Save the Dates! Two Coal Plant Hearings in Surry County, Va

The fight to stop the largest coal-fired power plant ever proposed in Virginia is heating up again, and your help is needed. Recently, local coal plant opponents prevailed in a lawsuit that nullified zoning approvals for the plant at the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s (ODEC) preferred plant site in Dendron, forcing the company to go through the zoning process again. Click on the video, made by locals involved in the fight, to get the story.

ODEC and the town of Dendron are wasting no time and have already scheduled the two required hearings: one before the Surry County Planning and Zoning Commission on February 27 and one before the Dendron Town Council on March 5.

Please save these dates and RSVP for one or both hearings!

Let’s use this as an opportunity to show our support for the locals who have put their lives on hold and fought tirelessly for the health and welfare of Hampton Roads and our planet. Details on the hearings are in the sidebar to the right —->>>>

Two years ago this month, ODEC’s attorneys advised the Dendron Town Council to go forward with a vote on zoning for the coal plant despite citizen concerns that they hadn’t provided sufficient public notice that a vote would take place. Taking ODEC’s attorneys’ advice, and ignoring the citizens concerns, the Town Council went forward with the vote, which turned out to be illegal.

When the citizens sued, ODEC tried to have the case dismissed and even tried to have the citizen plaintiffs charged for the company’s legal fees, but the judge ultimately ruled in favor of the citizens and nullified the zoning.

Although the Dendron Town Council is now likely to vote to grant local zoning approvals for the plant again, we are asking you to come out to support locals and to show ODEC that their terrible proposal will be met with major citizen opposition at every step.

I hope to see you there,
-Mike McCoy

About Mike McCoy

Mike served as the Virginia Campaign Coordinator from 2007 to 2012, working on such issues as stopping the Wise County and Surrey County, Va., proposed coal plants and promoting energy efficiency in the Commonwealth.