Gov. Kaine Gets Earful About Coal Plant During Wytheville, Va. Visit

By Nate Hubbard/Media General News Service
Published: March 26, 2008

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine met with the public here Tuesday night, but you could have forgiven him if he thought he was in Wise County, Va.

Kaine was touting achievements of the General Assembly session during a town hall meeting. Government officials and community service leaders squeezed in a few questions, but most of the crowd wanted to hear about a proposed coal-fired power plant in Wise County.

Larry Bush began the onslaught of questions regarding Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed plant, telling Kaine of his vehement opposition to the proposal and demanding the governor rescind his support for the project.

"We’re being annihilated every day," the Wise County resident told Kaine, referring to the mountainous landscape being destroyed by coal mining operations. "The people are suffering down there."

Outside, a group of about a dozen people protested the plant prior to the meeting, waving signs as the crowd entered.

In all, about a 150 people filtered in and out of the ballroom as Kaine took questions for nearly 1½ hours, following a 30-minute prepared talk on key legislative issues he supported.

Another Wise County resident, Laura Miller, urged Kaine to keep an open mind on the project and implored him to continue researching the issue before she asked him if he thought the technology Dominion proposes to use to reduce carbon emissions is feasible.

"Reasonable people can change their opinions," she said.

Although most of the questioners Tuesday night appeared to be opposed to the plant, a few people also spoke in favor of the proposal and asked Kaine to keep their viewpoints in mind as well.

In responding to power plant questions, Kaine acknowledged the controversy surrounding the issue, but stayed firm in his belief that a future without coal is not realistic.

"I don’t believe that the future of Virginia or the nation is a no-coal future," the governor said. "That is not the likely path for us."

Kaine acknowledged he is not a scientist and has to defer to experts on some of the technical issues surrounding energy technology.

He added that he trusts the governing bodies in charge of issuing permits for the power plant will do what’s best to balance the economic and environmental needs of the community.

"Virginia needs to have reliable energy that is relatively low cost," Kaine said. "It’s a good sign that everyone is taking this issue very seriously."

Along with wading through the power plant questions, Kaine also took questions regarding issues such as health insurance, housing costs and care for the elderly.

NATE HUBBARD writes for the Wytheville Enterprise and can be reached at (276) 228-6611 or