Posted on September 13, 2007
Students from JMU are spearheading a coalition of environmental organizations from colleges across Virginia that intend to oppose the building of a coal-fired power plant in Wise County, Va.
The student environmental group Virginia Climate Environmental Action Network (VaCAN), which has affiliates at seven Virginia colleges, is making it a priority to keep the plant from being built.
In October, members of VaCAN will meet again in Wise County.
“We are going to Wise County to talk with locals who are fighting mountain top removal and strip mining,” said Marley Green, junior and student organizer for the environmental effort. “We are trying to get more of an appreciation for what we’re going to face.”
Senior Mel Cronin hosted a gathering this summer at which VaCAN members decided to oppose the plant.
“This affects JMU students’ futures,” she said. “It is affecting us here and right now ... If we get JMU to stand up it will make a huge impact on Virginia.”
JMU students are recruiting students from colleges across the state, as well as anyone else who can help.
In April, Dominion Virginia Power plans to break ground in the construction of the power plant near the town of St. Paul in Wise County. The plant would generate 650 megawatts of power and consume up to 800,000 gallons of fresh water daily from the Clinch River.
The plant would also add 400-800 coal trucks a day, or one coal truck running through the small town roads every 1.8 to 3.6 minutes, according to Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, an environmental group.
Some local residents have been fighting against the construction of this plant since the beginning.
“Dominion Power will most likely use strip mining in order to obtain the coal from the mountains,” said Hannah Morgan, a representative from Mountain Justice Stewards. “Strip mining is significantly more destructive to the environment, but it takes less people. Dominion sees it as a cost-effective business decision and a way to need fewer employees. Additionally, the proposed plant would pollute the ground water, streams and air quality of the surrounding areas.”
Environmentalists and climate scientists also say that coal fired power plants are sources of acid rain and contribute to global warming.
But in a town where one-fifth of the population is below the poverty line, any source of income is welcome. The student effort faces opposition from some members of the Wise County community who see the plant as a much-needed economic gain and not necessarily an environmental loss.
“This power plant will be a big boost for the economy,” said St. Paul Mayor William J. Kiser. “It is a permanent source of jobs for many people in the area. It will provide 800 construction jobs, 75 permanent jobs at the power plant, as well as secretarial positions. It will enable us to give money back to the town and the people who live here.”
Others agree with the mayor.
“Hopefully, it will create union jobs for people in this area,” says Mike Kennedy, a representative from the United Mine Workers Association in Castlewood. “This power plant is going to be built using clean coal. We want coal burning power plants here.”
However, Green said clean coal is an oxymoron.
“Coal is dirty when you dig it and dirty when you haul it to the market,” he said. “It’s dirty when you burn it, dirty when you dispose of the ash, and it dirties up politics.”
Green said the group spent time discussing environmental justice.
“We discussed how class, privilege, and race affect society and environmentalism,” he said. “People everywhere have a responsibility to stand with the people of Wise County who can’t always speak out because of their situation and the dependency on coal in that area. We need to work with them in their effort to stop the destruction of their land.”
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