.

Vickrey said people can access the Alliance’s Web site through the old SCC site, sccchatham.blogspot.com, where they will be directed to the Alliance’s site, thealliance123.blogspot.com.

Dunavant said he expects to have a separate site for SCC in about 10 days.

People can join the Alliance with a one-time fee of $25 through May 25 and become founding members, Vickrey said. Those joining the organization thereafter will pay a $25 fee annually. Vickrey said he knows of up to 20 people who will join soon and he hopes to grow it further.

“We’ll eventually have as many members as SCC,” Vickrey said.

Regardless of membership, the Alliance’s blog can still be accessed for free, he said.

The Alliance is not an environmental organization, but a rights-based group, he said.

Henry Hurt, a uranium mining supporter and VUI investor, expressed a hope regarding the Alliance not likely to be realized.

“I hope that they will see the promise of our uranium resource,” Hurt said. “I hope they see the light.”

http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/new_uranium_mining_group_forms/9364/