Dendron hearings on proposed power plant will be repeated in 2012

Dendron hearings on proposed power plant will be repeated in 2012 – Although Old Dominion Electric Cooperative mulled options, site remains top choice

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative will hold a second round of public hearings on a rezoning and conditional use permit to build the state’s largest coal-fueled power plant in Dendron next year.

On Monday, the company’s executive board decided that Old Dominion will repeat the hearings rather than challenge Surry Circuit Court Judge Sam Campbell’s Nov. 18 ruling that residents were not properly notified of the Dendron Town Council’s intent to vote after the first hearing on Feb. 1, 2010, said company spokesman David Hudgins. The company wants to build Cypress Creek Power Station, a 1,500-megawatt coal-burning power plant, on 1,200 acres in town.

The date of the new public hearing – and a subsequent town council vote – for the proposed power station will not be set until 2012. Company and town attorneys will make sure the town’s intent to vote is clear in any advertisements, Hudgins said.

Glad they can’t pull one over on the public this time…

Sadly, when they can see those dollar signs, I can easily see the Town of Dendron and Surry County going for this all over again…yep. They won’t stop till they get what they want whether it’s good for the health of property owners and residents or not.

Yep, do something stupid and expect God to mitigate the damage to people, the earth and wildlife…whatever happened to taking care of what God gave us?! Coal mining and burning coal … oh, yeah, that’s gotta be a good thing for people (especially children, the elderly and those at risk healthwise like my Jim who is on an oxygen concentrator), the earth and wildlife…oh, yeah…that makes sense. NOT.

Calculating the cost of coal – editorial

Calculating the cost of coal – editorial (HamptonRoads.com)

In a new report, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation estimates that air pollution from the ODEC plant would cost $200 million each year in new health care costs. The report predicts 442 additional asthma attacks annually, 3,340 work days lost to sickness, 40 heart attacks and 26 premature deaths in the region.

Dispute, if you like, the precision of those estimates. But to pretend the actual number is 0 – or anywhere near it – is folly.

So true that…

And those of us who live in Hampton Roads will suffer the consequences … particularly those here in Dendron, VA with health issues already.

Course the needs of the many seem to outweigh the lives of the few, or the one…

Except to the loved ones of those this 1500MW coal plant will put in jeopardy…or worse.

Power Outage and Other Thoughts

Well, after several years of no power outages to be speaking about (since Hurricane Isabel), we have been without power for about 15 +/- hrs.

Thank God for batteries; here at the house and at Verizon Wireless – otherwise I wouldn’t be able to check on news, weather, or other articles today.

Since there isn’t much else I am able to do this morning, I was checking the news related articles.

Here are some random thoughts…

Of course areas with greater population density get power back first .. It’s financially and publicity wise of top priority… Sigh.

Being on the grid for rural areas may not make sense, but it does make dollars… People, and not just in rural areas really need to think about that. Maybe it is time to think of alternative solutions to the Grid. Think about it… Think of the chaos of no electricity for whatever reason … War, weather, economic unrest, etc. Do you have sustainable alternatives?

Beatles. Apparently, John Lenin’s wife and apparently other Beatles member estates and likely Paul too, are still unhappy with their piece of the pie possibilities on the Apple iTunes Music Store. What is it with them anyway?

I understand that they want more money/control? But come on, this is a music store for pity’s sake! If they want to make money on their music, why not be in the largest music store out there?

We were talking about this and I was saying, this would be as stupid as going to an old style record store and not being able to buy The Beatles, and I was told that is what happened! There were record stores that weren’t allowed to carry The Beatles albums! They have always been unreasonable about who can sell their music and at what price! Unbelievable.

Well, I have an answer for them. If they want to be buttheads, I just won’t buy their music from ANY music outlet that is allowed to sell their music. Period. I have had it with egotistical people who think ‘they are all that’.

9.5% Unemployment. Even with the job increases in July.

Tons of banks, corporations, small businesses going under. Even Barnes & Noble selling out and the have been around for 100 yrs or more… This is nuts.

Businesses leaving the country. Maybe it is time to institute some of Austalia’s philosophies on jobs, what can be sold here, etc?

Our own government gives our tax dollars to bail out companies and banks that apparently have managed to squander it in many cases, and still aren’t giving the relief to the public that was promised, and now often still going bankrupt!

And who will pay for that? The taxpayers! From every angle possible; from interest rates, to prices at stores, to their businesses failing, to inflation, to higher taxes, ultimately, for something none of us little people – the taxpayers – have even authorized ‘our’ government to do … The taxpayers should never have been burdened with this. If a company or bank is gonna fail, let them!! Before we all go under with them!