Air Pollution Control Board To Hold Public Hearing On Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant

By Debra McCown
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: June 23, 2008

Virginia Air Pollution Control Board members will hear public comment on Tuesday, and on Wednesday may decide the fate of the proposed Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center.

“I know the board is interested in getting this issue taken care of, but whether that’s really going to result in a final decision next week, it’s really too soon to say,” said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The air board is the last regulatory hurdle for the 585-megawatt, coal-fired power plant Dominion Virginia Power is proposing to build in Wise County, Va.
At issue are two permits – one for the $1.8 billion plant’s construction and operation, and another concerning mercury emissions.

Hayden said additional permits for an onsite landfill and water discharge will be issued by DEQ if basic requirements are met.

The mercury permit is based on available technology.

“It is strictly based on what is technologically possible,” Hayden said. “That’s really the only issue here.”

He said the plant must use “the most stringent technology” but the permit can be amended based on actual emissions.

The main issue before the board, which is composed of five citizens appointed by the governor, is whether to allow construction of the plant near St. Paul, Va., based on its expected effects on air quality.

“It probably comes down to a number of questions based on emissions. ... Is this plant the best that it can be technologically, and are those emissions as low as they can possibly be [with this type of technology],” Hayden said. “That’s probably what everything is going to hinge on.”

The case for the plant

Proponents of the proposed Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center say it will bring jobs and economic development to the region while complying with environmental standards.

“For Wise County, which is one of the poorer counties in the state with one of the higher unemployment rates in the state, which is a county that has serious infrastructure problems for schools and hospitals and roads, this represents a chance for basically a tax source that will double the county’s budget,” said Dan Genest, spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power.

“It means new jobs, new long-term secure jobs at our power station, in the coal mines, in the forest industry, for truck drivers, for other subcontractors ... and finally, I think Dominion is a good neighbor.”

Local and state officials have expressed support for the project, citing positive economic impacts and the need for cheap, locally produced electricity.

“It provides power which is very much needed in Virginia,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher. “We’re importing about half the power we consume in our region from out of state, and it’s far more efficient to have reliable local power sources ... this plant would provide that.”

Boucher said the planned reduction of emissions from the nearby Clinch River Power Plant will mean no net increase in emissions when the proposed Dominion plant goes online.

“It is far cleaner than any coal plant built in Virginia to date,” Boucher added.

Dominion also has highlighted its plans to burn gob piles – huge masses of waste coal that pollute the landscape – as part of the fuel mix for the plant.

Genest said the circulating fluidized bed technology being proposed allows use of a wide variety of fuels, including waste coal and waste wood, that normally would be sent to a landfill.

“To the people who get out into the backcountry and hike, and to the environmentalists and to the agencies like the Nature Conservancy that care about water quality, they will see differences,” Genest said of the expected impact of removing gob piles from the landscape. “It’s not going to happen overnight ... but it’s going to make a difference.”

Genest said modeling showed “no impact on air quality, human health or the environment in that area” would be caused by emissions from the plant.

Other industry officials have said the plant will help fill a need – more electricity for a power grid that’s being strained by ever-increasing demand.

“I think that the air board has to consider state regulations and state laws, and are we in compliance with those,” Genest said. “We hope they will find that this latest permit, which ... is the strictest one yet, we hope that they will approve it.”

Hayden, the DEQ spokesman, said his agency’s recommendation to the air board is for approval.

“We believe those permits meet all the regulatory requirements and would enable the plant to operate safely in a way that protects the environment,” Hayden said. “That’s our recommendation, and the final decision will be up to the board.”

The case against the plant

Most opposition to the proposed power plant is coming from environmental groups that claim it would fuel global warming and environmental destruction. Activists also cite public health issues associated with air pollution and other social justice concerns.

“We think it would be a major step backwards for Virginia for a host of reasons,” said Tom Cormons, Virginia Campaign Coordinator for Appalachian Voices, a group that advocates for environmental issues affecting the region.

“We’re extremely concerned that it would exacerbate mountaintop removal strip mining. We’re concerned about its impact on climate change, the carbon dioxide emissions [with the equivalent] of almost 900,000 cars,” Cormons continued. “Dominion has tried to convince the public that the plant would capture that carbon, that it’s carbon-capture compatible. Quite frankly, it’s a lie.”

Catherine Gilliam, Virginia program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, summed up some of her organization’s opposition to the plant.

“The Clean Air Act is the best available control technology,” Gilliam said. “Our argument is that there are better control technologies.”

She said Dominion should build a different type of plant, using integrated gasification combined cycle technology and burning higher-quality coal that doesn’t generate as much air pollution as what Dominion is proposing to burn.

“The emissions would be so significantly reduced that the impact on public health, in particular the national parks, would be significantly improved [with this technology],” Gilliam said. “When the National Park Service evaluated the permit, the draft permit, they raised major concerns ... the Environmental Protection Agency said the same thing in a report submitted to the air board.”

She said it’s possible with cleaner technology for Wise County to promote economic development while protecting the health of children and the environment.
The organization also questions the motive behind Dominion’s plans to burn gob piles.

“By designing the plant to use waste coal and not committing to use waste coal, all they’re doing is avoiding the cost of washing coal,” said Don Barger, senior regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. He said the company would save money at the expense of air quality.

Barger and others also have expressed concerns about the effect increased pollution would have on the tourism industry, which draws millions to the region to enjoy mountaintop views.

“The plant would be dirtier than just about any of the plants being proposed around the region,” said Matt Wasson, program director of Appalachian Voices, who added he was speaking for the five environmental groups leading the opposition to the plant.

“The reality is we do not need this power plant for our energy; there are plenty of other alternatives ... and Wise County has a perfect work force for renewable energy,” he said. “The reason this plant is being proposed is because a very powerful industry thinks it’s the best way to improve their bottom line.”

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