JULY 11, 2012

Beth Kemler, beth@chesapeakeclimate.org, 804-335-0915

Jamie Nolan, jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-396-2022

Advocates Expose Dirty Truth Behind Dominion’s New “Clean Coal” Power Plant

Environmental coalition invites legislators to tour the real effects of coal power in Virginia

RICHMOND — In response to news that Dominion Virginia Power recently hosted several Virginia lawmakers in a tour of the company’s new power plant in Wise County, environmental advocates have extended an offer of their own – an opportunity for lawmakers to tour Virginia communities that have been adversely impacted by coal use.

In a public letter sent to General Assembly members today, the Wise Energy for Virginia (WEFV) coalition offers legislators an opportunity to see “both sides of the story” and to “point out the true cost of our reliance on coal for public health and the environment.” The letter offers lawmakers the opportunity to tour a community adjacent to a strip mining site, view an active mountaintop removal site and speak to residents of neighborhoods suffering from sea-level rise due in part to climate change.

WEFV leaders spoke out in opposition to Dominion’s claims that the “Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center” is “clean,” citing the total lifecycle costs of burning coal and biomass for electricity. “Coal never can be and never will be clean, especially when it’s acquired through mountaintop removal mining,” explained Laura Miller, Field Organizer for Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards. “This mining practice has been linked to higher infant mortality, birth defects, and increased cancer rates in communities surrounding the destruction. Plus it leaves decimated mountains and buried streams in its wake.”

The plant also will release dangerous carbon emissions into the atmosphere, adding to rapidly-accelerating climate change. “Virginia lawmakers need to understand that this plant drives climate change just like any other fossil fuel-burning power plant, even if it releases smaller amounts of toxic pollutants, like mercury,” said Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “And climate change is affecting all of their constituents. From sea level rise in Hampton Roads to more storm damage in Richmond to sporadic growing seasons for farmers all over the commonwealth, Virginians are feeling the consequences of our fossil fuel burning.”

The Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center is a 585-megawatt power plant in Wise County, Virginia.

The plant is located on a Virginia City reclaimed surface coal mine site. It will use Virginia coal and biomass (wood) to fuel two circulating fluidized-bed boilers. The plant is commonly expected to be one of the last coal-fired power plants to go online in the United States.

Beginning in 2007, Wise Energy for Virginia led efforts to stop the construction of the Wise County plant. Those efforts led to significant improvements to the pollution permits, including a 92 percent reduction in mercury pollution and an 82 percent reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions from initial proposals. Despite widespread opposition throughout Virginia, the State Corporation Commission approved the plant in March 2008.

Members of the media are also welcome and encouraged to attend tours of coal-affected communities in Virginia. For more information, contact Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network. See the full invitation for legislators here.

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The mission of the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition is to turn Virginia toward a cleaner, sustainable energy future. The coalition includes Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club and Southern Environmental Law Center.