FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 31, 2024 CONTACT Stephanie Rinaldi, Press Pause Coalition, presspauseva@gmail.com, 434-270-0706 Richmond, Va. — Yesterday, two pieces of legislation developed from concerns of Virginians faced with impacts from exploratory drilling for metals and future large-scale metal mining…
Today, Del. Shelly Simonds, House District 70, filed two pieces of legislation designed to protect the health of Virginia communities from a dangerous toxin used in large-scale metal mining.
Even with the short session, Appalachian Voices’ capitol team had a lot to keep track of, with a number of bills we were hoping to convince legislators to support — and quite a few we were hoping to convince them to vote down.
HB 1722, a bill that would prohibit the use of cyanide in industrial mineral mining operations, was reported with overwhelming bipartisan support to the full House of Delegates by the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee.
At a virtual press conference on Dec. 13, the launch of the “Press Pause Coalition” was announced. The statewide coalition wants a moratorium on state agencies permitting gold, copper, zinc and lead mining.
Residents fear a dangerous open-pit gold mine will open in Buckingham County before the Virginia General Assembly acts.
We and our allies fought hard for the health and well-being of communities and the environment, and we’re grateful for the emails and calls you delivered to the legislature to support these efforts.
