FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2024
CONTACT
Tim Cywinski,(540) 272-5358, tim.cywinski@
Ann Creasy, 757-513-2844, ann.creasy@
State Legislators Express Opposition to Dominion’s Chesterfield Gas Plant
With Dominion’s proposal for the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center in review, legislators demonstrate their opposition.
Chesterfield, VA – This morning, 9 legislators from the Virginia state delegation released a letter expressing “opposition to Dominion Energy’s plans to construct a gas-fired power plant in Chesterfield County.” The letter calls on Dominion to be a leader in the transition to “clean, affordable, and reliable energy for the millions of Virginians it serves,” citing that the proposed plant runs counter to the Virginia Clean Economy Act’s mandate of 100 percent clean energy produced by Dominion by 2045.. In light of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, health impacts to communities, and the substantial cost of the project, legislators are rightfully adding their voices to the community members who have been raising concerns about the project from its inception. The letter was signed by Senator Hashmi, Senator Lamont Bagby (D-Richmond), Senator Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), Delegate Delores McQuinn (D-Henrico), Delegate Betsy Carr (D-Richmond), Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico), Delegate Rae Cousins (D-Richmond), Delegate Michael Jones (D-Richmond), and Delegate Debra Gardner (D-Chesterfield).
The proposed plant would be built near homes and schools with residents that are predominantly people of color and low-income. This plant would add to the legacy of environmental injustice experienced by the community from Dominion’s coal-fired Chesterfield Power Station during its more than 70 years of operation. State legislators are not alone in opposition as Chesterfield county’s NAACP branch, Friends of Chesterfield, and other community groups active in the area have called for rejection of the proposed plant.
“Protecting Virginia’s families from pollution should be the floor of policy from any public official. We applaud our Virginia legislators for utilizing their authority to raise these critical and urgent problems with Dominion’s proposal to build an expensive, harmful gas-fired power plant that undermines state law and environmental justice. As the local Chesterfield Planning Commission and the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors evaluate this project and prepare for their upcoming decisions on the conditional use permit, we urge them to consider heavily the concerns raised by community groups, the SCC Hearing Examiner Ann Berkebile and by our Virginia legislators in regard to Dominion’s proposal.”
-Ann Creasy, Field Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
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About the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter: The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter is a grassroots, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to building a commonwealth where all people may enjoy our natural treasures, access clean air and water, and thrive in a healthy community. At over 20,000 members strong, the Virginia Chapter coordinates action to promote climate solutions and oppose projects and policies that put the interests of polluters above the needs of communities through an inclusive, justice-centered movement.