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(Richmond, VA) Lawyers for the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition told a state judge today that Dominion Power's 585-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Wise County violates the Clean Air Act on several grounds, and asked the court to invalidate the environmental permits.
During the four-hour hearing before Judge Margaret Spencer in the Virginia Circuit Court for the City of Richmond, Cale Jaffe and John Suttles, attorneys with the Charlottesville-based Southern Environmental Law Center, presented a detailed explanation on how the permits fail to adequately limit emissions of (1) carbon dioxide, a chief contributor to climate change, (2) small particles of soot, which has been linked to lung cancer, heart disease, increased asthma rates, and premature death, and (3) mercury, which can cause severe neurological deficits in infants, fetuses and young children.
The State Air Control Board issued two permits to Dominion in June, 2008, one for hazardous pollutants including mercury and approximately 60 other toxics, and one for other emissions such as particulate matter. SELC, on behalf of the Wise County-based Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Sierra Club, challenged both permits.
Several residents of Wise County traveled to Richmond to attend the hearing, including Kathy Selvage, a coal-miner's daughter who has been the public face for the statewide effort to stop the coal plant, end the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining that is ravaging Appalachia, and compel Virginia to embrace clean energy sources, including efficiency and renewables.
"It seems no coincidence that Wise County was all over the news recently for the free medical clinic that drew thousands of people from my part of the state, many of them with breathing disorders. Coal dust from mountaintop removal mining operations hangs in the air every day, as does pollution from one of the oldest coal-fired plants in the state. Now Dominion is building another polluting power plant in our community. That's why we are in court today - to fight for the right to breath clean air, as well as to drink clean water and to keep our mountains whole, as God made them."
Over the last several years, the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition has raised a host of concerns about the Wise County coal plant, including air pollution and the health of the local community, water quality, mountaintop removal coal-mining, and the impacts of global warming. They were joined by 42,500 Virginians from across the state who signed petitions and sent letters and comments to state and company officials opposing the project.
North Carolina citizens have a chance to comment on their perceptions of the risk from a rise in sea level and what to do about it.
The state Division of Coastal Management said the online poll will help identify perceptions held by the public as it develops a policy on the issue.
Tancred Miller is the primary author of the survey and says the state is seeking everyone's perception regardless of their knowledge about the topic or whether they believe it.
The survey is here at www.nccoastalmanagement.net. Curious as to the questions, I took the survey - of course identifying myself as a resident of Virginia Beach and the Sierra Club as my affiliate organization. The survey is on the flip. What's interesting is the items suggested as possible adaptations and mitigation. I wonder how well a survey such as this would go over in Virginia.
Ison Rock Ridge extends from Black Mountain on the Virginia/ Kentucky border and runs southeast toward the Town of Appalachia. A&G Coal Corp. wants to destroy 1,200+ acres of this mountain that borders several communities and hundreds of homes, putting lives at risk and impairing ecosystems for generations to come. Despite federal action intended to block this proposed mine, we have reason to believe that state agencies still intend to allow the destruction of Ison Rock Ridge, with only minor changes to the scope of the permit.
This message is going out across the Commonwealth today and is part of a coordinated effort to pressure the Governor to take action. Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and our allies are working hard on this two-year long struggle to protect Ison Rock Ridge from total destruction.
Ison Rock is the last ridge of Black Mountain in Virginia that hasn't been totally decimated by mountaintop removal strip mining--and for good reason. Along its flanks lie several communities, home to hundreds of people. Because of this, and the cumulative impact of other strip mines in the area, the EPA took action earlier this year by directing the US Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the federal permit required to create valley fills.
This action attracted national media attention, but it's not enough to save this mountain. The mining company now wants to go forward with a revised mining plan, and that application is currently pending before the state agency.
With U.S. Senator Mark Warner at his side both at a press event in Roanoke and later via conference call, Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds yesterday announced "a comprehensive plan to create jobs and renew Virginia's economy through targeted tax cuts for small businesses, innovative partnerships to generate new jobs in the alternative energy industry, creative initiatives to jump-start an economic recovery in rural regions, as well as a commonsense approach to finally solve Virginia's statewide transportation challenges through responsible, bipartisan leadership".
"Virginia led the nation in telecom in the 1980s, we helped lead the Internet revolution during the 1990s, and I firmly believe that the next generation of jobs and wealth will be found in the 'green' economy," Senator Warner said. "Creigh has put together a road map that allows Virginia to grasp that opportunity and take advantage of all of those possibilities if we prepare Virginians to take a leadership role in the alternative energy field."
"Virginia must take advantage of opportunities in rapidly expanding fields like biomass production,
wind power generation, and clean coal research", he writes in his plan. "By developing innovative ways of reducing fossil fuel consumption, Creigh will create thousands of new jobs in the Commonwealth and attract millions in new investment from private and public sources".
Standing out within his economic plan is a call for creation of a strong business environment for green energy companys.
"Green energy companies are attracted to states that have made a firm commitment to alternative energy. Creigh believes that we cannot afford to lose opportunities to create good-paying jobs in this high-growth industry, simply because our policies lag behind."
To this end, Deeds proposes expansion of the Solar Manufacturing Incentive Grant (SMIG ) program to all "green energy-related industries". He wants to offer competitive grants to green energy companies that invest at least $50 million
and create at least 200 jobs.
Believing that Virginia's current voluntary RPS is "simply not enough to keep Virginia competitive with states like Ohio, which passed a law requiring that utilities produce 25% of their energy from renewable source by 2025, and neighbors like Maryland, which has a 20% by 2022 mandatory requirement", Deeds proposes a mandatory RPS of 15% by 2020 and 22% by 2025.
The Renewable Electricity Standard as it stands right now within the Waxman-Markey (aka ACES) bill that just passed Congress calls for a 20% standard by 2020. This RES target is a national floor. States are allowed to set higher standards. Virginia's current standards are voluntary and call for 12% by 2022. The Governor's Commission on Climate Change recommended increasing that voluntary call to 15% by 2025.
Click here to read Deeds' entire economic plan. Click here to read how Virginia can easily meet a Federal RES of 25% by 2025.
Right outside of Richmond VA, in Midlothian, Mrs. Estes' Robious Middle School sixth-grade science class has been studying clean energy. Recently posted online, their conclusions are breathtaking.
If a 6th grader gets it, what does that say about our Congressmen? In these debates, time and time again, we have found legislators and reporters who just don't know the facts...maybe we ought to send them to Mrs. Estes' class!
Check it out:
I am a simple sixth grade student at Robious Middle School. I want to tell you about how you can help spread the news about how Midlothian can become a cleaner, greener, more efficient area. If we switch to renewable energy resources we can become one of the leaders in the revolution to become green. I'm sure you've heard this pitch or variations of it before, but I'm here to explain how, why, when and what these renewable resources can do. We can optimize our use of bio-fuel, geothermal, hydroelectric, wind and solar energies by combining our knowledge and using these energies for what they are most useful...
Congressman Perriello would love for you to join him at a town hall meeting with US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu this Saturday, July 18, from 1:30 to 2:30. Please come and ask questions, listen to answers and spend some time with your neighbors.
During their visit, the Secretaries will see first-hand the potential our communities have for being on the forefront of the new energy economy. We hope to impress upon them--and upon those who hear about our region through this visit--that we have the vision and the capacity to realize this potential right here. Central and Southern Virginia served as the cradle of American liberty and also the economic driver of the Commonwealth for more than a century. We can be that again as we blaze a trail toward energy independence and a clean technology future.
I hope you can join us. The town hall will take place on the farm of Buddy Mayhew, on Carters Lodge Road in Chatham, Virginia. Buddy's farm is just 1.5 miles off of Route 29 south of Chatham. Turn on Carters Lodge Road, bear right at the fork and his farm will be 1.5 miles ahead on your left.
What's the "Rural Tour"? "The Rural Tour will crisscross the country so that we can listen to residents in small towns and get their thoughts on how to best rebuild and revitalize America", writes Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Our communities, big and small, are struggling, but President Obama and I are committed to doing what we need to to create jobs and stimulate local economies."
Last Friday, people from across Virginia gathered to attend Senator Mark Warner's Summit on Energy Opportunities. At this event, entrepreneurs, utilities, green collar workers, environmentalists, and everyday Virginians spent most of the day discussing not just energy opportunities...but the clean energy future. Although there was not a consensus in the room regarding legislation or how to grow clean energy, the notion that we must act soon was overwhelming.
Hear Senator Warner and others talk about this event:
Concerned citizens and clean energy advocates were there with me to talk to Senator Warner after his presentation. In hosting this event, and through his comments, he has shown a willingness to lead on this issue. Its clear that our message is getting out, and we have a great messenger in this entrepreneur turned Senator...The question is whether he will remain on our side when it comes to negotiations leading to the final vote.
Clean energy advocates need to follow the advice given by Senator Warner and continue meeting with our allies in business and labor to ensure we have broad support for the legislation. Moreover, we must also turn our attention to Virginia's other Senator, who is noticeably absent from this discussion....
Statement of Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Hearing on Energy and Climate Legislation, Committee on Environment and Public Works
U.S. Senate, July 7, 2009
WASHINGTON - Chairman Boxer, Ranking Minority Member Inhofe, and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify about new legislation to get America running on clean energy. Let me begin by commending you for starting Senate hearings on this, the second legislative day after the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Immediately after that historic vote on June 26, President Obama called upon the Senate to demonstrate the same commitment we saw in the House to building a clean-energy foundation for a strong American economy. I am grateful that this Committee has wasted no time in answering that call.
The House bill reflects the principles the President believes are essential for our nation's energy future: decreasing our dependency on foreign oil, creating millions of new jobs in emerging clean-energy technologies, and reducing the pollution that is a danger to our children. I know there are a variety of proposals pending in the Senate that have the same goals, and I am looking forward to working with all the Committee members as you move forward on this effort.
Clean energy is to this decade and the next what the Space Race was to the 1950s and '60s, and America is behind. Governments in Asia and Europe are ahead of the United States in making aggressive investments in clean-energy technology. American businesses need strong incentives and investments now in order for this nation to lead the 21st Century global economy.
We are also coming late to the task of leading the world's major greenhouse-gas emitters to reverse our collective emissions' growth in time to avert catastrophic climactic changes that would severely harm America's economy and national security within our children's lifetimes.
The necessary shared effort will not begin in earnest unless and until the United States leads the charge.
[07/07/09] Rocky Mount, VA - Surrounded by small business owners and energy entrepreneurs at the Gereau Center on Friday, Congressman Tom Perriello unveiled "New Energy for the Fifth District: A Blueprint for Putting Southside and Central Virginia at the Forefront of the Clean Energy Economy." The strategy document outlines why the 5th District of Virginia is positioned to become a leading region in the nation for the clean energy economy.(Click here to read the rest...)
Bravo, Rep. Perriello. Bravo both for your rollout of this energy plan and your brave vote for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES).
The Mineral Management Services (MMS) is now open for business and accepting applications for renewable energy leases in the outer continental shelf (OCS)!
First up to bat will be New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island who already each have a developer in hand. Virginia will take the more conservative approach, hoping that all the early Guinea pigs work out all the kinks before they file. But I do predict Virginia to be fourth in line. Very exciting stuff!
Here's press on NJ, DE and RI efforts:
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Jan. 12 (UPI):
Rhode Island may have first offshore wind
"Rhode Island lawmakers recently signed an agreement to develop an offshore wind farm.
The agreement took months to negotiate, and now Deepwater Wind and the state will be able to build an offshore wind farm, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri told the Providence Business News.
The wind farm will include 100 turbines with the capacity to generate 1.3 million megawatt-hours of electricity per year. That is estimated to be enough to provide 15 percent of Rhode Island's electricity demand."
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The Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2008:
N.J. Awards Grant for First Offshore Wind Project
New Jersey regulators Friday selected Garden State Offshore Energy to develop the state's first offshore wind farm, in a move to spark development of a clean power source that has met resistance in other states.
Garden State Offshore Energy, a joint venture between a unit of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. and wind-power developer Deepwater Wind, was selected by the state Board of Public Utilities from five firms vying for state support and a grant of up to $19 million. The state program provides aid for up to 350 megawatts, or enough continuous power for about 125,000 homes.
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Associated Press, Tues., Sept. 9, 2008
Delaware leads race to build offshore wind farm State clears hurdles, hopes to have construction completed by 2012
WASHINGTON - Visitors to Rehoboth Beach, Del., soon may be greeted by more than sand dunes, seagulls and beach umbrellas. If offshore wind advocates have their way, scores of 140-foot blades will be spinning in the ocean breeze nearly a dozen miles away, barely visible to the sunbathers.
President Obama has declared this week as "Clean Energy Week". His key Cabinet Secretaries will spread out across the country to host a series of Clean Energy Week events.
From the White House press release: "Clean Energy Week events will highlight the President's commitment to passing comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will generate millions of jobs, break our dependence on foreign oil, reduce the threat of deadly pollution and restore America's role as a global leader in the clean energy industry".
One such event took place in Charlottesville this morning as Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Van Jones, Obama's Special Advisor for Green Jobs (aka the Green Jobs Czar), joined Rep. Tom Perriello and other electeds highlighting a revolving loan program for energy efficiency programs which was first created through legislation authored by Creigh Deeds this past session.
Through the program, which is in development, the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle would be able to lend funds from federal and other grant sources to area residents to make their homes more energy efficient. The loans would be paid back from the energy savings that are generated by the efficiency upgrades. The federal funds would also be used to train area workers in retrofitting and energy efficiency upgrading at the local community college. Those newly skilled workers can seek employment with the local companies participating in the program. Through this innovative program, Charlottesville and Albemarle are trying to unleash the potential of clean energy jobs by not just training people for them, but by helping to create a market that will employ those who have been trained.
Creigh Deeds' legislation, SB1212, allowed the City of Charlottesville the authority to create its own clean energy financing program. This bill couched with Federal programs could provide the model for other Virginia local jurisdictions to finance development of their own renewable energy and efficiency programs.
The League of Conservation Voters announced today that it will not endorse any candidate which does not vote in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. This is a major act which draws a great line in the sand...either you're willing to fight climate change, or you're in our way.
In a press release advertising the decision to the public, LCV states:
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) believes that H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, is the most important piece of environmental legislation to ever come before the House of Representatives. The historic bill has the potential to transform America by creating clean energy jobs, improving our national security, and protecting our planet from global warming pollution.
In 2006 and 2008, LCV endorsed 155 federal candidates, of whom 124 won election or reelection (number includes Al Franken)...spending millions of dollars along the way.
"The stakes could not be higher; a safer, healthier planet and a new energy economy hang in the balance, and it's imperative that members of Congress be on the right side of history,"
LCV President Gene Karpinski said in the letter to the House.
So Congressmembers, again, are you with us or are you in the way?
I urge everyone to contact their Congressmember and let them know this is a litmus issue for you too. Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and let your representative know you support ACES (HR 2454). A vote is expected to occur Friday, so you must act soon.
See the above picture?(hint, hint to my fellow Hampton Roads neighbors...) CALL YOUR REP before its too late!
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P R E S S * R E L E A S E
With U.S. Senator Mark Warner at his side both at a press event in Roanoke and later via conference call, Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds yesterday announced "a comprehensive plan to create jobs and renew Virginia's economy through targeted tax cuts for small businesses, innovative partnerships to generate new jobs in the alternative energy industry, creative initiatives to jump-start an economic recovery in rural regions, as well as a commonsense approach to finally solve Virginia's statewide transportation challenges through responsible, bipartisan leadership".
The USDA's Rural Tour comes to Chatham, Virginia this Saturday!
Statement of Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
From the media release:
The Mineral Management Services (MMS) is now open for business and accepting applications for renewable energy leases in the outer continental shelf (OCS)!
President Obama has declared this week as "Clean Energy Week". His key Cabinet Secretaries will spread out across the country to host a series of Clean Energy Week events.
