Roundup: IPL Fights Coal

Thanks to Allison:

Here's a photo of the rally outside of Dominion shareholder meeting in Chicago that Clare so eloquently spoke at.

Environmental News Service writes:

Dominion Power proposes building a coal-fired power plant in Wise County, Virginia, but many Virginians oppose the facility because of the climate-warming greenhouse gases it would produce.

So many Virginians want to block the power plant that their 42,400 signatures fill rolls of paper a mile long displayed Thursday by the Wise Energy for Virginia coalition at a noon rally in Richmond.

The event in Kanawha Plaza drew more than 100 people, who were given green bandanas to wear in a show of unity. The organizers draped the petition around the park. The 53 rolls, each 100 feet long, cover the 5,280 feet in one mile.

After a brief press conference, members of the coalition gathered up the petition and presented it to a Dominion representative.

Today, the mile-long petition will be presented to company executives at Dominion's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago.

Here's a picture of Richmond's Rabbi Romer.

Greater Washington IPL writes: On May 8, hundreds from across Virginia joined Wise County residents in Richmond at a park across from Dominion's headquarters. They delivered to company representatives a "mile long" petition against a proposed coal-fired power plant in Wise County, VA and in favor of efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy.

Alice, of North Carolina IPL was in the Duke meeting asking the tough questions to Jim Rogers. The Charlotte Observer writes:

As protestors lined the sidewalk outside the company's uptown headquarters, Duke Energy Corp. shareholders grilled chief executive Jim Rogers for nearly 90 minutes about the company's decision to build a new coal-fired power plant in the Blue Ridge foothills.

The grilling came at the end of the Charlotte-based utility's annual shareholders' meeting, where a new board of directors was elected and Rogers spoke about future plans.

But questions from shareholders were mostly about building an 800-megawatt coal-fired power unit at the company's Cliffside plant about 55 miles west of Charlotte. Duke produces about 70 percent of its electricity from coal in its five-state territory.

Holly Garrett, 25, told Rogers she was concerned with mountaintop removal in Appalachian mining, which can destroy habitats. She asked Rogers if he could guarantee a stop to the practice. Duke buys coal from independent suppliers.

"I wish I had that kind of power," Rogers said.

"You do ... you're the CEO," she replied.

"I can't guarantee that," said Rogers, who said he would work on the issue.