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Virginia and coal
From SourceWatch
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| This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of CoalSwarm and the Center for Media and Democracy. |
Introduction
Coal-fired power plants produce about 47 percent of the electricity generated in Virginia. Virginia’s average retail price of electricity is 6.86 cents per kilowatt hour, the 12th lowest rate in the nation.[1] Coal production is an important part of Virginia’s economy, with an estimated 30 to 40 million tons produced each year. Virginia's coal mines are located in the Appalachian mountains in the southwestern part of the state, predominantly in Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise Counties. Relative to coal mined in other parts of the U.S., Virginia coal has high energy content and low sulfur content, making it well suited to electricity generation.[2]
Virginia coal is used to supply about half of the state’s energy needs. The state also imports coal for power generation, mainly from Kentucky and West Virginia.[3] Virginia-based Dominion recently began importing low-sulfur coal from Indonesia and Columbia.[4] Virginia also exports coal to electric utilities in the southeastern states, and sells between one-third and one-half of its in-state coal output for steel production, an industry that requires high-quality coal and tends to pay higher prices than electrical markets.[2]
From 1990 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions in Virginia increased approximately 34 percent, nearly twice the national average.[5] In 2007, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine announced a 25-year energy plan for the state. The new plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2025, in part through the use of carbon capture and storage; increase in-state energy production by 20 percent with expanded production of traditional and renewable energy sources; and reduce the growth rate in energy use by 40 percent through increased conservation and efficiency.[6]
Citizen activism
Citizen activism in Virginia focuses predominantly on two main issues:
- Mountaintop removal mining: There is widespread activism in Virginia and across the Appalachian region to stop mountaintop removal mining, a controversial method that uses explosives to blast off the top of mountains to reach the coal seams below, dumping the overburden into adjacent valleys. The practice wreaks havoc on local ecosystems and has devastated hundreds of square miles of the Appalachian Mountain regions in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Because the thickest and most accessible coal seams have already been mined, mountaintop removal techniques are increasingly being used in Virginia to reach the deeper, less accessible coal seams.[7] 29 mountains have already been damaged by this type of coal mining in southwestern Virginia.[8]
- Proposed Wise County plant: Dominion is proposing a $1.6 billion 585MW coal-fired power plant to be built in Wise County, Virginia. The plant is expected to emit up to 5.4 million tons of greenhouse gases each year, which would raise Virginia's entire output of carbon dioxide by 15 percent.[9] The new plant would also emit 7,719 tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide per year.[10] The plant is strongly opposed by environmental groups. A number of citizen groups including the Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Southern Environmental Law Center, Appalachian Voices, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network formed an initiative called Wise Energy for Virginia campaign, aimed at stopping construction of the plant. In May 2008, activists delivered a petition to block the power plant to Dominion's annual shareholder meeting. The document contained 42,400 signatures and stretched a mile long.[11] Permits for the plant are still pending.
June 30, 2005: WV citizens occupy Massey headquarters in Richmond, VA
On June 30, 2005, Concerned parents, grandparents and other citizens of Coal River Valley, West Virginia, with support from Mountain Justice Summer participants, delivered a list of demands to Massey Energy's headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, insisting that Massey respond. Two were arrested for trespassing when they refused to leave the premises until Massey responded to their demands. The citizens demanded that Massey shut down its preparation plant, coal silo, 1,849-acre mountaintop removal coal mine and 2.8 billion-gallon coal sludge dam - a toxic waste storage facility — located feet from an elementary school, Marsh Fork Elementary, in Sundail, WV. [12][13]
July 10, 2006: Earth First!/Rising Tide blockade of Clinch River Power Plant
On July 10, 2006, 75 Earth First! and Rising Tide North America activists blockaded an access bridge leading to American Electric Power's coal-fired Clinch River Power Plant near Carbo, Virginia. Several people stretched a rope across the bridge and suspended themselves off the bridge's edge; others waved a coal truck onto the bridge, blockaded it, deflated its tires, and locked themselves to the truck. The protestors demanded that Clinch River and other outdated coal plants be shut down, and that mountaintop removal coal mining be ended. After several hours in which coal trucks were unable to get into the plant, police agreed to make no arrests if the activists would dismantle their blockades.[14][15]
June 30, 2008: Activists Blockade Dominion Headquarters
On June 30, 2008, 20 Activists with Blue Ridge Earth First! and Mountain Justice Summer blockaded the entrance to Dominion Resources' corporate headquarters to protest the company's plan for a new coal-fired power plant in Southwest Virginia. Four protesters formed a human chain with their hands encased in containers of hardened cement and a fifth dangled by a climber's harness from the Lee Bridge footbridge. After several hours police made there way through the miles of backed up traffic to cut the activists out of the lockboxes and barrels. The climber came down on his own. Police also detained eight others standing on the sidewalks supporting the lockdown team. 13 in total were arrested.[16].
September 15, 2008: 20 Protesters lock-down at Dominion coal plant construction site, Wise County, VA
Early morning on September 15, 2008 around 50 peaceful protesters entered the construction site of Dominion Virginia's coal-fired Wise County Plant. Twenty protesters locked their bodies to eight large steel drums, two of which have operational solar panels affixed to the top that illuminated a banner reading "renewable jobs to renew Appalachia." In addition to those locked to the construction site, over 25 protesters from across the country convened in front of the plant singing and holding a 10'x30' banner, which said "we demand a clean energy future." Eleven were arrested. This action was organized by Mountain Justice, Blue Ridge Earth First!, Rainforest Action Network, Asheville Rising Tide, and Students for Democratic Society.[17]
Wise Energy Tour: September through November 2008
The Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition launched the Wise Energy Tour in September 2008 to meet with engaged citizens across Virginia. They aim to help equip Virginians with the tools they need to address their elected officials about clean energy and how Virginia can work towards a clean energy economy. The tour will visit all areas of Virginia.[18]
According to co-director Kayti Wingfield of the Sierra Club, the tour will transform the fight against the Wise County plant into "the largest grassroots effort Virginia's ever seen to work on clean energy."[19]
February 7, 2009: Billionaires for Coal visit Dominion headquarters: Richmond, VA
About two dozen people identifying themselves "Billionaires for Coal" gathered outside the headquarters of Dominion to lampoon the coal industry. The activists wore formal dress and sipped from wine glasses, while shouting pro-coal, anti-environment slogans including "Up with sea levels, up with profits." A bluegrass band also performed, calling themselves "The We Love Money String Band". Although the group's signs and chants stayed on message with the billionaire façade, the activists distributed leaflets revealing that the demonstration was organized by Blue Ridge Earth First.[20]
History
Virginia officials order air quality tests in Wise County
On April 21, 2009, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board ordered air quality tests for communities in southwest Virginia after a study showed dust from coal trucks was causing a health hazard in the region. The study, done in Wise County by a North Carolina State University professor for Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Sierra Club, found that airborne dust particles in the area were as much as three times the federal standard. The measurements were taken during two weeks in August 2008 in the community of Roda, which gets traffic from nine mining operations.[21]
The official study is here.[22]
Residents file $1 billion suit against Dominion over fly ash site
In March 2009, attorneys representing almost 400 residents who live near Battlefield Golf Club filed a lawsuit in Chesapeake Circuit Court, seeking over $1 billion in damages. The suit claims that Dominion Virginia Power sent fly ash to the site, ignoring a consultant's determination that the ash would leach harmful elements into the local drinking water supply. The lawsuit names as defendants Dominion, course developer CPM Virginia LLC, and VFL Technology Corp., Dominion's coal-ash management consultant. The suit accuses the companies of committing conspiracy and fraud, battery, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and the creation of a nuisance. The resident's attorneys are demanding the removal of all fly ash from the site; the cleaning of the aquifer and installation of public water and sewer service; compensation for personal injury and decreased property values; and the creation of a fund for treatment costs and health monitoring.[23]
Federal appeals court in Richmond reverses limits on mountaintop removal
On February 13, 2009, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that limited mountaintop removal coal mining. Delivering a win for the coal industry, a panel of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to reverse U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers' decision in March 2007 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had violated the Clean Water Act by issuing permits to four mountaintop removal operations. The 2007 ruling mandated full consideration of the environmental effects of mountaintop removal and slowed the issuing of new permits.[24]
The case was first filed by the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Coal River Mountain Watch, and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy against Aracoma Coal Company (a subsidiary of Massey Energy) and four other companies, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Environmental groups responded that the appeals court decision will lead to the destruction of 90 more mountain peaks.[24]
Obama EPA begins to crack down on mountaintop removal
On March 23, 2009, the Obama administration began making moves to block or stall mountaintop removal mining permits. The EPA issued letters meant to halt or slow two mining permits proposed by the federal Army Corps of Engineers in West Virginia and Kentucky. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson made an official announcement on March 24, saying, "The two letters reflect EPA's considerable concern regarding the environmental impacts these projects would have on fragile habitats and streams. I have directed the agency to review other mining permits requests. EPA will use the best science and follow the letter of the law in ensuring we are protecting our environment."[25]
The decision to delay and review the two permits calls into question more than 100 pending valley fill permits in the Appalachian region.[26] In response to widespread industry dissent warning EPA not to block mining permits, as well as praise from environmentalists for the decision to deny permits, the organization issued the following clarification of its intentions:[27]
The Environmental Protection Agency is not halting, holding or placing a moratorium on any of the mining permit applications. Plain and simple. EPA has issued comments on two pending permit applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality. EPA will take a close look at other permits that have been held back because of the 4th Circuit litigation. We fully anticipate that the bulk of these pending permit applications will not raise environmental concerns. In cases where a permit does raise environmental concerns, we will work expeditiously with the Army Corps of Engineers to determine how these concerns can be addressed. EPA’s submission of comments to the Corps on draft permits is a well-established procedure under the Clean Water Act to assure that environmental considerations are addressed in the permitting process.
In April 2009, EPA issued objections to three more mountaintop removal mining permits pending issue from the Army Corps of Engineers. The specific mines are Massey Energy's Republic No. 1 Surface Mine in Kanawha County, West Virginia; Frasure Creek Mining’s Spring Fork No. 2 Mine in Mingo County, West Virginia; and A&G Coal Corp.’s Ison Rock Ridge Surface Mine in Wise County, Virginia. According to the EPA letters, the three mining operations would bury about eight miles of streams.[28]
Army Corps of Engineers suspends MTR permit for A&G Coal
On May 7, 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended its approval of A&G Coal Corp.’s Ison Rock Ridge Surface Mine in Wise County, Virginia. The decision follows on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards to block the permit. The Corps stated that the suspension provides officials "an opportunity to fully evaluate concerns" raised by EPA in April 2009.[29]
Dominion raises rates to cover costs of Wise County Plant
On January 1, 2009, Dominion implemented a rate increase for its Virginia customers to help pay for its Wise County Plant. The rate adjustment will raise bills by $1.53 for every 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity customers use, which translates to an increase of $1.84 per month for the average customer. The increase will subsidize $83 million in financing costs for the plant during 2009.[30] Dominion made no announcement about the rate change.[31]
Budget cuts hit environmental protections
Gov. Timothy Kaine is looking to cut about $12 million in the 2009 fiscal year from the $420 million budget of the state secretary of natural resources, which includes state parks, Chesapeake Bay restoration and anti-pollution measures. The state has already has eliminated more than 20 percent of its air-pollution inspectors in an attempt to make up for an estimated $3 billion budget shortfall. The air inspectors oversee about 5,000 sites statewide, including power plants, and are charged with checking the emissions from smokestacks and exhaust. Jerome Brooks, who heads the air compliance division, said that although in previous years inspectors could check 1,400 sites a year, they will only be able to check about 800 in 2009 because of the cuts. State officials contend that Virginia's largest air polluters, about 500 power plants and factories, will still be monitored as often as the U.S. EPA requires.[32]
Legislative issues
House Bill 1918, introduced by Del. Ann Crockett-Stark, R_Wytheville, would require a solid waste permit for the storage of coal combustion waste in a 100-year flood plain. Crockett-Stark introduced the bill in response to concerns raised over Cumberland Park in Giles County, where a 7-acre site is being filled with 254,000 cubic yards of coal ash. In January 2009, the House Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Chesapeake endorsed the legislation. If passed, the bill would not affect Cumberland Park, but the permitting requirement would give the public an opportunity to comment on future proposals.[33]
Proposed coal plants
Active
Cancelled
Citizen groups
- Appalachian Voices
- Blue Ridge Earth First
- Concerned Citizens of Giles County
- Do Something Charlottesville
- Chesapeake Climate Action Virginia
- Mountain Justice Blacksburg
- Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
- Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards
- Wise Energy for Virginia
Coal lobbying groups
Power companies
- Dominion
- Headquarters in Richmond, VA
- 10th biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
- Controls 32 coal-fired generating stations with 8417 MW total capacity
- Active proposals: Wise County Plant
- AES
- Headquarters in Arlington, VA
- 19th biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
- Controls 29 coal-fired generating stations with 5371 MW total capacity
- EnviroPower
- Headquarters in Sterling, VA
- Active proposals: Franklin County Power Plant
- Appalachian Power, a division of American Electric Power
- Cogentrix
- Southern Company
Existing coal plants
Virginia has 55 operating coal-fired power units at 21 locations totaling 6,208 megawatts (MW).[34] Click on the locations shown on the map for plant details:
16 of these units are larger than 500MW.[1][2]
- Birchwood - 258MW - 1996
- Bremo Bluff - 254MW - 1950, 1958
- Chesapeake - 812MW - 1953, 1954, 1959, 1963
- Chesterfield - 1800MW - 1952, 1960, 1964, 1969
- Clinch River - 713MW - 1958, 1961
- Clover - 848MW - 1995, 1996
- Cogentrix of Richmond - 270MW - 1992
- Glen Lyn - 338MW - 1944, 1957
- James River - 135MW - 1988
- Mecklenburg - 140MW - 1992
- Potomac River - 514MW - 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1957
- Yorktown - 375MW - 1957, 1959, 1974
Major coal mines
- Buchanan Mine, Consolidation Coal Company
Resources
References
- ↑ Power Plants in Virginia, accessed May 2008.
- ↑ Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration website, accessed April 2008.
Related SourceWatch articles
- Thomas F. Farrell II
- Existing U.S. Coal Plants
- US proposed coal plants (both active and cancelled)
- Coal plants cancelled in 2007
- Coal plants cancelled in 2008
- Profiles of other states (or click on the map)
External links
- Virginia Coal Profile, Energy Information Administration
- Power Plants in Virginia
- Major U.S. Coal Mines, Energy Information Administration
