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Help us Stop the Surry Coal Plant!

CURRENT STATUS / ACTION ALERT:

Please continue to get coal plant opposition petition signatures, OR sign the online petition.

The November, 2009 Coal's Assault on Human Health report from the Physicians for Social Responsibility takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body, specifically, the cumulative harm inflicted by coal combustion pollutants on the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems.  The report also considers coal's contribution to global warming, and the health implications of global warming.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation reports the Surry Coal-Fired Power Plant would increase mercury, nitrogen pollution across Virginia (Oct. 14, 2009).


SURRY COAL PLANT FACTS (Old Dominion Electric Cooperative)
- 1500 MW, would be the largest coal fired power plant in Virginia
- 18 miles from Williamsburg (we are already near the Yorktown Power Station)
- $6 Billion construction cost (does not include carbon emission cost during operation, utility scale carbon capture technology unproven, local site unsuitable for carbon sequestration)
- 14.6 million tons CO2/year Virginia's Greenhouse Gas Emissions have increased 35% since 1990, 78% from electricity sector
- 118 lbs mercury/year 1/70 teaspoon in a 25 acre lake makes the fish unsafe to eat
- 15 miles from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  Most mercury deposits occur within 75 miles of source
- Coal-fired electric plants are one of the nation's largest sources of air pollutants that damage cardiovascular and respiratory health and threaten healthy childhood development.
- 920 lbs. lead, 3,085 tons of nitrogen oxide, 3,685 tons of sulfur dioxide, 2,155 tons of sootlike particulates

GET THE FACTS
- Learn more about coal, the Surry coal plant and action opportunities at: Wise Energy for Virginia
- Sign up for the Coalition to Keep Surry Clean Yahoo Group to get email updates, news articles and engage in discussion on the Surry coal Plant
- The Surry coal plant has a Facebook page.
- Download a two page Coal Plant Fact Sheet summary on the health and environmental impacts of ODEC's proposed coal-fired power plant.

LEARN MORE ABOUT “OUR NEW NEIGHBOR”
- A Power Point presentation and notes are available for download.  Click WCAN’s “Our New Neighbor?” to download the presentation file and presentation notes to download the acompanying notes.

ODEC APPLICATIONS TO DENDRON AND SURRY COUNTY
~ CUP Zoning Change Comprehensive Plan Admendment Zoning Text Amendment - Mussel Fork Farm LLC (2).pdf
~ CUP - Traylor parcel - 296 Eagle Lane just West of Cobham Wharf Road (2).pdf
~ Rhonda Mack Cover Ltrs_09 21 09 (2).pdf

To download any or all of these applications, go to Surry County's Planning and Community Development page.  The pdf files are located at the bottom of the page.
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WCAN Coal Plant Protest at the Southern Governor's Association meeting at Kingsmill:

Educating Our Youth

Educating our youth is a key way to bring about the change we so desperately need. WCAN is currently working to distribute DVD copies of An Inconvenient Truth and Kilowatt Ours to local schools.


Bag Campaign

To help educate the community on the environmental impacts of plastic and paper bags and encourage the use of reusable bags, WCAN is purchasing and giving away 1000 reusable bags at two local, UKROPS grocery stores. In addition a small team of WCAN members are in the initial stages of researching what type of campaign will best help reduce Williamsburg's plastic and regular paper bag usage. The details of the campaign will be decided once we have gathered and evaluated information from various sources. Our hope is that we can work in cooperation with local government and corporations to create a solution that is responsible and beneficial to the Williamsburg community and the planet as a whole.

Please feel free to print and distribute our Bag Brochure (front, back), which provides important facts regarding paper and plastic bags.