UPDATE: 11 People Arrested Outside Dominion Power in St. Paul, Va.

By Debra McCown
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: September 15, 2008

UPDATE AT 11:45 a.m. from McCown:

The protesters, who advocate renewable energy and a move away from coal, had locked their arms through metal pipes welded inside 55-gallon steel drums.

All the protesters have been freed from the barrels, arrested and are being processed in Wise, Va. The 11 will have the opportunity to post bond or be taken to the regional jail in Duffield, Va.

The protesters range in age from 20 to 32 and are from locales ranging from New York state to South Carolina, including one woman who lives in Appalachia, Va.

An official with a hazardous-materials team has been called to the power plant because firefighters smelled an unknown substance in one of the barrels that protesters had locked themselves to.

The protesters brought with them to the plant before 6 a.m. seven steel drums and a solar-power protest banner, “Renewable Jobs to Renew Appalachia.”

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UPDATE AT 10:00 a.m. from the Bristol Herald Courier’s Debra McCown:

Police arrested a dozen protesters outside the site of the future Virginia Dominion Power Plant in St. Paul, Va., this morning.

They called for construction to stop of a coal-fired power plant in Wise County.

State environmental officials have granted approval for the power plant, hailed by local leaders as an economic salvation for Wise County.

The protesters, who chained themselves to barrels and said they aren’t connected to a single group, came from as far away as New York state.

They were charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly.

The power plant could go online by 2012.

Look for updates from Debra McCown later today on TriCities.com.

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Protesters are back in St. Paul, Va., this morning.

According to the Bristol Herald Courier’s Debra McCown, they’ve gathered outside the main entrance of Dominion Power on Highway 58. McCown reports that a large contingent from the Virginia State Police is there as well.

Dominion Power is building a coal-fired power plant in Wise County. The project was the focus of numerous protests before Virginia environmental officials granted permission to build the plant. Local economic and government officials hailed the power plant as a much-needed economic boost.

Look for updates from the Bristol Herald Courier and News Channel 11 here on TriCities.com throughout the day ahead.