In recent months, several major wind energy companies have scouted the area for potential sites to build large-scale wind farms. But, now county officials are considering a law that would effectively ban such development.

Floyd County is unique in Virginia as one of the only localities that does not have established rules for zoning any kind of development, commercial or residential. Typically those decisions are left up to landowners to make for themselves. However, the prospect of building wind turbines in the predominantly rural county has touched off a debate among officials and residents.

Last year, neighboring Roanoke County passed an ordinance allowing the development of commercial-scale wind farms in the county while placing restrictions on the turbines’ height, noise and proximity to residential communities. Wind company Invenergy has proposed building a 19-turbine wind farm on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, which the company says will produce enough electricity to power more than 10,000 homes in the region.

Now the Floyd County Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance of its own, but one that would impose much more severe – even prohibitive -  restrictions on the height of the turbines. The so-called ridgeline protection ordinance would effectively prevent the construction of wind turbines on ridge tops and adjacent valleys, the locations most suitable for capturing wind energy.

Residents gathered at Floyd County High School last night to debate the issue, with some expressing support for wind development and others backing the ordinance to block the development. Supporters argued that private property owners should be able to develop their land as they wish, and touted the economic and environmental benefits of renewable wind energy. Opponents of wind energy raised concerns about noise pollution and the obstruction of ridge top viewscapes.

The Floyd County Board of Supervisors will meet on February 14th to deliberate over the proposed ridgeline protection ordinance.

In the letter, the Senators argued that opening up the Atlantic coast to drilling would “attract well-paying jobs and hold significant promise for boosting needed domestic energy production.”

Read the Senator’s letter here.

After initially including Virginia in the Interior Department’s 2012-2017 offshore oil and gas leasing program, in late 2011 the Obama Administration reversed course and imposed a 7-year moratorium on Atlantic coast drilling.

Beyond the potential to create thousands of jobs and produce a large amount of domestic energy, Warner and Webb also emphasized the significant royalties the federal and state governments stand to gain. These royalties could serve as a “future source of funding for important state priorities such as transportation, land and water conservation and alternative energy development,” they said.

While the Senators’ letter will put a spotlight on Virginia’s offshore resources, it is unlikely to persuade the Obama administration to change course again. Interior’s 5-year plan is due to be finalized this summer, and the administration appears to be sticking to its guns.

With draft regulations and a site-specific analysis of the Coles Hill site in hand prior to the 2013 session of the General Assembly, the Governor said he would like to see legislators decide next year whether to lift Virginia’s moratorium on uranium mining.

Read the Governor’s announcement and directive to state agencies.

The working group will hold at least three public meetings throughout the year to report on its progress and hear input from the public.

The Coles Hill uranium deposit is the largest untapped deposit in the U.S., with enough uranium to fuel Virginia’s nuclear reactors for nearly 75 years. A recent socioeconomic study by the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission said the proposed project could yield more than 1,000 new jobs, $5 billion in economic benefits and more than $1oo million in state and local tax revenue.

A separate study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) determined that although the industry posed environmental risks in its early days, the experience of Canada, Australia and the western states over the last 3o years has demonstrated that uranium mining can be been done safely and with minimal impacts to the environment. The working group will likely draw from many of the international regulatory standards and industry best practices identified by the NAS study.

“The study shows that major technological and regulatory advances over the past 30 years have dramatically improved the environmental and public health performance of the uranium mining and milling industry,” said Virginia Uranium, Inc. project manager, Patrick Wales.

Virginia Uranium is seeking to develop the largest undeveloped uranium deposit in the United States located in Pittsylvania County. A 30-year-old moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia requires state agencies to develop a regulatory and permitting program for the industry before development can proceed. The issue is expected to be a major issue in the General Assembly this year.

VEIA Chairman Ray Ganthner responded to the study saying, “by requiring the adoption of the best practices [identified in the study] and applying the lessons from the industry’s past, the VEIA believes Virginia is fully capable of developing our uranium resources in a safe and environmentally responsible way.”

The NAS study identified many of the best industry practices and regulatory requirements adopted over the last 30 years to address most of the environmental issues associated with the industry. The management of tailings, the non-uranium material leftover from the milling process, has been a particular environmental concern for residents in the surrounding area.

Addressing the issue of tailings management head-on, the NAS concluded that “to date, modern tailings disposal cells have been effective at preventing groundwater contamination.” The report went on to say that “significant improvements have been made to tailings management practices to isolate mine waste from the environment, and below-grade disposal practices have been developed specifically to address concerns regarding tailing dam failures.”

“If uranium mining, processing, and reclamation are designed, constructed, operated, and monitored according to modern international best practices,” the report predicted that “near- to moderate-term environmental effects specific to uranium mining and processing should be substantially reduced.”

The NAS went on to explain that modern tailings management sites are designed to withstand severe weather events such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and are have been successful at preventing contamination of air and water in communities surrounding operations. The study acknowledged numerous other improvements by the industry in recent decades in the areas of worker safety and groundwater protection.

The NAS study particularly focused on industry practices and regulatory models from Canada, where uranium mining and milling has occurred for more than 50 years with a fairly exemplary record for environmental performance. The study pointed to the McLean Lake and Rabbit Lake operations as good examples of how rigorous government oversight and advanced technologies have been effective at protecting water quality and other environmental factors.

The study concluded that “best practices, if properly implemented in association with rigorous monitoring, should address or allow the site operator to take action to mitigate the majority of short-term environmental effects from routine uranium-specific mining and processing activities.”

Virginia Uranium Project Manager Patrick Wales said the company is committed to adopting “the best practices and regulatory requirements identified by the NAS as essential to protecting the environment and public health.”

The NAS study also emphasized that Virginia Uranium would have to navigate a lengthy regulatory process, involving intensive review by multiple regulatory agencies, before a single shovel would enter the ground at the Coles Hill site. If the moratorium is lifted in 2012, the NAS said, operation of a mine would not take place for another 5 to 9 years.

Other studies focusing on the socioeconomic aspect of uranium mining in Virginia by the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission and the Research Triangle Institute have highlighted the significant economic impact of the proposed Coles Hill project, including more than 1,000 jobs and $135 million for Virginia’s economy each year.

As we approach the end of 2011, the debate concerning uranium mining in Virginia is reaching a crescendo as those in favor and those opposed anticipate that a bill to overturn the existing moratorium on uranium mining will be introduced into the Virginia General Assembly in 2012. While this is an important issue, especially to those who live in Southside Virginia and in other parts of the commonwealth that might host uranium deposits, the implications extend far beyond the question of whether or not to exploit the largest unmined uranium deposit in the United States.

The broader and more important question concerns the future that we, as residents of the commonwealth and citizens of the United States, want to forge for our children and their children and grandchildren. America is in decline because we have become dependent on others to provide all of the resources and gadgets that we have become accustomed to, and which lead to the high standard of living and quality of life that Americans enjoy.

The United States became a great nation because for the first two centuries of our existence we were mostly self-sufficient in terms of energy and raw materials needed for manufacturing. We produced tangible goods that not only provided jobs to Americans, but also provided income as those goods were sold at home and abroad. Today, we produce little in the way of tangible goods in this country, as iron and steel, furniture, textiles, electronics, and most other types of manufacturing activities have moved to other countries.

This loss of domestic productivity comes at a great cost. In 2009, the United States spent $309 billion to import oil, enough to hire all of the 14 million unemployed at an annual salary of $22,000. Much of this oil was imported from countries that are openly or covertly working toward the our destruction.

Many of those who oppose uranium mining claim that cheaper and higher-grade sources of uranium are available from stable overseas producers. This is true to some extent, but many of the people who suggest that we should import this valuable energy resource are the same people who have bumper stickers on their cars that read “Buy Local.” Perhaps they mean that we should buy local if it benefits them, or at least doesn’t inconvenience them or expose them to risks.

Many of those who oppose uranium mining oppose any and all types of mining or infrastructure development. Some of these people will drive their gasoline-powered cars to town hall meetings to oppose offshore drilling for oil, or use their computers that contain copper and gold and many other metals to send out emails opposing development of copper mines. Some go to rallies to oppose building nuclear power plants and then return to their air-conditioned homes and watch TVs that are powered by electricity generated by a nuclear reactor.

There are many reasons to support the mining of uranium in Virginia, if it can be shown through rigorous scientific studies that it can be done with minimal and acceptable risk to the environment and to human health. Most Americans enjoy the many benefits that mining and other types of resource extraction provide, and it is not morally or ethically acceptable for Americans to expect others to face potential risks and inconveniences associated with producing those resources if we are not also prepared to accept some of the risks ourselves.

Let us stop being a country of elitist hypocrites who oppose anything that might inconvenience us while at the same time demanding the many benefits that resource extraction and manufacturing provide.

I grew up listening to parents, grandparents, and friends who lived through both world wars and the Great Depression, and the important lesson learned was the shared sense of responsibility that this generation espoused: the willingness to sacrifice for the common good.

That sense of shared responsibility is lost today in America, and I fear that the bright future that my parents and their parents built for my generation through their sacrifices will not be there for my children and their children and grandchildren.

Saying “yes” to mining and producing a valuable non-carbon-dioxide generating energy resource within the commonwealth can and should be the first step toward re-establishing our energy independence and helping to build a brighter future.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…”