Dec
02
2011
This week the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission released its official study of the socioeconomic impacts of uranium mining in Virginia, predicting a major economic windfall for Southside and communities across the state.
The study showed that Virginia and Southside would benefit economically from the Coles Hill project while having negligible impacts on the environment, tourism and agriculture industries, and the health of community residents.
The study found that the proposed Coles Hill uranium mining project in Pittsylvania County would produce over 1,000 jobs annually, with more than half in the economically distressed Southside region. Over the 35-year life of the operation, the Coles Hill project will generate almost $5 billion in revenue for Virginia companies and more than $112 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the study.
Of the approximately 325 workers that would be hired directly by the mining company Virginia Uranium Inc., 97 percent would be hired from the Southside region, the study said.
Click here to read the full study.
“Uranium mining and milling represents a clear path toward the jobs and economic opportunities Southside’s residents and businesses so desperately need,” said Virginia Energy Independence Alliance Chairman Ray Ganthner.
In a region that has been hit hard with factory closings and huge job layoffs this report offers hope for Southside residents for a brighter economic future with long-term job opportunities and new revenues for local companies.
“The study clearly demonstrates the enormous positive economic impact our project will have on businesses, families and communities throughout the Southside region and validates what our company has been all about from the very beginning,” said Virginia Uranium, Inc. project manager Patrick Wales.
The study also found that the local agriculture and tourism industries would be unaffected by the project.
“This study should reassure farmers, educators and the entire business community they can coexist safely and thrive together with uranium mining,” said Wales.
Another study by the National Academy of Sciences on the public health and safety impacts of mining is due to be released within days.
“While we are awaiting the results of the National Academy of Sciences study of environmental and public health and safety considerations, this study illustrates the enormous economic benefits Virginia can look forward to if the Coles Hill project comes to fruition,” said VEIA Chairman Ray Ganthner.
Nov
15
2011
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Friday gave Dominion Virginia Power permission to restart its two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County.
The two reactors have been shut down since the August 23rd 5.8 magnitude earthquake tripped them offline.
The company has begun the restart of unit 1 which will be at full power by midweek. Dominion will restart unit 2 next week.
Eric Leeds, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation said, “The earthquake shook the reactors more strongly than the plant’s design anticipated, so Dominion had to prove to us that the quake caused no functional damage to the reactors’ safety systems… We’re satisfied the plant meets our requirements to restart safely.”
The North Anna Power Station produces power for approximately 450,000 homes. Overall, Dominion serves 2.3 million customers in Virginia.
Governor Bob McDonnell commented on the restart saying, “Dominion and the NRC have ensured that every possible precaution was taken prior to returning the facility to normal operations.”
Dominion has been purchasing replacement power from other sources since the August shutdown and estimates the cost to be as much as $1 million to $2 million a day. The company has spent over $21 million for post-earthquake inspections, tests and analyses to ensure the plant is safe to restart.
While many across the state are glad to see the reactors restarted Jerry Rosenthal of People’s Alliance for Clean Energy is frustrated the plant was allowed to restart without being upgraded to sustain higher magnitude earthquakes. Rosenthal said, “The bottom line is it’s money. They are putting profits in front of safety.”
The company said it will take about four days to get unit 1 from a cold shutdown to being online and producing electricity for the grid.
Nov
08
2011
The Obama administration’s new 5-year offshore drilling plan announced today excludes Virginia and other Atlantic states from any drilling activity until after 2017.
The Interior Department’s plan outlines all federal offshore waters that will be eligible for oil and gas leasing from 2012-2017. Despite estimates of approximately 130 million barrels of oil and 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Virginia’s coast, the Obama administration decided not to allow any development in Virginia’s water for at least five years.
In early 2010, only a month after announcing a plan to allow Atlantic offshore drilling, the Obama administration imposed a 7-year moratorium on drilling along the Atlantic coast in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reaction from Virginia’s political leadership to the Interior Department’s plan was swift and largely critical. In a statement, Senator Mark Warner said he “will be strongly urging the administration to take another look at including Virginia in its five-year plan.” Senator Jim Webb touted the benefits of developing Virginia’s offshore resources, saying that offshore drilling in Virginia “would boost domestic energy production, while benefiting the Commonwealth’s economy.” In July, Senators Warner and Webb introduced legislation to enhance Virginia’s share of royalties from offshore drilling and to expand the areas open to exploration off Virginia’s coast.
Governor Bob McDonnell rebuked the administration’s plan, casting it as a job killer and a hindrance to economic development in Virginia. In a statement, Governor McDonnell said the decision to exclude Virginia from offshore drilling “will cost millions in potential investment, and will squander the opportunity to create thousands of jobs during a time when our economy needs our support.” Some estimates have predicted that offshore oil and gas drilling would create 3,000-15,000 jobs in the Commonwealth, depending on the scale of development and how well Virginia companies are positioned to service oil and gas rigs in other Atlantic states.
Governor McDonnell urged Congress to pass the Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011, the legislation introduced by Senators Warner and Webb, and implored the Obama administration to reconsider its decision.
Calling the Obama administration to task for abrogating its own commitments, Governor McDonnell said that “when initially approving the sale of Virginia offshore leases in March 2010, President Obama said he was expanding offshore oil drilling along the Atlantic coast because ‘America must break its dependency on foreign oil and rely more on homegrown fuels and clean energy.’” “That was well said,” McDonnell added.
Oct
30
2011
A Roanoke County Supervisor’s motion to consider reducing the maximum 60 decibel limit for commercial wind turbines was denied Tuesday night by the rest of the Board members.
Supervisor Ed Elswick hoped the board would lower the maximum decibel limit to something quieter, arguing that the 60 decibel limit is more appropriate for industrial areas than residential.
Contrary to Elswick’s claims, the League for the Hard of Hearing says 60 decibels is more like a normal conversation or an electric shaver.
The Board set the decibel limit as well as the minimum distance the turbines must stand from homes at its September 13th meeting.
Elswick’s district includes Poor Mountain where next year a company is expected to seek permission from the County Board to build 15 to 18 wind turbines.
Chicago-based Invenergy says that the Poor Mountain wind farm will generate power for as many as 8,000-10,000 homes in the Roanoke region. Earlier in the year, Invenergy received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration for all but a few of the proposed wind turbines. With modest modifications to the siting of those turbines, the FAA said it would approve the entire project.
Invenergy will need to seek a special-use permit from Roanoke County and approval from the State Corporation Commission before it can proceed with development. The company plans to pursue both avenues next year.
Oct
26
2011
Last week, The United States Department of Agriculture announced that Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative has been awarded a $90 million loan to help finance a 50-megawatt biomass electric generating facility in Halifax County.
The plant, which will be located in South Boston, will burn wood byproducts to generate electricity. The roughly 600,000 tons of wood byproducts required annually will be drawn from resources within 50 miles of the plant location.
This project will allow the sourcing and generation of energy to be performed almost entirely in Virginia, with the final consumers of the energy being Virginians.
Speaking to the Gazette-Virginian, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated, “It’s [the plant] going to convert wood from the local area to energy and will create enough energy to basically provide power to the equivalent of 10,000 customers.”
Initial estimates suggest the construction of the facility will require a workforce of 300-400 workers and the operation of the plant will require 25 to 30 full-time workers. As Southside Virginia continues to struggle with high unemployment, projects of this nature offers the area potential employment opportunities both in the short-term and in the long-term.
Secretary Vilsack also proclaimed “This is all part of our effort to rebuild the electric system in this country to make it more friendly for renewable energy…”
