Tell Kaine Northern Virginia doesn't want new coal
Michael Feldman
2008-05-07 12:31:02
Why is Gov. Tim Kaine (D) supporting the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County? This new plant will be expensive for all of us. It will be devastating to our environment, destroying more of our mountains and polluting our air and water.At his recent town hall meeting in Ashburn, the governor said he plans to concentrate on energy in his fourth year. In the meantime, he is listening to others telling him we need to use our vast coal reserves and that this new plant will be clean. Thus, he is supporting the plant. When he finally starts to concentrate on energy next year, will he still support it? Or will he regret his decision?
Admittedly, coal is still cheaper than clean, renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind. But the price of coal is rising just like other fossil fuels. And the price of renewable energy is dropping all the time with new technology. In the near future there will probably be a carbon tax or a cap and trade system in place, further driving up the price of coal. This new coal plant will not be operational until 2012, and there's a good possibility that energy from many renewable sources will be cheaper than coal by that time. But if this plant is built, all of us will be paying the $1.8 billion price tag through higher electricity bills. When it is finished, we will continue to pay higher bills because of the higher price of coal.
Even if this new power plant is a little cleaner than the existing ones, it is still not clean. It will not sequester its carbon dioxide emissions since the technology does not exist yet. No matter how much cleaner coal plants get, the business of getting the coal fuel in the first place will always be dirty and devastating to our environment.
The governor says that he has heard there isn't much opposition to the plant locally in Wise County. I was at the SCC hearing in Richmond. The vast majority of people testifying from Wise County were against the plant. Most of the supporters from that part of the state were government leaders and employees. From what I heard, the people there are suffering.
There are better solutions out there. Virginia ranks near the bottom in the country in spending on energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is the easiest and cheapest way to deal with energy demand.
Why are we conducting business as usual with coal? Adding incentives for renewable energy will be good for the economy in Virginia. New businesses are popping up all the time in other states with these incentives. This will create jobs. With business as usual, the coal and power companies get richer while the rest of us get poorer and sicker. Why do we want to fall behind the rest of the nation?
So what are we waiting for? Climate change is a time-sensitive issue. The solutions are right in front of us. Our leaders just need to make them possible.
Tell Gov. Kaine that Northern Virginia does not want new coal. It is a waste of our money.
Michael Feldman
Ashburn