Two years ago this month, President Bush signed an energy bill that provided for millions in incentives to build new nuclear plants. Richmond-based Dominion Energy responded almost immediately, proposing two new reactors on Lake Anna in Louisa County, 30 miles from Charlottesville, to add to the two already stationed at the north end of the lake. In mid-August, the opposition will get a chance to voice their concerns at two public hearings held on consecutive nights at Louisa County Middle School.
For now, the People’s Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE) is focusing their efforts on the August 16 hearing to be held by Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality. The topic of the meeting will be recent design revisions to the third proposed reactor that should help cool the water before it returns to the lake.
Melissa Kemp of Public Citizen has been working on getting people to both meetings, although she is frustrated that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission scheduled the second hearing, where Dominion’s request for an Early Site Permit will be discussed, for August 15. “It’s hard for people to come to two meetings in a row, and the same people would be interested in both,” she says. PACE’s Elena Day plans to ask, “Why are we not focusing on other options, such as increased efficiency and renewable energy technology?” Kemp hopes to raise a number of concerns regarding the plants’ impact on the local lake and rivers, as well as waste and security issues.
They both agree on their ultimate message, which is summed up by Kemp: “What we’re saying is, there’s something better to do than just build new nuclear power plants.”
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