Gas plants on Henrico’s border

Dear Editor,

Henrico residents, especially those living in the eastern part of the county, should know that two gas plants, including one that would be the largest in the state of Virginia, have been proposed for the Roxbury Road corridor in Charles City County, about 4 miles from the Henrico County line. Both plants, C4GT and Chickahominy Power station, would use fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale to sell – for the investors’ profit – into the PJM multi-state electricity grid. Together, the plants would emit over 10 million tons of carbon every year, and the larger plant, Chickahominy, would singlehandedly increase the carbon footprint of Virginia’s electricity grid by almost 20%. In addition to their staggering impact on climate change, the plants would also emit particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Virginia’s DEQ claims that the emissions “will not cause or significantly contribute to an exceedance of ambient air quality standards," but health experts acknowledge that there are significant health risks with all of these pollutants.

While the DEQ has issued C4GT all the permits it requires, Chickahominy Power still requires a permit related to water usage. Specifically, Balico, the investor, seeks a special exception to the Groundwater Management Act of 1992, to take 30 million gallons of groundwater annually from the Potomac Aquifer. C4GT, on the other hand, already has permits allowing it to take 2.7 billion gallons from the James River every year.

Most Charles City residents learned of the plants only after C4GT received all its permits and after the Chickahominy plant air permit process was days from completion. We were outraged that Charles City County Board of Supervisors and DEQ state officials would approve these permits with almost no community outreach – including no notice for surrounding county governments--and only a handful of public comments from Charles City residents. Once we learned of the plants in June, we organized Concerned Citizens of Charles City County, or C5, to share information about the plants and demand transparency in our local government.

Our advocacy has prompted the DEQ to plan an information session for citizens, to be held on December 5th at the Charles City County Social Center, at 6:30. The public is welcome to come and ask the DEQ questions about their concerns related to the water permit. C5 is advocating that the “special exception” request go to the Water Control Board for citizen review. If you’re interested in participating in this effort, we encourage you to join us at comment writing party – either November 25th at Fairfield Library or on December 10th, at the Sandston Library, at 6:30 p.m – or follow us on Facebook at Concerned Citizens of Charles City County (C5).

With appreciation,
Members of C5