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Protesters at St. Paul's Dominion power plant charged with misdemeanors

Published September 15th, 2008 | 3 Comments

ST. PAUL -- A dozen protesters were arrested Monday after binding themselves to barrels at Dominion Virginia's power plant construction site in St. Paul.

At least two dozen people opposed to the 580-megawatt coal-fired generating station, that Dominion calls the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, staged the protest around 6 a.m. It occurred at two gates of the construction offices next to U.S. Route 58.

Eleven of the protesters put their arms into 55-gallon metal drums, fashioned for the purpose. Their arms were bound with nylon cord and carabiners -- fastening devices used primarily by mountain climbers and rappellers.

Virginia State Police, Wise County Sheriff's deputies, and St. Paul police officers responded to the protest. Firemen cut into the tops of the barrels so officers to unbind and arrest 11 protesters. The other protester charged acted as a coordinator and assistant to the others.

All were charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing, Class I misdemeanors in Virginia, and were being processed at the Wise County Magistrate's Office in Wise.

Ground was broken on the controversial, coal-fired power plant in mid-August.

According to an Associated Press report, 30 people entered the site to protest Dominion�s $1.8 billion plant. About 40 officers from the Virginia State Police, the sheriff�s department and the town of St. Paul responded after company officials reported the protest.

"Dominion respects peaceful protest," Dominion spokesman Dan Genest said. "However, we do not condone illegal acts such as protesters trespassing on our property, chaining themselves to our fences and blocking roads that could prevent our employees and contractors from coming to work."

The protesters said the 585-megawatt power plant poses a health risk and would create a greater demand for coal derived from mountaintop removal mining.

The protest reportedly did not disrupt traffic on U.S. 58, and Dominion employees were able to enter the work site through another entrance.

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I bet that all of these protesters all have good paying jobs with insurance. This region is dying because of the lack of industry. People are leaving because they can't feed their children. Like the previous comment says, if they are so animate about being anti coal, go and trip the main breaker in your house. This region needs this power plant in a bad way! I hope and pray that they call me to come and work.

ben Bolling | 9/15/2008 - 10:26 PM - ( Comment

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Just more ignorance from EDUCATED FOOLS!! Turn off your power if you want to protest coal. Show us you really mean it. All of us coal miners like our electricity and all of its amenities. Just remember coal is the U.S. main source of electricity so every time you pay your electric bill we all laugh at all the hippocrites. It is really simple just turn off the power at your house so you don't support coal. See how long you last.

Matt Bolling | 9/15/2008 - 8:10 PM - ( Comment

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The protest didn't disrupt traffic and the employees were all able to get in through the side entrance. The protesters were all peacefully demonstrating, as used to be their constitutional right. Typical "police state" overreaction we se everywhere nowadays as the police provide back up for corporations that will not tolerate peaceful demonstrators.

People need to realize that peaceful demonstrations are ineffective and pointless.

Jeremiah Jones | 9/15/2008 - 5:56 PM - ( Comment

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