FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2024
Glen Besa, Friends of Chesterfield Board Chair and Founder
804-387-6001
CHESTERFIELD, VA - Hours before its rally against Dominion Energy's Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC) at the county Board of Supervisors meeting, Friends of Chesterfield filed a new challenge to the gas plant, formally requesting the County Planning Department to determine that Dominion lacks the necessary zoning to build the electric generation plant.
The Request for Written Zoning Determination (viewable here) filed on behalf of Friends of Chesterfield and individual residents by attorneys with Appalachian Mountain Advocates asks the county planning department to determine that the gas plant requires conditional use approval even if the Dominion Energy seeks to construct the plant on the site of its retired coal plant, the Chesterfield Power Station.
The request challenges Dominion's and the county administration's contention that a conditional use approval for an electric generation plant back in 2010 side steps the need for a conditional use approval for the new gas plant that is substantially different from the generation plants on the site more than a decade ago.
The request states that:
"allowing Dominion to build its proposed CERC under the Chesterfield Power Station’s [2010] conditional use approval would deprive Chesterfield County residents of the opportunities for public involvement afforded by the conditional use permitting process. The conditional use process includes the applicant’s submission of supporting documents that would help to inform the public about the proposed project, notices to adjacent property owners and the local community, public hearings before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors, and a right to appeal the Board of Supervisors’ decision. Allowing Dominion to bypass this process would be unlawful and would deprive the residents of Chesterfield County of their right to participate in significant county zoning decisions."
Friends of Chesterfield Chairperson Glen Besa summed up the request explaining,
"we are optimistic this challenge to the zoning will compel the supervisors to hold a public hearing and, hopefully, deny the zoning for this gas plant."
Rally News Advisory:
WHAT: Friends of Chesterfield Rally Against Dominion Gas Plant at Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors meeting. After our rally, we will enter the Board of Supervisors meeting in our red No Gas Plant t-shirts and with our No Gas Plant signs. Three opponents of the gas plant will be the first to speak during the public comment period:
Public Comment Speakers:
Glen Besa, Friends of Chesterfield
Melissa Thomas, Mothers Out Front
Rachel James, Attorney representing the Chesterfield NAACP
WHEN: Today, Wednesday, July 24, 6:30 PM
WHERE: Outside and Inside Board of Supervisors meeting room, 10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832
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