Got this advance notice of a news conference this afternoon:Opponents of a controversial coal-burning power plant in Wise County, VA who have been trying for months to obtain a meeting with Governor Kaine, will gather outside the governor’s office Monday March 31st to ask why Gov. Kaine refuses to meet with them. Faith, student, and environmental groups have each submitted separate letters, emails, and have made numerous calls to the governor’s office. On March 10 a spokesman for Gov. Kaine said that conservation and cleaner energy sources "are central to the governor's energy plan and he believes we'll get there faster if we work with all the parties to achieve that goal." (Associated Press, "Religious leaders urge Va. governor to oppose proposed coal-fired plant," March 10).
Opponents of the controversial plant will gather outside the Governor’s office at 1 PM Monday to ask why, if the Governor was serious about meeting with all parties, he refuses to schedule a meeting.
Let's face it, environmentalists in Virginia don't expect to get the red carpet treatment. But ignoring meeting requests from faith and student groups? We asked Gov. Kaine's office for a response on Friday afternoon, but ... well, we haven't heard back.
Recognizing that the General Assembly has already determined by law that a coal-fired plant in Southwest Virginia was in the public interest, the SCC was precluded from revisiting that issue. The SCC also noted that by law its environmental review authority is limited, and that it had no authority to require environmental protections related to matters governed by permits that may be issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The SCC approved a rate increase to finance the construction of the new plant consistent with an agreement among the company, the Office of the Attorney General's Division of Consumer Counsel, and the staff of the SCC. The agreement addressed several cost aspects of the plant, including the cost of capital. The return on equity that Dominion Virginia Power will receive for its cost of capital needed to construct the plant is 12.12 percent. The company had requested 13.75 percent.
The SCC put in place cost control measures relative to the plant's construction. The company estimates that the construction cost will be $1.8 billion. The SCC found that any costs over that amount would not be automatically chargeable to ratepayers. Instead, Dominion Virginia Power must prove in future proceedings that any cost overruns are "reasonable and prudent" expenditures under state law before they can be charged to ratepayers.