When thinking about coal in Virginia, one’s mind often goes to destructive mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian mountains of southwest Virginia, Dominion’s coal plant under construction in Wise County, or the Hampton Roads coal plant proposed by the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. In short, it is easiest to think of dirty energy projects in rural and southern parts of the state. Yet coal is in Northern Virginians’ backyards as well.
Monday night, over 60 local activists, community leaders and organizers came together to fight dirty coal in Alexandria. The coal-fired power plant on the bank of the Potomac is making local communities sick and contributing to climate change as one of the top sources of planet-warming carbon emissions in the DC area. The former “Mirant coal plant” is now owned by GenOn, a Houston-based corporate polluter keeping the 514 MW plant burning on standby for the sake of their own profits.
On Monday concerned Alexandrians gathered at MetroStage to hear from speakers ranging from Alexandria Councilmember Rob Krupicka to loca scientist Ana Prados and organizers from CCAN, Sierra Club, Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light and GreenPeace. After watching Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, attendees heard about the dangerous impacts of the GenOn plant.
In addition to carbon emissions, the coal plant produces dangerous air and water pollution, including mercury and toxic coal ash that communities are paying for with their health and economy. It is time to come together to transition to an energy future that prioritizes efficiency and renewables, and work together to retire the GenOn plant once and for all. Read more about the event in the Alexandria Times and email Keith Thirion to get involved.
