Protect Virginia’s Residents and National Parks from New Coal Power Plant Pollution
Take Action!Ask the Army Corps of Engineers to reject consideration of the water quality permit. Watch our video and take action now! Proposed Cypress Creek Power Plant Map
View the map |
Coal-fired power plants generate many types of pollution, some invisible. For example, some coal plant pollution contributes to high levels of ozone, a colorless gas, which can harm even healthy adults working or playing outside, and to smoggy haze. Construction of a proposed new power plant is widely expected to degrade air quality in the larger Hampton Roads community, and contribute to more unhealthy air in the region. The federal Clean Air Act aims to protect human health and significant resources such as national parks from unhealthy air pollution.
Even though a delay was recently announced, the company continues to move forward, so your help now is critical!
Why is protecting air quality in Virginia’s national parks important?
The pollution threatens protected historic sites such as Petersburg and Richmond national battlefields, and contributes to unhealthy air many days of the year at Colonial National Historical Park, each established to honor and remember our nation’s heritage. Air pollution harms local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. The pollutants have significant impacts locally, and also can travel on the wind for many miles, thereby affecting a large ecological area. Power plant pollution contributes to smoggy haze that reduces scenic views, and the enjoyment of hikers or anyone active outdoors, as well as threatening human health, plants, and animals. Virginia’s tourism and agricultural economies depend on clean air.
What is the threat?
The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) proposes to build Cypress Creek, a large new coal-fired power plant in Dendron, VA in Surry County. Designed to run on two boilers using coal and wood waste as fuel, Cypress Creek would be a new 1,500 megawatt industrial source of air and water pollution. If approved it would be 3 times larger than the average coal-fired power plant in operation today. Each year, this plant will emit into the atmosphere an estimated:
- 3,000 tons of nitrogen oxides
- 2,100+ tons of particulate matter
- 3,600+ tons of sulfur dioxide
- 44 pounds of mercury
- 1,000 pounds of lead
- 12 million tons of carbon dioxide
Does Virginia need a new coal plant?
Renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency and conservation offer alternatives to building new coal burning power plants. According to the Virginia Energy Plan of 2007, the state’s top energy goals include using clean fuels, and promoting energy efficiency and conservation.
Unfortunately, as long as utility profits depend on how much electricity they sell, instead of on providing electric services, utilities may reduce their profits if their customers use electricity more efficiently.
Virginia has shown leadership by making renewable energy an option to its residents -- one of only five states to set voluntary renewable portfolio standards. This means that utility companies will have to obtain a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources (currently 15%). About 10,000 Virginia residents take advantage of Dominion’s Green Power Program. While one pays slightly more to support generation from alternative sources, participation in this program proves the demand -- and will support making alternative energy generation a higher priority. Virginia offers other programs as well to ratepayers.
At the same time ODEC claims it needs this plant to provide energy for its ratepayers – it does not have a robust energy efficiency program in place to enable its customers to use less electricity while having the same services they now enjoy. One of ODEC’s justifications for building the plant is that Virginia needs the additional energy sources. But ODEC has not demonstrated the need. Even during the record-breaking temperatures during the summer of 2010, there were no concerns about supply.
In 2008, visitors to national parks in the region such as Colonial NHP, generated approximately $51 million in economic activity such as meals in restaurants, hotel stays, and retail sales.
Why is NPCA involved?
Air pollution is one of the most pervasive threats facing national parks in Virginia and across the county. Congress established laws to ensure that the air quality in national parks, like Shenandoah, would be clean, and protected for public enjoyment and benefit. For decades, NPCA has advocated to improve national park air quality by contesting coal plants that would harm national parks and people’s health, as well as advocating for robust enforcement of Clean Air Act protections. In so doing, NPCA aims to protect and restore park air quality for our children and grandchildren.
What is the status?
In February 2010, ODEC won approval from the town of Dendron in Surry County to rezone the site of the proposed plant. ODEC submitted its air permit application to the state in December 2008. While ODEC announced in September of 2010 a delay in pursuing its air permit, it continues to pursue other necessary federal approvals. Interested members of the public will be able to comment on any draft permits to identify concerns about this new polluting source, and the agencies are required to respond to any concerns raised.
What can you do NOW to make a difference?
Ask the Army Corps of Engineers to reject ODEC’s proposal. ODEC has provided no basis for its claim that the plant is needed. Moreover, a new coal plant would impose unacceptable costs on human health and Virginia's natural and cultural heritage. Click here to take action by sending comments to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Media links:
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation rallies against coal-fired plant
Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 02, 2010 - GCV Member Shares a Cypress Creek Post from the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
GCV Conservation, April 7, 2010 - Tiny Virginia Town Approves Giant Coal-Fired Power Plant
Environment News Service, February 2, 2010
For more information from our allies and others:
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Garden Club of Virginia
- Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
- Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality
1. http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/vaenergyplan.shtml
2. http://www.seealliance.org/se_efficiency_study/virginia_efficiency_in_the_south.pdf
