We shouldn’t be faced with a choice between the environment and the economy. But, regrettably, sometimes planned projects pit nature lovers against others who are labeled as those who will push development at all costs.
Yet we all know it’s never that simple.
We doubt very few individuals who are committed to certain economic development projects desire to see the destruction of our natural landscape. And, on the other side of the spectrum, even eco-friendly individuals, and their families, must have a source of revenue to pay bills and sustain an even moderate quality of life.
The proposed $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant, to be built by Dominion Virginia Power in Wise County, Va., is one of those issues that seems to have polarized many within the region.
The construction phase of the 585-megawatt Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center could create 800 jobs, according to an Associated Press report. It could also support more than 250 coal-mining jobs once it goes on line in 2012, while the plant itself could employ 75.
Additionally, the AP reported Dominion plans to use advanced technology to burn cleaner coal, and has said the plant will burn only coal mined in Virginia, as well as coal waste and wood products.
At a public hearing Monday night, state regulators heard from vocal individuals on both sides of the issues. Many residents of Wise County spoke out in strong support of the plant. “The environment is best protected when the economy is strong,” Wise County administrator Skip Skinner said.
Mike Quillen, representing Alpha Natural Resources, said he spoke on behalf of miners when he declared, “Miners want to stay in this area and raise their families.”
Others are not so eager to see the plant’s development, including opponents such as the Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachia Voices. Members of these groups say plans to capture carbon emissions before they can be released into the air is a pipe dream because the technology does not yet exist. They are also worried about environmental damage due to strip mining.
Initially, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Park Service officials were concerned air emissions at the proposed plant could harm a North Carolina wilderness and federal park. However, a new plan by Dominion appears to have calmed their fears.
Dominion has proposed to the state Department of Environmental Quality that it convert its power station in Fluvanna County from coal to natural gas, the AP reported. The company also said construction of the Wise County plant and conversion of the Bremo Bluff plant, the utility’s oldest coal-fired plant in Virginia, would result in large reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide and mercury.
While we believe the reduction and control of emissions must become a high priority for our federal government, we can not advise against building a plant that will provide jobs, feed families and provide a much-needed economic boost in an region that has struggled through many hard times.
We hear the caution voiced by those concerned for our environment, and we urge our lawmakers to listen as well.
Southwest Virginia is in desperate need of jobs, and the proposed Dominion plant must be allowed to proceed forward. However, we also encourage all lawmakers on the state and federal level to make the reduction of carbon emissions and true “clean coal” power a top priority.
Editorials
February 12, 2008
Power of cooperation — Dominion plant vital to economy, but lawmakers must listen to environmental concerns
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