The Virginian-Pilot
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Thirteen environmental activists were arrested Monday after they chained themselves to the headquarters of Dominion Virginia Power in downtown Richmond, causing a morning traffic jam but no injuries.
Four activists encased their hands in 55-gallon drums of cement. Another suspended himself from a footbridge near the James River before coming down voluntarily when Richmond police and firefighters arrived.
The activists were protesting Dominion's plans to build a $1.8 billion coal-fired power plant in Wise County in southwest Virginia - a project that they and other environmentalists have argued would perpetuate mountaintop coal removal, global warming, smog and water pollution.
The State Corporation Commission already has approved the plant, and the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board last week adopted permits for the power station that will significantly limit mercury and sulfur dioxide emissions.
Dominion put out a news release late Monday saying that its hired crews had begun construction of the plant that day. It is scheduled to open in 2012, though environmental groups say they will contest state permits in court.
"Dominion respects peaceful protests. However, we don't condone illegal acts, such as blocking roads, that prevent our employees from coming to work and performing their role of keeping the lights on and energy flowing for our millions of customers," the state's largest electric utility said in a statement.
Those arrested identified themselves as members of Blue Ridge Earth First and Mountain Justice and said they were from southwest Virginia. A spokeswoman for the groups, Hilary Lufkin, said most were students from James Madison University and Virginia Tech.
The activists were forcibly removed by police after firefighters cut their chains or removed their hands from the cement. They were charged with various misdemeanors, including impeding traffic, according to a statement from the Richmond Police Department.
Scott Harper, (757) 446-22340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com
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Cris, I like your reply
That’s a good start, Chris. I commend you. I don’t like coal-fired power plants any more that anyone else. However, reality says that society needs it. The EPA has established the emissions standards these coal-fire plants must follow. I believe that is a reasonable start to the reduction of this type of plant. But they won’t be completely eradicated since the demand for power is so great. I still say nuclear is far better.
I am a conservationist which is vastly different from environmentalist. A conservationist realizes that we need our natural resources to survive, but also demands the responsible use and replenishment of those natural resources. A true environmentalist demands that all of society eradicate the use of natural resources. I believe we can responsibly, as individuals, conserve the energy we use on a daily basis, and take measures to be smart about our energy usage.
What to do.
Well what not to do for a start. Don't blow up our drinking water sources for the next 10,000 years. Invest a 10th into solar, wind, tidal, geo-thermal that we have given to the oil and coal industry. Actually do the basic science before you blow up a mountain--to at least properly mitigate the damage. This is the most frustrating part--state agencies handing out permits like a crack dealer on the corner while refusing to do the basic science on cummulative impacts. Institute real conservation measures like TVA used to have (and they worked--TVA's own cost benefit analysis showed that when they did this it was the most effective program in their history). We only get a paragraph so I am afraid I can go any further. But at the least--stop poisoning our air and blowing up our sources of drinking water seems prudent to put it politely.
some ideas
Ok so everyone can concede that we will always need more power as the State grows. Just because people don't want to go along with one idea doesn't mean they don't acknowledge that fact. It also doesn't mean there is only one way to more power. Coal is dirty, nasty, and poison to all within a 30 mile radius of the plant. With the two plants in Hampton roads area, over 2.5 million people are exposed every day. Maybe that’s why so many writing here, have no sympathy for people of Wise County. There are alternatives; wind power farms- a modern wind turbine can produce enough electricity for 750 homes. The state should give some tax breaks for property owners to install alternative energy equipment. That would go a long way to decreasing the amount of power generation we need. Other States are exploring all kinds of alternatives. Why are messing with Coal power plants? Where are we in China!!!
Please tell us what to do
Chris Irwin and Danawv, any suggestions to fix our energy dilemma? All I hear from you and those who choose to disrupt commerce are “we can’t do this or we can’t do that”. Alright, the floor is yours. Give us your brilliant ideas that will provide for the common good of every man, woman, and child in this state and country.
Keep the fly ash...
... on Richmond golf courses this time. Considering how well Iraq went, we need to get that Iran invasion thing going soon. Maybe dumping $12 billion a month into Iraq to the tune of $3 trillion to prop up their fledgling Iranian-friendly gubmint would be money better spent on infrastructure and alternative fuels research back here in the USofA. Tough call.
Bless these kids
These kids, mostly young women, are fighting their future. If that plant is built, a lot more harm will be done than 2 hours of blocked traffic, which is all they did. Nothing that the construction crews up the road weren't doing.
“It seems to me that young people, especially, should be doing whatever is necessary to block construction of dirty coal-fired power plants.” From James Hansen, NASA scientist
“I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.” From Al Gore
This plant is a total boondoggle. $1.8 billion for a plant that can't capture carbon and is only 585 MW? There is a project in WV to build a 440 MW Wind Farm for less than $1 Billion. Now that is a sensible use of our electric bills and state money.
Americans part 2 WATERSHEDS
3. Last--we are blowing up our highland watersheds for a few years of coal. Destroying watersheds that would produce clean drinking water for 10,000 more years if left alone for a few years of short term power is stupid to put it nicely. Its insane when you see the surrounding counties having regional drought commission meetings. You cannot drink coal.
These brave people are AMERICANS standing up to injustice and power. What they did took guts and courage and if more real Americans like this were alive our troops wouldn't being used as cannon fodder for corporate profits in Iraq right now. Jefferson, Paine, Franklin would all recognize what these brave people did.
Americans
This is what being an American is all about. This is what our country was founded on. People putting their bodies on the line for what they believe in.
Some quick points.
1. Nuclear power is not safe. Where do we put the waste? Where I live has/had the most ambitious nuclear power program in the country--it put TVA over 29 billion in debt and leaked radioactive water into the rivers and steam into the air on almost a daily basis. It got so bad that the Watts Bar nuclear power plant used to have an 800 number to call to find out what the leak of the day was. Plus the tiny fact of waste that is radioactive, toxic and corrosive for over 80,000 years that we have no idea what to do with.
2. Coal is cutting edge 18th century technology. The pollution is literally killing us. Here in Knoxville we are #1 in childrens asthma--if you want your children to have asthma bring them to Knoxville. Its because of TVA's coal fired plants. We are also the headquarters for TVA.
Just one of TVA's coal fired plants puts over 6 MILLION pounds of chemicals into our air a year. Over 3 MILLION pounds of that is HYDROCHLORIC ACID. Breath that fresh mountain air.
3. Last--we are blowing up our
Protestors
These college students are trying to prevent more mountaintop removal coal mining in Virginia, and reduce air and water pollution for the people in Wise County. Remember the three year old boy, Jeremy Davidson in Appalachia, VA who was crushed by a boulder from a mountaintop removal mine in 2005? Those of you who are so harsh in your comments - what did you do when you read about that tragedy? Most of these students (my friends) live very simply, using little electricity, no air conditioning, riding bikes instead of driving and they try to set a good example for others by taking action on their beliefs, even risking arrest and large fines. Kind of like Dr Martin Luther King. By the way, these are the top student leaders at their colleges, smart, funny, committed, quality people. America would be a lot better off if we had more people like them instead of the cynical old people who have posted the c
Does anyone have a mutual
Does anyone have a mutual Fund? Why do you buy a fund that has multiple companies? So that if one goes under or does not produce the others will.
What is wrong with using every source of energy available to us while making improvements as they come to us. Just like our dependance on oil we are victims of just one source failing our expectations.
If you rely on one source you will be disappointed. Don't ignore the possibility of another source of energy. Cultivate it until it matures to something we can use or add to our supply line.
Instead of insulting what you don't understand be part of the solution and encourage our nations growth in the right direction. The direction of energy independance is our goal.
Open your minds please