Blue Ridge Earth First Tells Dominion, Gov. Kaine:
Virginia is for Mountain Lovers
State Wide Day of Action for a Clean Energy Future

Blue Ridge Earth First!, a local chapter of the international Earth First! movement, took over two billboards on Grace street this morning as part of the state-wide week of action, declaring “Virginia is for Mountain Lovers”.
Blue Ridge Earth First! is comprised of Harrisonburg, Blacksburg, Charlottesville and Richmond residents, and believes in no compromise in defense of the land and culture of the people of Appalachia. Their current focus is the opposition of Mountaintop removal coal mining, and Dominion’s new coal-fired power plant in Wise County. These two banners are a message to students, residents, and politicians of Harrisonburg to educate them about the ecological devastation taking place in their own state and elsewhere.
One of the banners, which states “Virginia is for Mountain Lovers. No new coal plant in Wise County” confronts Dominion on the proposed coal-fired power plant in St. Paul, Va in the Southwest corner of the state..
If built, this new plant would spew over 5.3 billion tons of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere annually, a major greenhouse gas. It would be “one of the dirtiest in the state” says Richmond Times Dispatch.
This proposed 585 Megawatt plant will also be a heavy financial burden on Virginia residents; Dominion will charge Virginians for the entire $1.6 billion cost of construction by raising electricity rates, as well as an additional 13.75% to go directly into the pockets Dominion Power.
The flooding and water pollution caused by mountaintop removal is also destroying the quality of life and the economy of Wise County, which is now one of the poorest counties in the Commonwealth. Many of the children of Wise suffer asthma from poor air quality, as well as drinking substandard water.
This action was taken in solidarity and conjunction with dozens of groups and thousands of citizens across the state who know that Coal has to go if the effects of climate change, poisoned streams and polluted air are to be mitigated. The opposition to this plant ranges from Alexandria to St. Paul, as articles below show. They know, as Blue Ridge Earth First! knows, that this plant is only good for Dominion, and will ensure several more decades of coal’s extractive stranglehold on South West Virginia and the nation as a whole. Cleaner, renewable sources are available, and the time is now for government and corporations to divest from their ruinous ties to dirty coal power.
Blue Ridge Earth First! feels that education is the first step towards action in combatting the ecological and economic devastation caused by coal in the Commonwealth. Blue Ridge Earth First! asks people to contact Governor Tim Kaine at 804 786 2211 and Tom Farrel, the CEO of Dominion Power at 804 819 2000, to tell them that the Wise County Power Plant is bad for all the people of Virginia.

Other Stories on Wise County Plant

·Bristol Herald Courier Memo to the SCC: Hear the people’s anguished crie
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/opinions.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-01-09-0001.html

Bristol Herald Courier - Southwest Virginia residents are loading up to oppose a proposed Wise County power plant at SCC hearing http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-01-06-0011.html
· Bristol Herald Courier- Devil’s pact: Sacrificing health, environment for jobs http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/opinions/columnists.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-01-06-0002.html
· Richmond Times Dispatch - New coal plant permit hearing is tomorrow http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/business.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-01-07-0102.html
· Richmond Times Dispatch - Opinions differ widely on proposed coal plant - http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-01-09-0046.html
· Associated Press - hears from opponents, supporters of power plant
o Daily Press SCC http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-e1064.va–dominion-hearingjan09,0,1715625.story
o NCB 29 http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=7593754
o WRIC- ABC 8 Richmond http://www.wric.com/global/story.asp?s=7593754
o RDBJ 7 - http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=7593754
o Freelance Star, Fredericksburg, http://fredericksburg.com/News/apmethods/apstory?urlfeed=D8U1UMD00.xml
o Examiner http://www.examiner.com/a-1144987~SCC_hears_from_opponents__supporters_of_power_plant.html
o NBC 12 http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/13530207.html

Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am.
Filed under Dominion, Action, Coal.
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