NO MORE GAS PLANTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES!
Amidst a worsening climate crisis and the federal attacks on renewable energy, a multibillion-dollar Nebraska-based private corporation named Tenaska wants to build another gas plant outside Scottsville with a gigantic 1,500 MW capacity, while Dominion is seeking to build a huge 1,000 MW gas plant in Chesterfield.
Gas plant expansion in our communities is being proposed solely to meet Dominion’s forecasted energy demands from data centers.
A new health impact study conducted by a Harvard University research lab for SELC found that the proposed plant expansion could result in 2-3 premature deaths per year in the area around the plant. Download the full report here.
Enough is enough!
KEY DATES
KEY DATES
The 3/18 BoS meeting will be also be livestreamed here
Wednesday, March 18, 6pm
Fluvanna County High School, 1918 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra, Virginia 22963.
Support Fluvanna residents at the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors’ meeting, where the Board will vote on
1. Tenaska’s appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision that the proposal is not in substantial accord with Fluvanna’s Comprehensive plan, and
2. Tenaska’s application to the Board for a Special Use Permit to construct its proposed plant expansion, which Fluvanna Planning Commission recommended against awarding.
Fluvanna County VA:
Tenaska’s Proposed 1.5 GW Gas Plant
Tenaska, a Nebraska-based energy company and one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, intends to construct a whopping 1.5 GW second gas power plant near its existing methane plant.
If this project is approved, these gas-fired power plants would become the largest in Virginia, significantly affecting not only Fluvanna County but also neighboring Scottsville and Albemarle County.
Opportunities for public engagement has been extremely minimal. Tenaska has been allowed to control the narrative, holding invitation-only “community” information sessions, choosing which questions to answer at a Special Board Meeting, and failing to conduct a local health impact study, including for air pollution modeling.
Time is running out to stop this project!
Fluvanna’s Board of Supervisors is considering awarding a Special Use Project for this project, and the community needs your voice.
Use the links below to get involved, and learn more from our partners at Fluvanna Horizons Alliance!
TAKE ACTION! Regional affected counties
Click on your county if you live in one of the following affected counties: Albemarle, Buckingham, Cumberland, Henrico, Powhatan, Goochland, Louisa, Hanover, Amelia, Chesterfield, Orange, Spotsylvania, Nottoway, Caroline, Richmond, Dinwiddie, New Kent, Colonial Heights, Petersburg.
Check the joint regional letter to see which of your Supervisors or City Councilors has already signed on (send a message of thanks if they have!). Send this template email to those who have not!
Copy and paste the subject into your email subject line.
Copy and paste the text below the subject into the body of the email.
*Bonus action* Individual touches will always help to deliver the message more strongly. If you have the time, please add something personal about why this matters to you as their constituent.
Send!
Subject: Concerned about local health impacts of a new gas plant proposal in Fluvanna
As your constituent, I’m writing to ask you to sign on to this joint regional letter from leaders across Central Virginia who are concerned about the impacts of a new gas plant proposal in Fluvanna County.
I’m worried about the local health impacts of this proposal that a recent health impact study by a Harvard research lab found would impact our area, including increased rates of asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and risk of early death.
This project is not being proposed in order to meet residential household needs, but rather to meet the needs of the data center boom in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a boom in demand which has already caused ratepayers’ energy bills to skyrocket with electricity prices increasing by up to 267% over the past years.
While I know that our jurisdiction is not going to approve or deny this project, the fact is that we will still be impacted if it goes ahead. I am asking you to join in support of both ourselves and our neighbors in Fluvanna, and ask Fluvanna’s Board of Supervisors to reject this proposal.
We’re in this together: by sending a strong, unified signal to the Fluvanna Board that the region does not want this plant, your joint leadership can in fact strengthen a decision by them to reject the proposal, knowing that they have the support of their neighbors in turning down the project.
TALKING POINTS - Fluvanna residents
Action:
Write to and call your Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors asking them to oppose the proposed Tenaska gas plant! Use these talking points to help you get started.
Water use
The new facility would withdraw millions of gallons of water per day from the James River system, adding strain to shared regional water resources and heightening vulnerability during drought. The treated effluent would be added to Cunningham Creek, whose ecosystems were already damaged when the same process was done by the original plant.
Air and health
Gas plants emit nitrogen oxides, particulates, and volatile compounds linked to asthma and heart disease. Those related health costs fall on local families and health systems, not the company.
Employment reality
According to Tenaska, only about 29 permanent jobs would be created, and with over a third of the 29 employees that work at the existing plant living outside the County, this would not result in an employment boom for Fluvanna's 27,249 residents. Tenaska has acknowledged that most construction labor would be contracted from outside the region. These limited benefits cannot justify the long-term noise, traffic, health and environmental harm.
Ongoing noise & accountability
Neighbors of the existing Tenaska plant have lived with a persistent low-frequency hum for years. The company has declined to install noise-mitigation equipment, saying it’s too costly. If Tenaska won’t fix today’s problems, it can’t be trusted to manage a much larger one.
Economic reality
The promise of new tax revenue is doesn’t factor in future costs: road repairs, emergency services, and health burdens. The community reports that they have not seen the benefits that were originally promised when Supervisors approves the first plant over 20 years ago.
Want to Learn More?
Watch Our Webinar
Dive into the details of the project and discover how you can take action! Watch C3's webinar featuring local community organizers and experts from SELC, Appalachian Voices, and Fluvanna Community Voice presenting on the proposed expansion of Fluvanna's Tenaska gas plant.
Chesterfield VA:
Dominion’s Proposed 1 GW Plant
Over near Richmond, residents of Chesterfield are being threatened with a potential 1,000 MW gas-fired peaker plant proposed by Dominion - explicitly to meet the demands of data center industry growth.
The Community Climate Collaborative has joined a large coalition of organizations, business and individuals opposed to this disastrous ramping-up of gas infrastructure - and you can too!
Stay tuned for a list of actions you can join, led by our partner organizations across the region.