A gaggle of anti-coal protesters were arrested Monday while occupying the lobby of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to demonstrate against the environmental agency’s new coal ash disposal plans.
Police instructed the occupiers to leave the premises by 1 p.m. or risk being arrested. Most of the agitators left, but the 17 who refused to budge were charged with trespassing and summarily arrested.
Dominion Virginia Power, the coal producer drawing flak from the anti-fossil fuel crowd, has 11 coal-ash ponds at four sites across Virginia. The company will be forced to close down the sites after being issued state permits for coal-ash disposal.
Protesters with the group known as Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) believe the DEQ went soft on Dominion, arguing further that the permits were too lenient and could cause harm to the Potomac and James Rivers.
The group called for DEQ Director David Paylor to face their wrath or step down.
“We’re here for answers,” Aaron Tabb, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, told reporters Monday. “We believe if (Paylor) can’t make himself available for comment, he should resign.”
At the heart of much of the angst is the revelation that nearly 33.7 million gallons of water released from Dominion’s Possum Point plant into Quantico Creek last year. The DEQ, for its part, noted that the water was storm runoff, not coal-ash waste. The regulator said the plant was permitted to dump the runoff water.
“As far as DEQ has been able to determine, that was in accordance with their permit at the time. DEQ was not aware of it immediately, but we don’t have any information there was concern with the permit itself,” DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden told reporters.
Still, the reassurances are not enough to quell the anger bubbling up among the protesters.
“Dominion is allowed to start dumping wastewater wednesday (sic), and they’re not going to be able to do it without a fight,” Laura Cross, a student at the University of Virginia, said in a press statement posted by VSEC.
“My blood is deeply connected to communities that directly depend on the health of the environment around them for survival,” Camille Spencer, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, added in the statement.
She continued: “The actions of Dominion, under the incompetent regulation of the DEQ, has lead to poisoning of VA waters.”
The water in the holding ponds will be treated and tested inside a holding tank to make sure it is up to environmental standards, before it is released into the rivers. The permits were approved during a hearing with 100 environmentalists opposed to the permits in attendance.
Follow Chris on Facebook and Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.