You can save money, or you can save the planet

“We do not reprocess spent nuclear fuel for some reason only known to Jimmy Carter, which increases the amount of radioactive wastes we have to handle.“

Redleg:
Jimmy Carter has the scientific & engineering background. We should have listened to him:

President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr. “Submariner”
Link to complete text:  http://www.submarinehistory.com/PresidentCarter.html

Carter was detached on 16 October 1952 from K-1 for duty with the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, Division of Reactor Development in Schenectady, New York. From 3 November 1952 to 1 March 1953, he served on temporary duty with the Naval Reactors Branch, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, DC to assist “in the design and development of nuclear propulsion plants for naval vessels.“ From 1 March to 8 October, Carter was preparing to become the engineering officer for the USS SEAWOLF (SSN 575). Contemporary with the USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571), the Navy’s first submarine to operate on atomic power, SEAWOLF was built to test a “sodium cooled” nuclear reactor while NAUTILUS tested a pressurized water cooled reactor. He assisted in setting up training for the enlisted men who would serve on SEAWOLF. During this time his father became very sick and died in July 1953. Following his father’s death in 1953, After 7 years, 4 months and 8 days of Naval service, Carter resigned from the U.S. Navy to return to Georgia to manage the family interests. Carter was honorably discharged on 9 October 1953 at Headquarters, Third Naval District in New York City. On 7 December 1961, he transferred to the retired reserve with the rank of Lieutenant at his own request.
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Abandoning President Carter’s energy policies in the 1980s is probably the greatest strategic blunder—economic, military and geopolitical—in human history:

The Energy Problem: Address to the Nation. President Jimmy Carter
April 18, 1977
Link to complete text:  http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=7369

We have been proud of our leadership in the world. Now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example.
And we have been proud of our vision of the future. We have always wanted to give our children and grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we’ve had. They are the ones we must provide for now. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don’t act.
I’ve given you some of the principles of the plan.
I am sure each of you will find something you don’t like about the specifics of our proposal. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in our lives. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful—but so is any meaningful sacrifice. It will lead to some higher costs, and to some greater inconveniences for everyone.
But the sacrifices will be gradual, realistic and necessary. Above all, they will be fair. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. We will monitor the accuracy of data from the oil and natural gas companies, so that we will know their true production, supplies, reserves, and profits.
The citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury.
We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing.
There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country.
Other generation of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence and freedom.
Jimmy Carter, “The President’s Proposed Energy Policy.“ 18 April 1977. Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. XXXXIII, No. 14, May 1, 1977, pp. 418-420.

Rain, this coal plant probably won’t result in lower residential electricity prices.  Residential rates are set by the State Corporation Commission and are based on the cost of production and distribution of electricity.  Residential rates are lower than business and industries pay.  The market price of electricity is constantly varying and is based on demand.  Usually, in the colder months, the peak demands are 5AM-7AM and 5PM-7pm, when people are getting up and cooking.  In the summer, the peak demand period is from about 10AM to 10PM, corresponding with the use of air conditioning.  Electricity prices also tend to track the price of natural gas, which is based on supply and demand.

Renewable energy such as windmills, biodiesel and landfill gas methane tend to be higher cost electrical producers.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use them, but need to recognize that they are better in the peaking market, tracking the periods that are higher demand.  Landfill gas to electricity is probably one of the better types of renewable energy.  Windmills only work with heavy subsidy and are undependable and expensive electricity sources.  Windmills only work in a relatively narrow range of wind speeds and you can’t dial up the wind when you need more electricity.  The wind also tends not to blow during two of the peak demand periods, sunrise and sunset. 

Coal has the advantage of being a relatively low-cost fuel and is in a very abundent supply.  Coal is a great way to provide baseload electricity at a fuel and production cost.  We should have as much of that as possible.

My only concerns would be will this power plant help lower people power bills in this area and not be a burden to them to pay back 4 billion dollars too investors with this being low population area.  Will the contracts to help build this plant come from virginia companies and manufactors.  The Dominion Virginia power plant dutch gap plant has been around all my life has never been a health concern in a heavy populated area or danger to the environment in fact it increase fish,wildlife and the forest land that surrounded it.Maybe if these environmentalists would stop living in the city and learn to live off the land like our fathers taught us to. Go camping for a weekend with just a tent and a sleeping bag they would know more about the forest,mountains,rivers,streams,wetlands and the ocean.Grobal Warming wonder what name these people will come up next with…

Global warming as presented by Al Gore, has morphed into climate change and lately into climate crisis.
It is so gratifying to see so many people on these pages questioning his so called “science” and ensuing conclusions.
The “debate” is not over by a long shot.
But on a practical note.
If Dominion’s statement is accurate that our energy demand is going to increase 40 percent by the year 2020.
Where is that extra energy to come from?

As yet, scientists have been unable to prove any relationship between global warming and co2 emissions.  I know Al Gore calls this “settled science.“  This is always his last comment when he can’t refute the argument he is facing. 

When you can offer irrefutable proof of the ‘global warming’ theory, let me know and I will change my beliefs.  But, until then, stop blocking attempts by the rest of us to keep our infrastructure going.