On Monday March 5th the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative received local zoning approval for what would be the largest coal-fired power plant in the state if built. The Dendron Town Council voted to approve local zoning unanimously and without once discussing the proposal publicly. Both locals and people from the downwind communities of Hampton Roads [...]

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Mercury protections needed in Virginia Richmond Times-Dispatch, OpED, Donald McEachin This OpEd focuses on mercury pollution in VA waterways sourced from coal-fired power plants and the need for federal mercury regulations. EPA should be coming out with a finalized mercury rule at the end of this week. — Dominion plans 56 mile transmission line for [...]

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Cross posted from the Appalachian Voices Front Porch Blog Rahall Legislates that Water Stop at State Lines. Seriously. Yesterday evening the House of Representatives passed The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (HR 2018), a bill that turns back the clock forty years on the environmental and public health protections in the Clean Water Act. This [...]

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March 25th, 2011 was the second annual Virginia Loves Mountains Day. Instead of having a rally in one place as we did in 2010, this year we had a rally at each of the 11 US Senate district offices across the state. Over 100 people came to visit Webb and Warner’s senate staff in Hampton [...]

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Just before Christmas, three health organizations announced that they are joining together in opposition to the proposed Hampton Roads coal-fired power plant and are inviting you to join them. The Consortium for Infant and Child Health (CINCH), the Virginia Asthma Coalition, and the American Lung Association came together with a joint statement of opposition stating [...]

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Here is an excerpt from the Daily Press article by Dan Parsons. You can read the whole article here. WILLIAMSBURG —Plans are in the works for the Williamsburg City Council to issue a formal stance on the proposed Surry County coal plant when the call goes out for public input on plant permits, but speakers [...]

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cross-posted from iLoveMountains.org Today, the Environmental Protection Agency took a historic step to protect Appalachian communities from the devastating effects of a mountaintop removal coal mine. After months of consideration, EPA’s Region 3 office announced its recommendation to veto the permit for the monstrous Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, W.V. (PDF) The decision [...]

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Progress in Virginia coal plant fight: ODEC announces postponement! Old Dominion Electric Co-op announced today that it plans to postpone for up to two years pursuit of air pollution permits for the massive new coal plant it is proposing. This exciting news shows the progress we are making in opposing the plant! The fight is [...]

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Pretty big news from West Virginia. From the Charleston Gazette reporter’s Ken Ward’s blog: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just issued its “proposed determination” to block the Clean Water Act permit for the Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, the largest mountaintop removal permit in West Virginia history. EPA has posed this proposed determination document [...]

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At Yesterday’s (Friday, March 26th) Air Board Meeting the board voted 4 to 3 to announce to the EPA that the Air Board did not ask for Cuccinelli’s law suit challenging the EPA’s greenhouse gas ruling. Basically they are saying, Virginia’s environmental regulators do not stand with Virginia’s attorney general in his effort to use [...]

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Dominion stokes the coal industry, but says it’s a friend to the environment BY ERIKA HOWSARE of the Cville Weekly It’s a dim, drizzly afternoon, and I’m riding around Wise County with Kathy and Gary Selvage. I can see what they’re pointing out—evidence of surface mining—but I can’t see it the way they do. The [...]

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Just remember that this was only the very first step. Now the statewide battle begins… Surry Board approves ODEC applications Smithfield Times – Jim Tuttle – ‎1 hour ago‎ SURRY — The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday night to approve five land use applications for a proposed coal-fired power plant … Permits Approved For [...]

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PRESS RELEASE from the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition www.WiseEnergyForVirginia.org February 1, 2010 ***************************************** NEW ECONOMIC REPORT SHOWS FEW JOBS FROM PROPOSED COAL PLANT IN SURRY COUNTY WOULD GO TO LOCAL RESIDENTS ***************************************** CONTACT: Scott Moore, Moore Data LLC, 843-564-5257 Tom Cormons, Appalachian Voices, 301-910-8973 Cale Jaffe, Southern Environmental Law Center, 434-760-0816 Download the full [...]

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Last week the National Research Council (part of the National Academy of Science) released a report that the US Government commissioned back in 2005 to find the true cost of our energy titled, “Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use.” The quick and dirty: Our energy production and use in 2005 [...]

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As Congress was returning from the August recess, there wasn’t much news about the climate bill.  The only energy-related news breaking through the coverage of the rancorous health care debates and town-hall tea parties was a study on “energy sprawl” published by five staff members of the Nature Conservancy. “Renewable Energy Needs Land, Lots Of [...]

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