Statement of Purpose

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The Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia is apro-economic development coalition of businesses, farmers, community leaders, property owners and area residents representing the entire Southern Virginia

region. We believe the statewide ban on uraniummining should not be lifted unless and until the safety and wellbeing of the Commonwealth, this region, and our citizens can be assured.

To join our eff ortand for more information,

check us out at:www.allianceforprogressinsouthernva.com

UNCERTAINTYEven if the ban on uranium mining were lifted tomorrow, it would still be yearsbefore any uranium was actually removed from the ground. Why take the risk?• Protracted litigation in state and federal courts is a virtual certainty.• Farmers, landowners, and homeowners face the prospect of continuing decline of local property values as long as uranium mining is a possibility. Citizens are concerned that an operating uranium mine in the area will make it harder to sell property and houses.• Uranium mining and milling will impact the local water availability and may potentially negatively impact the water supply for all of Southern Virginia and as far as south Hampton Roads. • The storage of radioactive uranium tailings on the property imposes signifi cant public health and safety risks because the tailings last forever. • The market price of uranium fl uctuates depending upon global supply, demand, and price. What if low global prices for uranium in the future cause the mine to become unprofi table and it shuts down or is closed permanently? What will happen to possible local jobs and tax revenue streams for local governments?

AGRICULTUREProduction agriculture and wood products are still the region’s number one industry, with an economic impact exceeding$200 million annually and that fi gure is growing. Global competition for ag commodities is fi erce, and countries do not need much of an excuse to look elsewhere for product. One sick cow in Washington State shut down the US Beef export market for months a few years ago. With a native industry like farming on the rise, why take the risk of mining uranium in the area?• Some countries are hyper-sensitive to concerns about radiation, pesticide residues and insect infestation (Japan, for example). Such concerns may be far-fetched and with little basis in fact. But consumer concerns in those countries exist nonetheless. • There remains a real question about the impact of uranium mining on water quality. In addition to quality issues, the sheer volume of water required to operate a uranium mining site will be unprecedented for the area. The area’s agricultural industry, especially its livestock sector, is highly dependent upon a stable supply of water, and the unknown effect of a uranium mining and milling operation on water quality is of great concern to area farmers.• With the momentum this region is building with the opening of the Olde Dominion Agriculture Complex, and with ag exports from the Commonwealth of Virginia at an all-time high, why create unnecessary concerns as to the safety of the livestock, milk and crops area farmers are producing and exporting?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTEconomic uncertainty is usually the primary reason the stock market falls. Investors are wary in times of economicuncertainty. Businesses will not invest in themselves by expanding or relocating if there is uncertainty about the potential marketplace. With all of this very real uncertainty about the business effi cacy of uranium mining, why should we takethe risk?• New jobs, new/expanding companies, new investment is the new reality in the Danville-Pittsylvania/Halifax Corridor.• The total number of new jobs which have been announced within the past 13 months by companies moving into our area or expanding their existing workforce is three times larger than the total anticipated workforce at the uranium mine.• Site Selectors look for reasons to remove regions from consideration for new high-tech, high-value jobs.• The Region could be removed from from a company’s potential expansion/relocation site list because of its proximity to a uranium mining site and never know it.