Jul 6 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Debra McCown Bristol Herald Courier, Va.

Though Dominion Virginia Power officially began construction of a power plant here Monday, those opposed to the project say the $1.8 billion facility remains up in the air.

The Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition, which represents five environmental groups opposed to the project, said in a news release last week that "the campaign to halt construction of the Wise County plant has just begun."

The groups -- Appalachian Voices, the Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network -- hope to prevent the coal-fired plant from ever coming online.

Sarah Rispin is a staff attorney for the SELC, which is representing the groups in legal challenges to the power plant permits.

"Construction is meant to take four years, so it's going to be a long time between now and when that thing starts to resemble a power plant, so we are working to get the courts to stop it as soon as we can," Rispin said.

"They have no provision for [carbon dioxide regulations expected next year], and so as far as I can tell, they're sort of crossing their fingers and jumping."

Dominion spokesman Jim Norvelle said he would not speculate on legal arguments but confirmed plant construction began Monday afternoon.

"We have the permits," Norvelle said.

The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board recently approved permits for the 585-megawatt Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant.

The approval, however, came with a ratcheting down of acceptable emissions limits that many say will set a new standard for future power plants.

Norvelle said the start of construction is a demonstration of Dominion's confidence in its ability to meet the tougher restrictions.

"Virginia City will have the most advanced suite of pollution-control technologies available," Norvelle said.

"We believe that those controls, along with our effective operation of them, will allow us to meet the permit limits. ... As we still have four years to go, it's a little early to give a definitive answer on exactly how we will do that."

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