Environmental groups speak out against power plant
June 16, 2009Environmental Groups speak out against power plant
By Kelly Donnell
Surry-Sussex Dispatch
June 16, 2009
WAKEFIELD - Representatives of environmental groups said last week that they are concerned over potential health and environmental risks associated with the proposed Cypress Creek Power Station.
During a teleconference on Wednesday, each gave reasons why they believe Old Dominion Electric Cooperative should not be allowed to build a coal-fired baseload generation plant in Dendron.
Energy conservation practices should be implemented instead of building new power plants, several of the environmentalists said.
Sarah Rispin, staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said her organization believes the Cypress Creek station would have a major impact on the environment.
"We're talking about a max of 1,500 megawatt power plant," she said. The impacts are sort of enormous: They will have to arrange for fly ash disposal. The Wise County plant, one third of the size of this site, will require a 330 acre disposal site."
Rispin estimated that the flyash landfill for the Cypress Creek site could be as much as 550 acres, out according to ODEC figures, the projected size is 176 acres.
The SELC plans to ask that ODEC call off plans to build the plant. "We are going to present this - urge them to the no-build alternative to this plant, and to consider renewables," Ripsin said.
Health concerns have also been voiced by the Physicians for Social Responsibility. Kristen
Welker-Hood, director of -environment and health programs for the group, said the emissions from the power plant would affect people living within a 30 mile radius.
"We believe this particular coal plant will put considerable risks and opportunity for harm to the health of the local community," she said. "But, more importantly, because of the larger population. The pollutants don't stay there at the coal plant. It goes up in the stack or is able to contaminate ground-level water, 'so it actually goes ' beyond that site."
The Physicians for Social Responsibility pay attention to risks associated with particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, Welker-Hood said. The group believes these particulates may exacerbate preexisting health conditions like asthma and heart disease.
Mercury is another concern, as it is a neurotoxin, Welker-Hood added.
Potential water pollution has worried Surry resident Lisa Craig, too. She has, questioned the durability of the liners used to prevent chemicals in the, flyash landfill from leaking into groundwater.
Farming, timber stands, hunting,' and .fishing could be negatively affected by' emissions from the power plant, Craig said.
"Who's down wind of our ash pile and our ' smokestacks?" she asked. ‘It's not that we don't want it in our backyard we, don't want it in anyone's backyard."
Blackwater-Nottoway Riverkeeper Jeff Turner I said he would like to see the Blackwater watershed remain in good condition. This may change if the power plant is built, he said. "The wetlands that the power plant is talking about filling in is the headwater of the Blackwater watershed The watershed is in pretty good shape compared to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and we'd like to keep it that way," he said.
He noted that the Department of Conservation and Recreation will be designating the entire 56 mile length of the Blackwater River as a scenic river next year.
"That's pretty impressive," Turner said. "I' d hate to see this• power plant come in here and taint that."
Tom Corman, of Appalacian Voices, said he is opposed to mountaintop coal removal. This practice would likely be used to provide the coal for the Cypress Creek plant, he said. "Just as this topic will be impacting a rural community in the eastern part of the state, as well as a highly populated area of Hampton Roads, it will have impacts on the rural areas in the other corner of the state," he said, referring to the coal mining.
If energy efficiency was increased by 19 percent, Corman said, the need for additional power generation could be reduced as well. As much as 6,000 megawatts could be saved. Corman equated this with the amount of energy that four plants t4e size of the proposed Cypress Creek station could produce.
Ripsin agreed. Homeowners can begin by making HVAC systems more efficient, replace windows with double-paned •High efficiency windows,- or caulk cracks around existing windows.
Across the spectrum, from heating to electrical appliances, there's a lot of things the average homeowner and business owner can do to cut down on their energy bills," Ripsin said.
Promoting energy efficiency in lieu of building a new power plant would save customers money, she added.
"It would be lighter on the pockets of ODEC's rate payers if they go the route of energy efficiency," Rippsin said. "I think with this economic climate, that is the only prudent thing to do."
