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Dominion Power plant gets go ahead from Virginia Air Pollution Control Board |
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Bluefield
Daily Telegraph
June 27, 2008
http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_179201446.html
By BILL ARCHER
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
RICHLANDS, Va. — Leaders from Southwest Virginia’s
educational and political arenas expressed appreciation for the Virginia Air
Pollution Control Board for the 5-0 decision the board rendered on Wednesday
that gives conditional approval to Dominion Virginia Power to build a $1.8
billion coal-fired power plant in Virginia City, Wise County, Va.
“I went to the public hearing and signed up to speak, but I had to return to
campus for a board meeting before I got the opportunity to express my
thoughts,” Dr. Mark Estepp, president of Southwest Virginia
Community Center said. “I
think it’s productive when people on all sides of an issue speak out to share
their views.”
Estepp said that while he was at the public hearing, the comments were running
about 10-1 in favor of Dominion’s proposed Virginia City Hybrid
Energy Center
in Wise. “People on both sides of the issue spoke with passion and compassion,”
Estepp said. “In no way are we saying that a coal-fired plant won’t pollute,
but we can’t afford to sit back and do nothing. Southwest Virginia needs the jobs,
Virginia needs the energy and the U.S., needs the
technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions.”
Estepp said SVCC has developed a Construction
Trades Academy
to help provide skilled workers to build the plant that is expected to create
800 jobs during the construction phase. “Hopefully, we’ll have additional
training available to prepare some of the 75 workers they will need to operate
the plant,” Estepp said. The plant project is also projected to create 250 coal
mining jobs, according to an Associated Press report.
“There is no way we can produce enough energy with wind, solar or saw grass to
meet the nation’s energy needs,” Estepp said. “We need to be responsible in our
use of energy, and we need to find ways to remove more pollution from coal-fired
power plants.”
State Senator Phillip P. Puckett, D-Russell said that he spoke with Dominion
Virginia Power officials Thursday morning and said they are examining the
requirements for improving the clean-coal technology at the plant.
“I just think it’s a win-win situation for people of Wise
County, Southwest
Virginia and all of us,” Puckett said. “I think that we have to
keep in mind that 51 percent of everything we do from an energy standpoint
comes from coal, and that’s something that should be important to all
Americans.
“Not only will this plant bring jobs to our region, it will also serve as a
proving ground for the new generation of clean-coal technology,” Puckett said.
“I think this plant can become a showcase for clean-coal technology. I think we
can make a difference here.”
Dominion Virginia Power hopes to have the plant on line by 2012.
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