About 3 years ago, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, ODEC, announced plans to build what would be Virginia’s largest coal-fired power plant in Surry County in the 2016 to 2017 time frame. Currently, development of the power plant has slowed due to the economic recession, zoning permits, and approvals that are needed from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Meanwhile, the debate about whether the plant should be built simmers. Just two weeks ago, the Isle of Wight County board of Supervisors, from a neighboring county, passed a resolution to oppose the coal-fired power plant.
I made a few phone calls to family and friends in the area, and found out that this debate is literally pitting neighbor against neighbor with some residents saying the debate is broken down across racial lines, with many”“not all”“African Americans in support of the power plant. With emotions running so high, I wanted to know how the community could come together to work on a solution that is in everyone’s best interest.
Check out this post in it’s entirety at the Mom’s Clean Air Force website.
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