Why Brian Opposes the Surry Coal Plant

Brian Moran is committed to stopping the proposed coal-fired power plant in Surry County, Virginia, a 750-1500 Megawatt facility that will produce hundreds of tons of pollution each year and will contribute to global warming. Moran believes the plant poses significant risk to the environment and nearby population centers.

• On December 2, 2008, the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) announced that it would propose a $6 billion dirty coal power plant on 1,600 acres in central Surry County. The coal plant would produce between 750 and 1,500 megawatts of electricity – roughly three times that of the controversial Wise county plant.
• The proposed site is approximately 50 miles from two major population centers: Richmond and Hampton Roads, as well as the Chesapeake Bay.
• In announcing his opposition, Brian was joined by the head of the Department of Environmental Quality for Mark Warner and representatives of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light.

Shortsighted. The proposed coal-burning power plant in Surry should not go forward based on the information currently available to the public. We do not yet have the technology to make this coal power plant environmentally safe and can create as many as 55,000 jobs by investing in renewable energy instead. We do not yet know the impact of the Obama administrations environmental plans on the energy markets here in Virginia.

We can’t solve 21st century energy challenges with 19th century fossil fuels. Continuing to rely on dirty energy sources, such as coal, means irreparable damage to our environment. We need new solutions that use clean technology and create green jobs.

This proposed plant would add dangerous pollution to the air near two major population centers and the Chesapeake Bay. The Richmond and Hampton Roads metropolitan areas are approximately 50 miles from Surry County. Increased CO2 emission, smog, coal ash, and coal plant byproducts are known to increase the risk of asthma and present other health dangers.

Global climate change threatens Virginia and 2009 needs to be the year we take a stand to stop it. Additional CO2 emission from this new plant will worsen Virginia’s emissions and accelerate the damage we are doing to our planet.

• The International Panel on Climate Change warns of sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches, which would devastate the Hampton Roads region.
• Eleven of the past 12 years rank among the 12 warmest on record.
• Flows of ice from melting Greenland glaciers have more than doubled in the past 10 years.

We shouldn’t build this power plant in the hope that, someday, we will develop the technology to make it cleaner. Brian hopes that our research and development efforts to make coal power plants safe for our health and the environment are successful. He continues to support the research into new technologies at Virginia Tech and elsewhere.

We need renewable, clean, solutions to our energy needs. Brian Moran has called for the boldest initiative for renewable energy production of any candidate for Governor. His plan requires 25% of our energy from clean sources by 2025. The Sierra Club predicts a bold investment in renewable energy could create 55,000 new jobs here in Virginia.

It’s time we take a stand against global warming to preserve our planet for the next generation and generations to come. Brian Moran is the first candidate for Governor to stand against a coal power plant in Virginia and the only candidate opposing the plant in Surry County.