Timeline continued from the Gold Mining Page: Updates/Timeline in Brief
November 2022:
National Academy of Sciences hosted a report release webinar on November 2. For links to the report – scroll up to the Take Action section.
Next State Agency Committee (SAC) work group meeting: Rescheduled from October 18, to Thursday, November 3, from 9 am – 3 pm. See Take Action above for more info.
Buckingham Supervisor meeting: Tuesday 11/15, 6 pm; sign up to comment 5:30-5:55. Watch the meeting on YouTube. Ben Price presents, consultant for the proposed rights-based ordinance, with the Coumminty Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF); begins at 16:45 minutes. Public comments follow. Check out David Waters’ comments at 57:50.
October 2022:
Board of Supervisor meeting: Tuesday 10/11, 6 pm. Sign up to comment 5:30-5:55. Adopt the rights-based ordinance Now! View the YouTube recording here. Public comments start at 16 minutes.
SAC draft report: The state agency committee of the workgroup is currently drafting its companion document. To view the latest version, please click here. This document will be revised as sections are added and discussed at public meetings. To comment on the draft report, please click here to post to the public Town Hall (preferred as this is shared with the public) or email goldstudy@energy.virginia.gov.
September 2022:
Board of Supervisor meeting (second Mondays): 9/12, 6 pm. Sign up to comment 5:30-5:55. Adopt the rights-based ordinance Now! View the YouTube recording here. Our public comments start at 36:13 minutes.
Comment Writing Party (online): Tuesday 9/13, 6:30 pm. Register here. Public comments are being received by the State Study through September 30, and your voice is needed to say NO to large-scale gold mining in VA. Press Pause Coalition
Next State Agency work group meetings: Monday September 26 from 9 am – noon. Tuesday October 18 from 9 am – noon.
August 2022:
State Agency work group meeting Friday August 26, 9 am to Noon, at the Buckingham Community Center
Buckingham Music & Meeting: Saturday August 27, 2:45; Union Grove Baptist Church, 2522 Shelton Store Road. In support of the proposed rights-based Freedom from Toxic Trespass Ordinance. Preparation for September 12 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Board of Supervisor meeting (second Mondays): 8/8, 6 pm. View the YouTube recording here. Our public comments start at 4 minutes. Listen to agenda item O2 – Metallic Mining Ordinance Update at 2:42. See Memo from County Attorney to Board of Supervisors here.
July 2022:
VACRN & FoB submit comments to NAS and VA Regulatory Town Hall. See article about partnership to advance rights-based ordinance to protect Buckingham from toxic trespass.
SELC and CBF statewide coalition sign on to letter to NASEM 7/7/22
June 2022:
SELC and CBF have submitted their comments to NASEM, including a report by Dr Ann Maest.
State Agency work group meeting recording for June 23 is here – excellent! Includes Aaron Mintzes JD, Stu Levitt JD, Dr. Ann Maest.
May 2022:
NASEM Town Hall: Wednesday May 25, at the Buckingham Community Center. Check out this post with videos of the event.
State Agency work group May 16 meeting recording: [Password is Xk7yfPpq] At 30 minutes Dr. Steve Emerman & at 60 minutes Dr. David Pellow give compelling arguments for why there’s no place for industrial gold mining in VA.
March 2022
State Agency Committee [HB2213]: Presentation by Dr Erica Schoenberg, Professor, Dept. of Environmental Health and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University
Watch the SAC recording Here. PASSWORD: VAEnergy1
Dr Schoenberger starts at 1:09:00. At 1:25:00 – good slides on AMD followed by cyanide, dams, reclamation, regulations, restoration
February 2022:
HB250: House panel rejects metals mining study February 7, 2022. We asked to pause permitting for new metallic mines (gold, copper, lead and zinc) while the NASEM studies the impacts and makes recommendations for updating regulations to protect Virginia. See fact sheet here. Thanks to by-partisan sponsorship by Delegate Shelly Simons and Delegate Edmunds. The Virginia Mercury article by Sarah Vogelsong here.
January 2022:
Updated map, Gold-pyrite belt and the Virginia House of Delegates. Thanks to our partners, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC).
December 2021:
Check out the new website for Press Pause Coalition, the statewide coalition of partners which officially formed in 2021 and seeks to implement a pause on permitting new metals mining in Virginia. Join us!
October 2021:
FoB is partnering with the Virginia Community Rights Network (VACRN) to gather support for a proposed commonsense rights-based toxic trespass local ordinance to protect Buckingham County from the harm we know that would come from metallic mining. See petition (above) and Communities page.
September 21, 2021:
Aston Bay is expanding their exploration in Buckingham to 3 target sites and also in South Central Virginia (Pittsylvania, Campbell Counties). Watch the YouTube video (3:00 minutes)
July 2021
Virginia Gold Rush: Residents fear dangerous open pit mine will open in Buckingham County before General Assembly acts
April 2021
Press Release: Friends of Buckingham applauds Governor Northam for signing HB2213, the study of commercial gold mining
January-February 2021
First webinar: Webinar Tues Jan 12, 6 pm: Learn about the threat of gold mining in Virginia
HB2213
TAKE ACTION to protect Virginia from the dangers of commercial gold mining
Gold articles on HB2213 and community: Virginia Mercury, Richmond Times Dispatch, CVILLE
November 2020
Paul Barlow’s trip to Haile Mine, SC
Mr Barlow goes to Kershaw, SC, home to the Haile open pit gold mine, to meet the neighbors
Oct. 2020
First interview:
Buckingham Poised to Battle a Gold Rush
https://www.wvtf.org/news/2020-10-09/buckingham-poised-to-battle-a-gold-rush
https://www.friendsofbuckinghamva.org/gold-mining-pollution-threatens-buckingham-county/
First fact sheet:
Gold Mining problems in brief & links to extensive resources
https://www.friendsofbuckinghamva.org/gold-mining-problems-in-brief/
June 2020
Exploratory drilling discovered in Warminster Church Rd neighborhood