Below are a few actions you can take to help in the fight against the coal plant proposed for Surry County (Hampton Roads). To learn more about the proposal you can click here to visit the basic info page.

Ask the EPA to Get Involved Now! We are asking the EPA to evaluate the permit now, in its early stages, in order to make sure that the permit will be stringently scrutinized under the most up to date standards. Will you join us by signing the petition to our EPA regional administrator, Shawn Garvin asking him to get involved?

Sign the Petition against the coal plant. It’s the obvious first step and it only takes a moment. Add your name to the list! Come on, What are you waiting for!?

Spread the Message About the Dirty Coal Plant Proposed for Hampton Roads: Write a Letter to the Editor Get the message out to your community! Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the benefits of investing in energy efficiency instead of dirty coal plants. It is the best way a single citizen can get the word out to a whole lot of people.

Be a Part of the Conversation Become part of the discussion group (google group) made up of individuals concerned about the proposed Surry Power Plant. Please be respectful and post only important updates in regards to the campaign. Failure to show respect of others’ in-boxes will result in immediate removal from the group.

Update on the coal plant fight as of May 2010

In early February, the Town of Dendron and Surry and Sussex Counties approved zoning changes for Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s proposed $6 billion coal plant. However, thanks to the hard work of local concerned citizens and others around the state, it took ODEC more than a year to get these votes, during which time the grassroots opposition has grown stronger and broader.

With local residents leading the way, we have sent ODEC a clear message: We will confront you every step of the way until we win. Wise Energy for Virginia will continue to work with local citizens as the fight moves to the arenas of the state and federal governments.

The permits the coal plant need to receive in order to be built will be reviewed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Most of these bodies will have periods where they will be accepting public comment and be holding public hearing looking for public input on each of their particular purviews. None of these comment period or hearing dates have been announced. We will let you know as soon as they are announced via our regular email updates and action alerts.

If you are signed up to receive updates from Wise Energy for Virginia we will keep you updated as hearing dates come about. If not, then sign up here.

For any other questions on this contact our coalition coordinator Kayti Wingfield at 540-470-0643 or kayti@wiseenergyva.org. Also be sure to visit our basic info page.