Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Riverview Campground, Narrows
The Concerned Citizens of Giles County is a tight knit group of citizens dedicated to upholding the health and safety of nearby residents and the surrounding environment.
The group was formed in response to the Cumberland Park Project — a plan conceived by a school board organization (the Giles County Partnerships for Excellence) and our regional electric power company (AEP) as a solution for the disposal of coal combustion wastes from a nearby power plant and the creation of commercially viable land by way of a regulatory loophole: the “beneficial use clause.” Normally, coal combustion wastes are disposed of in landfills or cast into concrete to be used for construction. However, the beneficial use clause allows for these wastes to be disposed of without essential safety precautions as long as there is a “beneficial” end use.
Coal combustion wastes release toxic heavy metals when they come in contact with water. The National Academy of Sciences has found that this effect wreaks havoc on aquatic ecosystems, often causing fish kills and debilitating mutations. The EPA has even published data that identifies cancer risks for humans drinking this contaminated water to be orders of magnitude above their suggested risk limits.
The Cumberland Park Project is a planned coal combustion waste structural foundation fill. It is located in the flood plain of the New River, a National Heritage River, and it will not have a landfill liner. Despite its legality, it is clearly a threat to human and environmental safety. For these reasons, the Concerned Citizens of Giles County are vehemently opposed to the project.
We are in pursuit of litigation in the form of a public nuisance lawsuit. Our lobbying has brought new legislation under consideration of the senate in Virginia. There have been countless newspaper articles, television interviews, and publicly attended events for our cause. We are not giving up anytime soon. Our support base is strong and still growing.
Currently our supporters include: COPE, National Committee of the New River, Old Dominion Smallmouth Club, Stone Mountain Trout Unlimited, Coastal Canoeists, Potomac River Smallmouth Club, Sierra Club, Canoe the New Outfitters, Mountain Justice, the Burning Book Community Resource Center, private citizens and organizations, and many, many more.
