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Cleaning Up Power Plants

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Coal Power Plants Blemish "Year of the Environment"

Governor Tim Kaine has declared 2009 to be the "year of the environment," but already he has held the door open for the coal industry building a new coal-fired plant in Wise County and is acting like a spectator for another plant in Surry County. 

The Wise County coal-fired powered plant will spew 5 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide every year, and the plant in Surry County will triple that with 15 million tons.  The rest of the nation is addressing global warming while Virginia is only increasing its carbon footprint.  We must work to stop the Surry County power plant from even phase one of construction to protect our air, water, and future.

How You Can Help

Tell ODEC No to the Surry County Power Plant

Old Dominion Energy Cooperative (ODEC) has proposed another coal-fired power plant for Virginia.  This facility will only be possible with more mountaintop removal and strip mining and increased health and environmental hazards from more global warming emissions.  Stop ODEC's proposed coal-fired power plant from ever seeing the light of day.  Click here

Brief Summary

Pollution from power plants, like the coal plant in Wise County and the proposed plant in Surry County, is threatening our health and environment. More than half of all Americans live in areas that fail to meet minimum health standards for smog and soot.  Pollution from these plants can be traced to mercury that has caused fish consumption advisories for Virginia's waterways.

Knowing the adverse effects to our environment and health we need to move away from these old, dirty technologies.  Yet utility companies like Dominion Power and ODEC continue to propose new plants that spew harmful pollutants into the air.

In the absence of federal action to protect public health and the environment, Virginia must move to address smog, soot and mercury pollution.

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Air pollution contributes to haze that obscures both city skylines and our wilderness areas.