It’s been nearly a year since a group of Pittsylvania County residents traveled to Floyd County to give a power point presentation, alerting local residents about Virginia Uranium Inc.’s intent to mine and mill uranium in Virginia for use in the production of nuclear power. A reported 119 million pounds of uranium – worth as much as $10 billion is at stake for the company, which consists of Virginia investors, Canadian partners and land owners of the property in Pittsylvania County where the mining site is proposed.
Concerned about the radioactive waste associated with uranium mining and its risk to drinking water, human health, farmland, property values and tourism, a group of Floyd citizens formed UBAN, a grassroots organization named for the goal of keeping a 30 year statewide ban on uranium mining in place.
Throughout the year UBAN members have partnered with other Virginia groups to educate people on the issue. Members have staffed educational booths at festivals, hosted benefits, collected petition signatures, attended local and regional meetings and voiced their concerns to their representatives.
“Other countries are pulling away from nuclear power,” said UBAN member Anne Armistead. Since the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan the price of uranium in the global market has fallen, she reports. “Studies have shown that solar is already cheaper than nuclear.”
Armistead’s fear is that if the ban is lifted and uranium mining is allowed, it will ruin Virginia’s economy. “How many companies will leave if this happens? Who’s going to want to relocate here other than another dirty mining company?” she asked. “Clean water is our biggest asset to future jobs. Even the perception of such a dirty industry around dairy farms will have a negative effect.”
“Property values near the proposed site have already gone down,” said UBAN member Michael Kovick. Kovick recently contacted his insurance agent to ask about coverage for water contamination. There is none, he was told.
UBAN member Cheri Chalfan pointed out that Pittsylvania County is only 50 miles as the crow flies from Floyd. “We need to reach out to every person we know in this state. They need to let their delegates know that our water is more important than uranium.” She noted that full scale uranium mining has never been done in the east where floods and hurricanes would make the spread of toxic materials more likely.
Uranium mining and milling has been known to increase birth defects and cancer, particularly in those who live near the mines. The mining industry’s safety record in the past has not been good, Armistead said. “Church Rock in New Mexico is the biggest radioactive release disaster in this country. It was worse than Three Mile Island, but you don’t hear much about it.” A waste water storage system in Church Rock failed and radioactive water was released in 1979.
The National Academy of Science recently released its highly anticipated 22-month review on uranium mining. The report did not make any recommendations on the ban but pointed to “steep hurdles” that mining prospectors would have to overcome. It also highlighted the difficulty of storing radioactive waste for thousands of years, considering Virginia’s climate, geology and population.
UBAN members agree that, because the problem of permanent storage of the radioactive waste has not been solved, uranium mining can not be considered safe even if it is heavily regulated. “When they dredge up this low grade ore it will take 2,000 pounds to get 4 pounds of yellowcake. That leaves 1,996 pounds of toxic waste on the ground,” Kovick explained. “Some of it is released as particles into the air and it’s processed with water. That toxic water has to be stored. Everyone’s asking can you mine safely, but the real question is ‘how are you going to store the radioactive waste for 100,000 years?’ There is no way. Every facility breaks down in 50 years or so and is vulnerable to storms.”
UBAN members are unanimously concerned that Virginia Uranium, Inc., a well-financed and politically connected company that currently employs 14 lobbyists, will drown out the public voice and push for a General Assembly vote on lifting the ban before it can be thoroughly reviewed. Another concern is that if the ban is lifted land throughout the Appalachian Mountain chain, where uranium deposits are believed to be, will be open to mining.
Kovick refers to the rush to mine and mill uranium in Virginia as “irresponsible and irrational.” “On the one hand they are pushing this by talking about putting regulations in place. On the other hand they have lobbyists in D.C. trying to shut down any regulations that are here to protect the public right now. They’re speaking out of both sides of their mouth.”
A by-donation “Keep the Ban” benefit dance concert is planned for Thursday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Dogtown Roadhouse. Along with the scheduled music entertainment, Mighty Shakey and the RockuPyers, organizers plan to host an information table and have a guest speaker. They hope to inspire others to attend a Keep the Ban Lobby Day, hosted by the conservation community in Richmond on January 23rd. Mary Rafferty, a Sierra Club organizer and UBAN resource from Richmond, says the event will involve a morning workshop on lobbying, followed by a trip to the capitol to meet with legislators.
“This is our one chance. If people take one day out of their life to do this one thing and we make enough of a showing, we can have an impact and stop this.” Kovick urged. ~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com.
Post notes: UBAN members Michael Kovick, Anne Armistead and Cheri Chalfan are pictured at a meet-up at the upcoming benefit dance concert venue, Dogtown Roadhouse. Read the article I wrote for Natural Awakenings magazine on how the “Risks Outweigh the Benefits” HERE and a more recent excellent commentary in the Roanoke Times HERE. More information can be found at keeptheban.org.
~ The above was also published in The Floyd Press.
Story and Photos by Elliot Blumberg | newrivervoice.com correspondent
Aikido is a lesser known martial art developed in early 20th century Japan by Morihei Ueshiba. It isn’t as commonly practiced in the United States as Tae Kwon Do or Karate, but you can find dojos (training halls) locally.
The basic idea of Aikido is to submit an attacker without causing harm. This can be done by employing a combination of wrist locks, throws and using your attacker’s energy against against him. Below are photographs of the Blue Ridge Aikido class in Salem:
-
-
Rolling and stretching are performed first thing at every session – nobody wants to pull a hammy!
-
-
Tumbling is vital to Aikido. You either fall and roll correctly or risk injury
-
-
Sensei Ron Malachowsky demonstrates how to thwart and throw a weapon-wielding uke (attacker)
-
-
Training, with or without weapons, instills muscle memory into students
-
-
Right before a takedown…
-
-
Would be “attackers” will tap out pretty quickly; anatomical knowledge helps submit the uke
-
-
Students practice switching off between attacking and defending, but nobody gets hurt
-
-
Students belt out war cries as they go through the motions of weapons training
Dojos in the area include the Kodokan Aikido in Blacksburg and Blue Ridge Aikido in Salem. Their homepages can be found here:
Kodokan Aikido
Blue Ridge Aikido and Yoga
A group of citizens gathered in the Warren Lineberry Park Saturday to show
their support for Occupy Wall Street (OWS), the ongoing protest of corporate
greed and influence that began in New York City four weeks ago. Rallies in
solidarity of the OWS protesters also took place in Blacksburg and Roanoke and
in localities around the country and globe.
Attendee Micheal Kovick addressed the group, saying, “There is no leader
here. I’m here to support the Occupy Wall Street protestors. I don’t want to
participate in a gripe session. I don’t know what the answer is. There are a lot
of things wrong.”
Kovick suggested that OWS supporters engage individuals in conversation.
“What can we do locally? How can we make a presence and invite more people into
the process?” he asked.
A young man commented that many young people can’t get jobs or afford
college. A woman who attended the Washington DC OWS said communication, planned actions and visibility were all important components of being heard.
“The Supreme Court ruling that corporations can make unlimited donations to
political campaigns is a big problem. That’s where we lose our voice,” said one
attendee. Another added, “We need publicly funded elections so that lobbyists
can’t buy politicians.” Other suggestions to address the concerns of OWS
included returning the top 1% tax bracket to 1950-1980 levels and holding Wall
Street bankers who committed fraud accountable.
Toni Lamberti, who spent a recent day at the New York OWS, said the issue was
“the rich against the poor.” Holding a brightly painted red sign that read ‘We
Are the 99%,’ she commented that she was impressed with how the New York
demonstrators conducted themselves. “They had lunch tables and even libraries
set up.”
Lamberti said protestors are building on the momentum of what’s been
happening around the world. She suggested citizens google “Wall Street
Occupation” or follow democracynow.org to get a different take on OWS from what
the mainstream media is reporting. ~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com
~The following also appeared in The Floyd Press.
~ The following appeared in The Floyd Press on September 29. 2011.
At the UBAN Keep the Ban benefit concert, held at the Pine Tavern Pavilion on Friday, musician Ember Swift gave a looping demonstration, incorporating a “Keep the Ban” chant into the mix at the start of one of her engaging songs.
Michael Kovick, accompanied by his Mighty Shakey band mates, Rusty May, Dave Fason and Brad Miller, sang an original song with a refrain of “corporation’s not a person.” Kovick, who along with Miller is a member of UBAN, also sang a new song he wrote about the “Roanoke Basin Blues” … If minin’ wins, then poison bleeds to water … That’s just the way the whole thing goes … Just ask anyone livin’ next door to a uranium mine … what goes around … comes home.
UBAN organizer Anne Armistead introduced Mary Rafferty in between band performances. Rafferty, a Sierra Club grassroots organizing manager from Richmond, addressed the crowd from the stage, saying, “My job is to work with communities to help protect the air we breathe so we don’t get sick and to insure the water we drink doesn’t make us sick.”
Rafferty talked about the radioactive waste created from uranium mining, which is deadly for 100’s of thousands of years, and stated that Virginia’s wet climate makes it unsuitable for uranium mining and milling and vulnerable to toxic pollution of the water supply. She told those in attendance that the issue of lifting Virginia’s nearly 30-year old ban on uranium mining to benefit a few landowners and investors is a political issue. “Get out and vote,” she encouraged.
Freeda Cathcart, who is running for the Virginia House of Delegates, also spoke and encouraged people to vote in November. Cathcart, a community organizer who has a home in Floyd and Roanoke said she felt a sense of urgency to run for political office, especially because of the threat of uranium mining in Virginia, which has traditionally been done in dry climates that are sparsely populated. She invited attendees to Roanoke Saturday morning to hear former U.S. Virginia Representative Tom Perriello speak.
Natasha Shishkevish of Natasha’s Market Café provided food for the benefit. The well fed crowd was not shy about taking to the dance floor. They cheered on the efforts of Floyd UBAN, which is part of a statewide coalition coordinating efforts to keep Virginia’s ban on uranium mining in place.
As a fundraiser, “It was defiantly a success,” said Armistead. “The people of Floyd are just so generous. We wanted to make it affordable to everyone so we had a suggested donation of $5- 10 dollars. Most people paid the max and some paid more.” She said. Colleen Redman
Post Notes: Floyd UBAN meets at 7:00 on second Tuesday of each month at the Jesse Peterman library. Pictured above are Mighty Shakey, Ember Swift, and Mary Rafferty and volunteer gate keeper Virginia Neurkirch. Read more about the Keep the Ban on VA uranium mining efforts HERE. The above first appeared in The Floyd Press.
