Community rallies against proposed facility that could cause major health concerns: '[It's] dirty and expensive'

August 7 brought a crowd to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Over a hundred Chesterfield residents showed up in red shirts, there to push back on Dominion's gas plant plan, Virginia Mercury reported.

What's happening?

Dominion plans to build a 1,000-megawatt peaker that kicks on when the grid strains. Company filings say it would run about 37% of the time and start in roughly 15 minutes during extreme heat or cold.

The company calls it essential, warning that statewide power use could double by the late 2030s. Locals aren't convinced.

Rachel James, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, put it bluntly, according to Virginia Mercury: "This plant is dirty and expensive. No two ways about it."

She said burning methane gas creates pollutants like fine particulate matter, one of the deadliest air contaminants. Residents said they've had enough.

Why is this concerning?

Locals finally enjoyed cleaner air when the coal burning stopped in 2023. Now, they worry a new gas plant will put them right back where they started.

Fights like this have surfaced elsewhere, such as over Formosa Plastics permits in Louisiana, which would allow the plant to release hundreds of tons of pollution annually.

A landfill in North Carolina, water worries in Texas, and even a sewer project in Vermont mobilized local resistance. The issue is the same: dirty energy sources keep driving pollution that overheats the planet.

Critics argue that industry lobbying stalls progress toward more affordable energy.

What's being done about it?

Advocates say Dominion could meet demand with wind, solar, and batteries, consistent with Virginia's Clean Economy Act.

Both the company and opponents presented to the State Corporation Commission on August 19, and DEQ set a September 8 hearing to take public comment.

Turnout in Chesterfield shows what local organizing looks like. Sustained local action — such as voting for pro-climate candidates and talking about the issue with loved ones — is key to keeping pressure on decision-makers.

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