Buckingham County - "For Gold Times' Sake"

For a few years, Buckingham County has been addressing concerns centered around gold mining in the county. A Canadian prospecting company continues to investigate the prospect of minable gold deposits in Buckingham County while concerned citizens continue efforts to stop any gold mine from being established in the county.

The County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors considered banning exploratory drilling to prevent gold mining. Additionally, there has been state legislative efforts to conduct a gold mine study and to ban the use of certain chemicals in mine processing. The gold mine study legislation passed, but the bill to ban certain chemical processing in mining failed.

The latest effort by Buckingham County is to ban “metal mining” through zoning ordinances. The Buckingham Board of Supervisors has received a proposal that calls for the ban of metal mining in all zoning districts. This must first be vetted through the County Planning Commission; they will need to learn more details about mining and the impact any type of mining ban may have on the county.

VTCA stepped in when it learned of these efforts and contacted the county and offered to assemble mining industry experts that can provide the commission with valuable expert information on the practices of mining. VTCA’s intent is to present accurate mining information to the Planning Commission in order for them to make the best possible recommendation for the county.

VTCA’s panel of experts addressed the Buckingham County Planning Commission at a special work session that was held on March 20.

While VTCA doesn’t currently represent any gold mining organizations, we are concerned that regulations aimed at stopping gold mining may inadvertently creep into other mining sectors in the County.

More information can be found here.