The day after two Southern Virginia groups visited the Capitol to express their concerns over lifting the ban on uranium mining in Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell has asked the General Assembly to kee the moratorium in place for the 2012 session. We applaud the Governor for taking the cautious route. 

We desperately need jobs in our region but must weigh the potential risks before making such an important decision; given that the NAS report was just released in December, there is absolutely no way that lawmakers could have studied it and other reports fully. One only needs ask the citizens of New Orleans and Fukushima about the failure of designs in the face of catastrophic natural disasters.  Read the full press release on ReadTheReports.org.

The region’s bioenergy projects continue to expand with farmers asking what crop is needed and where is the market, entrepreneurs questioning what research is ready for commercialization, and policymakers assessing the infrastructure needed to support the most innovative environment.  This dialogue on Virginia’s renewable energy agenda will continue when a host of interested parties gather together for this conference at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The conference will provide farmers, community leaders, economic developers, legislators, entrepreneurs, and other attendees the opportunity to participate in setting the bioenergy agenda for this region.