Timeline continued from the Gold Mining Page: Updates/Timeline in Brief
https://www.friendsofbuckinghamva.org/ban-gold-mining/#Updates
May 2023
Opportunities for comment:
- Supervisor meeting M May 8, 6 pm & Planning Commission M May 22, 5 pm. Sign up to comment 5:30-5:55 pm.
- Buckingham County Administration Building
13360 W James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921 - Online viewing [no commenting] – follow the links to the meeting Agenda/Minutes/YouTube Livestream Here.
Planning Commission Work Session on metallic mining: May 15, 6 pm The County attorney, Mr Wright will present about the legalities of using land use law to ban metallic mining. Attend in person, or to watch the livestream, look Here.
Planning Commission Monthly Meeting 4/24 Watch public comments on metallic mining Here, starting at 8 minutes.
Supervisor Meeting Monday 4/17, 6 pm. For agenda, link to livestream click Here closer to the time. Public comment sign up is 5:30-5:55 pm.
Planning Commission work session on metallic mining Wednesday 4/19, 6 pm. We had 20 minutes to present about the State Study, followed by Q&A. Watch Here.
March 2023
Planning Commission Meeting Monday 3/27, 6 pm. For the agenda click Here. YouTube recording is Here. Our public comments begin at 16 minutes. Metallic mining agenda presentation is right after – Paul Busch, Goochland Moss gold mine owner/operator speaks for >40 minutes.
Planning Commission Work Session YouTube recording on metallic mining ban via land use ordinance. No public comment period. Monday 3/20, 6 pm. Industry presents: Rob Lanham of VTCA, Guy Dixon – Kyanite mine owner, Prof Erik Westman of VA Tech, Spencer Young of Boxley Slate Mines. Farmville Herald editorial Here.
Supervisor Meeting Monday 3/13, 6 pm. For past and current packet, agenda, and video, click here. YouTube recording Here. Begin at 2:45 for our comments.
February 2023:
Planning Commission Meeting Monday 2/27, 6 pm. Gold mining is on the agenda. For past and current packet, agenda, video click here.
Buckingham Supervisor Meeting Monday 2/13, 6 pm. For past and current packet, agenda, and video, click here.
Our comments begin at 2 minutes. Noteworthy: Supervisor Miles moved, Vice Chairman Davis seconded to carry the recommendation of the Gold Mine Review Committee to the Planning Commission to start the process to amend the Zoning Ordinance to ban metallic mining in any zoning district in Buckingham County and to come up with definitions for the ordinance for metals.
County gold mining committee meeting #2, Monday 2/13, 4:30 pm in the Administration Building. Recording of the meeting is Here. At 11 minutes Jordan Miles announces that this may be the last meeting…! Experts Ben Price and Joe Lerch presented. Read more about the committee here.
January 2023:
Buckingham Supervisor Meeting Monday 1/9, 6 pm: For the video livestream access to the meeting click here. For the packet, agenda and video, click here.
December 2022:
Buckingham Supervisor Meeting Monday 12/12: Our public comments on YouTube begin at 21 minutes. On the agenda: formation of a committee to review the state gold study report. Starts at 1:46:25.
SAC Final Report is released December 2. See details in Take Action above. Read it on the Virginia Energy site Here.
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.
FoB and Virginia Community Rights Network (VACRN) propose to Buckingham Supervisors a Community Bill of Rights, a common sense ordinance that would protect the health, safety and general welfare of the residents and natural environment of Buckingham County:
- Claims our right and responsibility to make decisions locally to protect our communities.
- Protects us from the toxic trespass of industrial metallic mining.
- Prove It First! Show us another metallic mine that has caused no harm.
For more information, visit the Virginia Community Rights Network (VACRN) project landing page. Read the ordinance 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
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