Concerned Virginian’s connect the dots outside of Dominion’s HQ in Richmond

On Saturday, concerned Virginian’s met in Richmond outside of Dominion Virginia Power’s headquarters to take part in Climate Impacts Day, a global day of action bringing awareness to the issue of climate change.

Concerned Virginians also gathered in Blacksburg, Yorktown, Hampton, a Harrisonburg farmers market, local vineyards, and elsewhere to “connect the dots” between extreme weather events and climate change.

Environmental groups such as the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), the Sierra Club, 350.org, and many others also took part in this day of action as part of their mission to reign in the forces that are driving climate change.

One of the main forces driving climate change in Virginia has been Dominion Virginia Power, Virginia’s largest utility.[1] A look at Dominion’s 2011 Integrated Resource Plan says it all.

Over the next 15 years, until 2026, Dominion intends to increase its renewable energy piece of its energy portfolio from 2.4% to 2.8%. That’s 2.8% renewable energy by 2026. So where is the rest of Dominion’s energy going to come from?

The lion’s share of energy in Dominion’s energy portfolio will be coming from nuclear energy and natural gas. The former still carries considerable human and environmental health risks[2] while the latter is still a fossil fuel that is adding to the effects of climate change.[3]

In effect, Dominion has said to hell with the health of Virginians and the possibility of stemming the tide of climate change to please its shareholders and enrich its top brass.

For this reason, concerned Virginians stood outside of Dominion’s Richmond headquarters, to demonstrate that climate change begins and ends with Virginia’s largest utility. Let’s hope that Dominion connects the dots sooner rather than later.

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[1] http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/press/press-releases/activists-encircle-dominion-headquarters-to-challenge-dirty-energy-policies-and-ratepayer-rip-offs?print=1&tmpl=component; See also http://www.dom.com/about/integrated-resource-planning.jsp

[2] http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/np-risk.htm

[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-replacing-coal-with-natural-gas-would-do-little-for-climate-change/2011/09/09/gIQAkCVQFK_blog.html