Welcome to The Maysville Voice, a newsletter for those living in the Maysville District. I am pleased, as always, to bring you links, resources, and information about what’s going on in Buckingham County.
This special edition centers around a State Legislature-driven study of the impacts of gold mining in Virginia. Part of this process, which a report will reflect by Dec. 1 of this year, includes a study from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which is linked to below for your reading.
A reminder that our separate study by the State Committee studying impacts of a gold mine in the Commonwealth, which I serve on, will be held 9 am-3 pm Thursday, Nov. 3 at the Buckingham Community Center on U.S. Route 15 in Dillwyn. I encourage you to attend, if you are able.
The NAS study reports the following: “The report concludes that Virginia’s current regulatory framework, which typically addresses sand and gravel mining, is not adequate to address the potential impacts of commercial gold mining and lacks an adequate financial assurance system, which poses a fiscal and environmental risk to the Commonwealth. Additionally, Virginia lacks opportunities for the public to be engaged in permitting processes and a modern system for review of environmental impacts from potential gold mining projects.”
The Farmville Herald requested a statement from me regarding the NAS Report:
“Upon a cursory review of the NAS Report’s conclusions and recommendations, and in reviewing the draft report that our Committee is finalizing, I am not surprised at the NAS’ conclusions. It is crystal clear that the Commonwealth does not have a regulatory system that effectively and consistently reviews and examines the environmental impacts of gold mining. Without such, the impacts on water, public health, air, soil, and the livelihoods of those living anywhere near a gold mine would prove to be detrimental and dangerous at best.
As I also have mentioned numerous times, Virginia’s bonding requirements are far from sufficient from where they need to be to protect the environment, the community, and in the case of potential abandonment or bankruptcy of a mining enterprise, would leave the community to foot the bill. From performance standards, public engagement and environmental justice, financial assurances, and, most importantly, the human and environmental impacts of a gold mine, Virginia currently does not have what it takes to safely regulate a gold mine–it’s that simple.
In the final draft report that our Committee will discuss on Thursday during our meeting, we will consider opportunities that localities in the Commonwealth have using their zoning ordinances specific to regulating uses and activities in certain zoning designations, which include the mining of gold.”
Virtual meeting info for Thursday:
| Join by meeting number |
| Meeting number (access code): 2435 152 0515 |
| Meeting password: VAEnergy1 |
| Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) |
| +1-517-466-2023,,24351520515## US Toll |
| +1-866-692-4530,,24351520515## US Toll Free |
| Register Now Potential Impacts of Gold Mining In Virginia Public Report Release Webinar November 2 | 3:30PM – 4:30PM EDT REGISTER NOW Contact Me As always, should you need to communicate about a local issue, I hope I can be of service as I strive to represent all of my constituents in the Maysville District. Feel free to call, text, or email me anytime. Jordan Thomas Jordan Miles III Chairman, Buckingham County Board of Supervisors District Four Supervisor (Maysville) 434-390-7023 13170 West James Anderson Highway PO Box 188 Buckingham, Virginia 23921 www.MilesforMaysville.com |
Maysville District Supervisor Thomas Jordan Miles III 