Protesters target power plant site
Eleven protesters shackled themselves to 55-gallon drums on Dominion property, while others held up signs along U.S. Route 58.
By STEPHEN IGO
[email protected]
ST. PAUL "? Eleven protesters were arrested Monday after shackling themselves to barrels outside two gates leading to the construction offices of Dominion Virginia Power's power plant site in St. Paul.
Since its inception, environmental activists have opposed the 580 megawatt coal-fired facility "? intended by Dominion to be operational by 2012 "? citing a broad range of environmental, health and social concerns as well as opposition to the coal industry in general and surface mining in particular. Dominion counters with the assertion the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center will be the cleanest coal-fired power plant in the world and help the utility meet soaring demand for electricity.
This summer Virginia's Air Pollution Control Board approved air emissions permits for the facility, with standards even more strict than established by federal and state regulations, giving the green light for Dominion to proceed with construction of the $1.8 billion generating station. The move also signaled a new phase for opponents. Besides Monday's protest at the site, two weeks ago environmental groups lodged lawsuits against the facility in Richmond Circuit Court and the Virginia Supreme Court, the latter involving the State Corporation Commission.
Sporting a "Today's Destruction Is Not Tomorrow's Prosperity"? T-shirt and a ball cap emblazoned "STOP Mountaintop Removal,"? Jane Branham of Big Stone Gap said one goal of Monday's protest was to show there are <span style='font-size: 17pt'>many residents of Wise County and Southwest Virginia opposed to the facility</span>. Branham said she works as a nurse in Kingsport but declined to say where she is employed.
"We have a nurse, a school teacher, a retired coal miner and a Vietnam vet,"? Branham said.
She was not among those arrested but among a separate group of protesters showing support for those connected to the barrels.
<span style='font-size: 17pt'>"We keep getting called out-of state tree huggers and outsiders. We're called the small minority. But we want to show these are local people. These are local concerns,"? she said.</span> "I'm doing this because King Coal is destroying our communities. The power plant means more mountaintop removal, and that's got to stop. People here have been poor forever. We keep hearing about prosperity from coal for generations. This is Third World America, is what it is."?
"We can't afford to build another coal-fired power plant,"? said Joe Overton, who lives near Bristol in Scott County. "All these resources could go into clean renewable energy and clean jobs. People shouldn't have to choose between jobs and clean water."?
Dominion issued a brief statement recognizing the right of protesters to have their say but condemning the manner in which it was said.
"Dominion respects peaceful protest. However, we do not condone illegal acts such as protesters trespassing on our property, chaining themselves to our fences, and blocking roads that prevent our employees and contractors coming to work,"? said the statement read by Dominion spokesman Dan Genest.
Surveying the protest activities "? or more accurately the activities of police and firefighters to unshackle the 11 protesters who bound themselves to about a half-dozen 55-gallon drums customized for the purpose "? Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Ron Elkins estimated the total number of protesters at around two dozen or so. Elkins said the 11 protesters taken into custody were primarily charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing, Class I misdemeanors in Virginia.
The other group of protesters positioned themselves next to the westbound lanes of U.S. Route 58 about a quarter-mile from the construction offices and were unmolested by police as they held signs and solicited responses from motorists.
<span style='font-size: 17pt'>Diana Withen, a science teacher at Coeburn High School taking a paid personal day off to take part in the protest, said the response from motorists was mostly positive. She said her group got more thumbs-up than any other finger raised skyward.
Withen said she rarely takes personal days "? Wise County teachers can take three paid personal days each school year "? but felt the protest was a worthy enough reason to take one on Monday. </span>
"People came from all directions. We get a phone call this morning, and we're here,"? said Withen, who is active in The Clinch Coalition, an area environmental organization. Withen said she wasn't representing the coalition on Monday but was representing a new local group, Wise Energy Alliance, opposed to the project. She said WEA has about two dozen active members.
"Kids from universities from all over Virginia are here. Even retired coal miners were with us this morning. Our leaders say 96 percent of our people are for this power plant, but I've seen a big, overwhelming response (from motorists),"? Withen said. "I've been really amazed at the positive response from traffic. There's been a lot of thumbs-up. Oh, we've had a few of those negative hand signal responses, too. But we've seen a lot more thumbs than the other kind."?
Mercury and particulate emissions from the new power plant concern Withen the most. She said mercury poisoning will cause untold health problems for generations of Southwest Virginia children, and particulate pollution won't help the rate of asthma in a region she said is one of two areas with the highest asthma rates in Virginia.
"I know jobs are important to this area, and so are taxes. But the health of our children is way more important,"? she said.
Nick Asher of Bowling Green, Ky., said it's time the nation gave up its coal addiction.
"We need to start investing in clean renewable energy and get our minds out of this coal mentality,"? he said. "There are other alternatives out there, and it is time we start looking at those."?
Maria Johnson of Kingsport, a student at East Tennessee State University, said exercising freedom of speech sometimes requires peaceful, symbolic flouting of the law.
"I think it's important. It gets the word out,"? she said of Monday's protest. "Sometimes you have to resort to methods that are a bit extreme. But I am here in support of the people in lockdown here this "?
Elkins said the metal drums showed exceptional planning Basically, the barrels were fash ioned so two or three people could insert and lock arms inside by the use of nylon cord and cara biners (fastening devices used by mountain climbers). Elkins said the barrels were weighed down with chunks of concrete and oth er materials, including "some kind of chemical"? that firefight ers hosed down as a precaution The powdery substance was be lieved to be benign and probably coal ash or construction material employed as a proxy for coal ash.
The drums were painted dark green and carried slogans such as "Good Jobs, Healthy Communi ties."?
Protesters were covered with plastic sheeting while firefighters cut away the top covers to give ac cess to the interiors. Elkins said most protesters went ahead and unfastened themselves once that happened and surrendered p e a c e a b l y.
<span style='font-size: 20pt'> <span style="color: #FF6600">All but one of the protesters taken into custody hail from places far from Wise County. Hannah Morgan, 20, provided a 373 Henry St. address in Appalachia Morgan faces 18 charges includ ing one count each of dispersal of unlawful or riotous assemblies criminal trespass, participation in an unlawful assembly, and ob struction of justice, and 10 counts of instigating trespass by others.
Kathleen Kennedy Rooth, 24 of Washington D.C., faces the identical 18 counts Morgan is charged with.
Charged with one count each of dispersal of unlawful or riotous as semblies, criminal trespass, partic ipation in an unlawful assembly and obstruction of justice are Kathryn Anne Hilton, 20, of Aiken S.C.; Robin Markle, 23, of High Falls, N.Y.; Grover Jasper Conner 21, of Roanoke; Sally Anne Morgan 21, of Blacksburg; Scott Grunewald Cardiff, 31, of Washington, D.C.; An drew Thomas Thomaides, 24, of Washington, D.C.; Kathryn Mary Lally, 20, of Columbia, Md.; Cesar Pablo Maxit, 32, of Washington D.C.; and William Eugene Gorz, 47 of Hot Springs, N.C. </span></span>
All were expected to post bond and receive a date to appear in court while being processed at the magistrate's office, Elkins said.
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