Welcome to ArticleXI.com!
We are a group of environmental advocates united in providing a one-stop source for Virginia's environmental news. We each focus on different issues, but share the vision of a Commonwealth that preserves and protects its natural resources. Please join us!
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.
Cross-posted from the CCAN Blog Coal is in the blood of the people of Wise County, Virginia. With a population of around 41,000, the coal industry has provided steady income for an otherwise remote part of Appalachia. Situated in the southwest corner of the Commonwealth, the county boasts several small, tight-knit communities, a functional public school system, two colleges, and a thriving sense of mountainous spirit that hallmarks Appalachian living.
It is not far fetched to argue that the socioeconomic landscape of Wise County would be drastically different without the coal industry's presence there. The bituminous rock has served as the stovepipe economic model of Southwest Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia since the industrial revolution, and has brought intense development and employment to the region. Nowhere else on earth has coal played such a crucial role in the evolution of a region, and nowhere else do people's very blood ooze the stuff. It is a cultural icon.
But coal is destroying Southwest Virginia, the Appalachian Mountains, and threatening the planet itself. At the epicenter of this environmental catastrophe lies Wise, a county that is crumbling under the heavy hand of King Coal. While Dominion works to construct a brand-new power plant in the region, fueled by dirty, antiquated coal, mining corporations have worked to systemically level the region through the practice of mountaintop removal mining.
The result is not a pretty one. Several mountains have already been leveled in Virginia, some of which are in Wise, while millions of tons of rock, dirt, and toxic material are shoved into neighboring valleys, preventing streams from flowing and contaminating valuable, fresh water. Sludge ponds, a result of the extremely water-intense washing process, contain billions of gallons of useless, dangerous slurry, filled with heavy metals such as nickel, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. The fragile walls that hold back these industrial cesspools are typically made of fill material, and are prone to failure (as they have several times in recent decades). Mountaintop removal represents a triple threat to Appalachia, as mountains are destroyed, streams are interred beneath tons of rock and filth, and toxic contamination threatens the health of every community in the region.
Dendron, Virginia, has more than its share of challenges. The community of around 300, located in the southern corner of Surry County, struggles with an outdated municipal water system, crumbling sidewalks and no major businesses within the town.
Prior to the Great Depression, Dendron had been a company town of more than 3,000, fueled by the lumber industry's presence there. Private business thrived in a town that revolved around the processing and export of timber across the country. Despite its character as an industrial one-trick-pony, the town of Dendron had something to stand for, and an industry to be proud of.
Today's Dendron little resembles that historic vision of the 1900's boomtown. Largely forgotten by the industry that once supported a thriving community, and facing serious municipal and community problems, such as an unexpected $10,000 water bill, you'd think the small town would take anything at this point to give it an economic boost.
The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative assumed this to be true when executives within the cooperative approached Dendronites with a plan for a new 1,500-megawatt coal-fired power plant, the second largest of its kind in Virginia. ODEC presented the Cypress Creek project with the promise of new jobs, tax revenue, and the idea that one major industry would bring others to the cash-strapped community. Despite local environmental effects and immediate hazards to human health, ODEC worked to assure Dendron residents that they stood to benefit from such a plant's construction. ODEC also assumed that they'd buy into it without any major hiccups.
As of today 100 coal plants have been defeated or abandoned since the beginning of the coal rush. In their place, a smart mix of clean energy solutions like energy efficiency, wind, solar and geothermal has stepped up to meet America's energy needs. Last year 42 percent of all new power producing capacity came from wind, and for the first time the wind industry created more jobs than mining coal.
Coming just a week after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the city would end coal use by 2020, and announced the same day as a decision by Basin Electric Power in South Dakota to pull plans for a new coal-fired power plant, the Intermountain Power coal plant in Utah became the 100th prevented coal plant. The decision marks a significant milestone in the shift to clean energy.
For the past six years the Sierra Club and its allies have been running a hard-hitting campaign to expose the dirty truth about coal across the country. Tremendous grassroots pressure, rising costs, and upcoming federal carbon regulations all contributed to the demise of the 100 plants. In Virginia hundreds of volunteers turned out to public hearings, held rallies and met with officials to push for cleaner alternatives to new coal plants proposed by Dominion-Virginia Power and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative.
In Virginia, Sierra Club has teamed with the Wise Energy Coalition comprised of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Appalachian Voices and the Southern Environmental Law Center to oppose new coal plants proposed by Dominion-Virginia Power and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative.
Dominion's plant in Wise County and the ODEC plant proposed for Surry County together would emit more than 20 million tons of global warming pollution every year, along with harmful levels of soot and smog pollution, which can worsen asthma and cause other respiratory illnesses, and mercury, a neurotoxin that poses developmental risks to fetuses and children.. In addition to harming our health, these new coal plants would pre-empt the development of clean renewable offshore wind power in Virginia that could secure our energy future.
"The community opposition to the Cypress Creek coal power plant is growing and with that so will the nationwide movement for clean energy" said Julie Verdaguer with the Keep Surry Clean Coalition. "We are ready for clean energy and jobs we can be proud of having and that's not coal!"
"In Wise County, our fight continues to stop Dominion's coal plant as well as the devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining that is destroying communities across Appalachia," said Kathy Selvage with Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards.
"Although Virginia lags behind much of the nation, the shift has clearly started toward a cleaner, healthier, more secure future," said Glen Besa, Virginia Director for the Sierra Club. "Basin Electric is the latest in a growing list of electric power cooperatives moving away from coal, and searching out better energy options. Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Virginia Power should follow suit and start implementing efficiency and clean energy options like off shore wind instead of building new coal plants."
That movement has kept well over 400 million tons of harmful global warming pollution out of the air annually, making significant progress in the fight against global warming. Stopping 100 new coal plants has also kept thousands of tons of asthma causing soot and smog pollution, as well as toxins like mercury out of our air and water.
As the new coal rush ends in many states, the Sierra Club is working to replace existing dirty and unreliable coal plants, like the Wise County and Surry County plants, that are large contributors to health harming soot, smog and mercury pollution with cleaner energy options that create more jobs.
"The coal industry is still pushing forward with plans for dozens of new plants including two in Virginia and pouring money into slick advertising campaigns and lobbying efforts," said Besa. "So while the coal rush may be entering a new phase in some parts of the country, it is far from over."
Yesterday, the EPA performed a turn-around on its protection of the locations of 44 “high risk” coal ash impoundment sites, signaling a desire to make the regulatory body more transparent. Formerly protected under the auspices of national security, the ash impoundments, located in Ohio, Arizona, and throughout the southeast, have been determined to be particularly vulnerable to failure. In a time where the future of American energy remains stuck between antiquated fossil fuels and cleaner, renewable technology, concerns over proper disposal of coal ash has risen to the top of the debate, particularly after last December’s TVA sludge disaster in Roane County, Tennessee.
The reason behind this concern is, of course, fairly easy to identify. Coal slurry ponds, which may hold several billion gallons of the toxic goo, are typically held in place by earthen dams made of rock and other fill material. While typically sturdy, history has shown us that these dams are definitely prone to failure, especially when not regulated properly. In fact, the dangers surrounding slurry dams have been well known and well documented for decades. West Virginia’s Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972 destroyed over 500 homes with a 30-foot high, 132 million gallon wave of the toxic stuff. When blasting occurs near these ponds (as it does near Marsh Fork Elmentary in Sunrise, WV), the risk becomes intensified as nearby shockwaves may threaten the structural integrity of the dam.
Fly ash, though dry and therefore less at risk to flooding, presents just as serious a hazard to the local ecosystem, including surrounding communities, wildlife, and groundwater reserves. Fly ash is stored in landfills, most of which are lined, but all of which are failure-prone. Particles in the air, blown from these ash impoundments, can cause serious health problems such as asthma and other respiratory diseases. Like wet slurry, fly ash contains a cocktail of harmful heavy metals and other contaminants that present a serious threat to the local and regional ecosystem… and to human health.
“CCRs [coal combustion residues] contain a broad range of metals, for example, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, lead, and mercury, but the concentrations of these are generally low. However, if not properly managed, (for example, in lined units), CCRs may cause a risk to human health and the environment and, in fact, EPA has documented cases of environmental damage“ (EPA.gov).
Marsh Fork Elementary School in Sundial, West VA might be the most tragic and symbolic site of American children left behind by their state government.
Forsaken by state officials and a recent WV Supreme Court decision last week, the school and its children must play amid the toxic dust of a coal silo-and soon a second one-that sits less than a football field away.
The Marsh Fork Elementary School also sits only a few football fields downslope of a 2.8 billion gallon earthen coal sludge impoundment, where Massey Energy is setting off thousands of pounds of explosives near the dam.
Every school kid in the coalfields knows Massey's reckless history with coal sludge dams.
In a haunting parallel to last December's TVA coal ash disaster, a Massey subsidiary in eastern Kentucky was responsible for the largest coal slurry spill at that point, leaking over 300 million gallons of toxic sludge into the area's waterways and aquifers.
With blasting nearby, if the 380 foot earthen dam above the Marsh Fork school broke, the children and community residents would have less than three minutes to flee.
Based in Richmond, Virginia, Massey Energy has demonstrated a merciless coveting for coal at any expense. At the 2008 4th quarter earnings call, the out-of-state company's president crowed that 2008 was the "most successful" in Massey's history, and their "very aggressive expansion plan" was executed "almost to perfection." The Virginia-based president was "especially pleased" that Massey reached an "all time record high" of $641 million in adjusted annual EBITDA.
Now laying off workers due to market demands, with 19 union-busted Appalachian mining operations valued at $2.6 billion in 2008, the Richmond company shelled out $20 million in penalties for dumping toxic mine waste into the region's waterways in 2008; Massey also paid a record $4.2 million for civil and criminal fines in the death of two coal miners in West Virginia last year.
Now let's contrast this to statements made by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative officials in regards to their proposed $6 billion Surry coal plant located 18 miles from historic Williamsburg...
On Monday, the town council of Elkton, Virignia submitted a request to Governor Kaine asking him to seek out state and federal funding for a proposed "clean" coal research facility outside the Shenandoah town. A short hop from Harrisonburg and James Madison University, the town hopes to harness the 100 or so jobs created by the project as a boost to the local economy.
Called, the Elkton Energy Research Center, the facility would focus on developing two different types of carbon capture and sequestration, both of which are not yet commercially viable. Spearheaded by county democrats, hopes are that federal cash devoted to CCS tech will find its way to the town of only 2,000 residents situated along the south fork of the Shenandoah River. The proposal would require massive amounts of start-up cash from state and federal governments, approaching the $100 million mark. Without the necessary funding, the center isn't likely to materialize.
This is a good thing. The pipedream that is carbon capture and sequestration has existed in small-scale mockups, but there are no facilities in operation at this time that sport the moniker "clean coal." One of these proposed plants, FutureGen Mattoon in Illinois, has yet to see a brick laid in its construction. A joint venture between the Department of Energy and an alliance of Coal and Energy companies, FutureGen hopes to become the first functional generating plant that fully sequesters all of its CO2 emissions. Teetering between marginal success and total disappearance, The plant is poised to become the first massive failure of the coal industry in promoting this phony technology.
At the coal industry's bidding, U.S. Senators Brownback and Conrad are trying to put pressure on the EPA to reject federally enforceable coal ash disposal standards - undermining the EPA's authority to ensure that coal companies cannot continue to put communities in danger with toxic coal fly ash.
Tell them about local problems with coal ash with which you may be familiar such as in SW Virginia, Chesapeake and York County.
It is unconscionable that, in the wake of the tragic Tennessee coal ash disaster late last year, King Coal lobbyists are pushing for relaxed federal "guidelines" that would treat coal ash like household trash, rather than the hazardous pollution it is.
If King Coal lobbyists get their way, communities close to these toxic coal ash sites will be left vulnerable to arsenic, mercury, selenium, and other coal toxins, and they will continue to face a very high, 1 in 50, risk of cancer.
You can also call Senator Webb at 202-224-4024 and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
By weakening the EPA on this issue, the coal industry is not only trying to preserve the status quo with regards to coal ash, but also to challenge the EPA's ability to take action on any piece of a Big Picture plan to create a clean energy economy.
It's time that we protect the communities close to these sites; it's time that we demand safe, clean energy, and it is time that we authorize the EPA to ensure we get both. Please send a message to your Senators today.
The Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled two meetings this week to consider potential environmental impacts of ODEC's proposed coal burning power plant proposed for Surry County or possibly Sussex County as an alternative location. If you live in Hampton Roads this power plant will impact you because you are downwind! If you live in Surry County or alternatively in Sussex County the pollution will be amplified simply because you'll be living next to the power plant.
WHY: These "scoping" meetings are a critically important step in the review and permit process of this power plant. We need to demonstrate to the Army Corps of Engineers that a full Environmental Impact Statement must be required which would also consider alternatives to the coal plant. ODEC will try to avoid or narrow the Environmental Impact Statement; we must tell the Corps we need an Environmental Impact Statement that considers all impacts and alternatives.
WHEN AND WHERE: We are urging you to attend if you can. The meetings date and locations are as follows:
• June 10,2009, 6 PM at the Sussex Central High School, 21394 Sussex Drive, Sussex, Virginia
• June 11,2009, 6 PM at the Surry County High School, 1675 Hollybush Rd, Dendron, Virginia
Both meetings begin at 5:00 pm with ODEC personnel providing their perspective and answering questions regarding the project. At 6:00 PM ODEC will make a brief presentation on the project after which Corps staff will meet with groups of citizens to identify environmental concerns that should be addressed under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Here are the facts that must be considered as we head into these Hampton Roads Plant NEPA Scoping Meetings:
(Great job! Peebles is a summer intern with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network aka CCAN. - promoted by Eileen)
Surry, Virginia, is about as picturesque as they come. A portrait of the rural south, Surry and its neighbor, Dendron, offer testament to the unique charm and unavoidable beauty that accompanies the idea of small-town America. Wary of outsiders and exceptionally warm toward neighbors and friends, the residents of Surry County understand the inherent splendor of a life that is unhindered by external influence.
Naturally, it comes as no surprise that Old Dominion Electric Cooperative's proposed dirty, unhealthy, coal-fired power plant has been received with very few open arms in the community. Of course, this has not dampened the large cooperative's desire to take advantage of a small town with its share of economic difficulties.
With the promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue, ODEC has repeatedly stressed the so-called benefits to be won from the massive plant's construction. On Monday evening, Dendron's town council brought these claims to task during their regular meeting. Dendronites are engaged in a fight to save the health of their community, their children, and the irreplaceable beauty of the surrounding environment.
The Coalition to Keep Surry Clean, spearheaded by a group of energized residents and neighbors, has brought the fight against dirty coal to a national level. The evening kicked off with an outdoor potluck, featuring democratic gubernatorial candidate, Brian Moran (the only of the three in opposition to the plant). Under the watchful eye of national and local media, citizens called for a Surry that would be free of excess pollution, harmful chemicals and obtrusive, dangerous, 600-foot smokestacks. Coalition spokeswoman, Beth Roach, cast an air of humility over the audience as she called on all people to consider and ensure the health and happiness of future generations. Through the timeless words of Iroquois leader, Peacemaker, the message requires little interpretation:
"Think not forever of yourselves, O Chiefs, nor of your own generation. Think of continuing generations of our families, think of our grandchildren and of those yet unborn, whose faces are coming from beneath the ground."
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2009-15 concerned citizens were arrested today for peacefully blocking the entrance to Virginia Congressman Boucher's office protesting his efforts to gut strong climate legislation at the expense of American families. Congressman Boucher has driven efforts in Congress to give away billions of dollars worth of free permits directly to coal, oil and other dirty fossil fuel companies under a cap and trade bill.
Rep. Boucher serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which this week worked on markups to the American Clean Energy & Security Act (Waxman-Markey). Boucher who represents a district in the southwestern area of Virginia proposed "a deal where 35 percent of the allowances will be given away directly to utilities, also called local distribution companies. Allowances given to these companies would be worth $20.8 billion a year starting in 2012." Protesters also noted that Boucher has received $176,000 from the coal industry during his most recent re-election campaign.
I just got a livid email from a resident of Dendron, VA---the small town of 300 where the Surry Coal Plant is proposed. The ODEC plant would be nearly 3 times the size of the Wise plant...at 1500MW. Pollutants include 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide per year and over 100 pounds of the neurotoxin mercury among others.
Residents of the town are fighting back...and ODEC is responding. Just because its a Cooperative however, doesn't mean they aren't willing to fight dirty. An article came out in the Smithfield Times, followed by a secret meeting sponsored by ODEC...both were filled with bold lies about the plant.
Here is one resident's response...lets support these people on the frontlines of this battle with dirty coal.
Dear friends and neighbors,
I just wanted to take a moment of your time to direct your attention to the outrageous statement that ODEC has recently told our community:
"The only thing that comes out of the top of the coal plant is water vapor."
- Jeb Hockman, ODEC spokesman, Smithfield Times, May 13, 2009
I have spoken directly with the VA DEQ gentleman who was also quoted in that article and he assured me that Mr. Hockman is 100% mistaken.
I am completely outraged if this is the sort of underhanded tactic that these people are going to use to try to influence people here.
I have already written a letter to the Smithfield Times, but I think it is imperative that we all know that this complete misrepresentation is out there now. Even with retractions and clarifications, many will have read this article and come away with a very distorted view of the realities that a coal plant brings. There's a reason why ODEC had to submit 25 pages of emissions information to the DEQ......and it had very little to do with water vapor!
"'No coal is clean coal,' opponents of Surry plant declare" is the headline in today's Virginian-Pilot, in which almost every dirty detail involved with the "$6 billion coal-fired energy plant that Old Dominion Electric Cooperative wants to put on 1,400 acres in the center of the tiny Surry County town, about 18 miles from Williamsburg" is fleshed out.
"Dr. Christine Llewellyn of Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital said the plant could cause more asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, and other ailments for residents living nearby."
"The coal, brought in from the mountains, would be harvested by blowing up mountains, [Glen] Besa [Virginia director of the Sierra Club] said. Emissions from the power plant would wind up in waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay, he said.
"Coal for energy generates more carbon dioxide, and mercury in the waters is largely from coal-fired power plants," [Besa] said."
"Peter DeFur, an environmental scientist who works with the American Lung Association, said the plant would increase train and truck traffic in the village and that heavy metals from the plant, like arsenic and nickel, would never go away."
Today's Virginian-Pilot also editorializes on the Democratic gubernatorial candidates' positions as it involves the Surry coal plant:
Despite his sweeping proposals, McAuliffe has been conspicuous in his squishiness on some of the most pressing environmental issues facing Virginia. He has failed to take a position on a proposed coal plant in Surry County that would pollute the Chesapeake Bay and James River and damage air quality for residents in Hampton Roads and Richmond.
Rounding out the foursome is Brian Moran, who has carved out the most vividly green and aggressive environmental positions of the campaign. Moran is the only candidate to commit to fighting the Surry plant. He's also the lone opponent of drilling for either natural gas or oil off Virginia Beach. He's pledged to make progress on wind energy development, but he's realistic about the need to strengthen Virginia's nuclear energy capacity, critical to providing power for a growing state while the infrastructure is put in place for renewable sources.
(hint: the right answer is fighting coal and saving lives)
If you care about the environment and human health...you should be speaking and learning about the Hampton Roads Coal plant(also known as the Surry or Dendron Coal Plant). This coming Tuesday, May 12th, 5:30-8:30pm at the Surry Rec Center, Dendron residents and concerned people from across the state will unite for an information session on the plant.
Residents of Hampton Roads are encouraged to attend and share why you are passionate about fighting the plant, and to learn what this means for the small town of Dendron. This is a unique opportunity to ask questions, speak to the press, and learn how to take action on this 1500 MW coal powered plant which is on the verge of destroying this beautiful rural town of 500.
Who : Event Sponsored By the Coalition to Keep Surry Clean, joined by scientists, doctors, concerned residents, environmentalists and climate activists
What: Info Session on the coal plant currently proposed by ODEC
When: Tuesday May 12th. 5:30-8:30pm
Where: Surry Rec. Center, 205 Enos Farm Drive
Why..... The ODEC plant would be nearly 3 times the size of the Wise plant...at 1500MW.
Pollutants include 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide per year and over 100 pounds of the neurotoxin mercury among others. This plant would be place in the central part of the town, literally across the street from many residents' homes.
User comments or postings reflect the opinions of the responsible contributor only, and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Sierra Club and/or the League of Conservation Voters. The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any posting. The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters accepts no obligation to review every posting, but reserves the right (but not the obligation) to delete postings that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate.
ArticleXI.com is paid for and authorized by
Virginia League of Conservation Voters PAC, 530 East Main Street, Ste. 410, Richmond, Virginia 23219, (804) 225-1902 and
Sierra Club VA PAC, 422 E. Franklin Street, Suite 302, Richmond, VA 23219, (804) 225-9113.
Coal is in the blood of the people of Wise County, Virginia. With a population of around 41,000, the coal industry has provided steady income for an otherwise remote part of Appalachia. Situated in the southwest corner of the Commonwealth, the county boasts several small, tight-knit communities, a functional public school system, two colleges, and a thriving sense of mountainous spirit that hallmarks Appalachian living.
Dendron, Virginia, has more than its share of challenges. The community of around 300, located in the southern corner of Surry County, struggles with an outdated municipal water system, crumbling sidewalks and no major businesses within the town.
As of today 100 coal plants have been defeated or abandoned since the beginning of the coal rush. In their place, a smart mix of clean energy solutions like energy efficiency, wind, solar and geothermal has stepped up to meet America's energy needs. Last year 42 percent of all new power producing capacity came from wind, and for the first time the wind industry created more jobs than mining coal.
From 
Take Action on Coal Ash TODAY!
Surry, Virginia, is about as picturesque as they come. A portrait of the rural south, Surry and its neighbor, Dendron, offer testament to the unique charm and unavoidable beauty that accompanies the idea of small-town America. Wary of outsiders and exceptionally warm toward neighbors and friends, the residents of Surry County understand the inherent splendor of a life that is unhindered by external influence.
From the 
"'No coal is clean coal,' opponents of Surry plant declare" is the headline in 
