The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Sept. 14, 2023:
DEQ weighs in on proposed Dominion gas plant emissions
Reported by VPM News’ Patrick Larsen
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality shared an emissions analysis for a proposed natural gas power plant with the state Air Pollution Control Board, drawing a contingent of protesters.
Dominion Energy wants to bring the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center online in the next few years, saying it would provide up to 1,000 MW of electricity during peak demand hours or in grid emergencies. It would be built adjacent to the Chesterfield Power Station, which retired its last two coal-fired generators this year.
Mike Dowd, director of the Air and Renewable Energy Division at DEQ, told the air board that this is the first time it had been presented with a permit listed as “controversial,” due to a new law passed in 2022. That means the proposed plant is a “major source” and will produce significant emissions.
Nansemond nation escalates dispute with TC Energy, claiming human-rights violations
Reported by WHRO’s Katherine Hafner
The Nansemond Indian Nation is elevating its fight with TC Energy, the company planning to replace and expand a pipeline in Hampton Roads.
The tribe recently sent a formal grievance to TC’s leaders in Canada, claiming the company has violated its own policies on Indigenous relations, as well as human rights outlined by the United Nations.
The grievance is the latest in a series of debates over what’s called the Virginia Reliability Project.
TC Energy plans to dig up and double the size of about 50 miles of an existing, 70-year-old pipeline that stretches from Surry and Sussex counties through Suffolk and Chesapeake.
In other news:
- Free naloxone now easier to obtain for Richmond-area residents (Richmond Times-Dispatch)*
- Charlottesville-area authorities encourage water conservation amid drought (The Daily Progress)*
- GreenCity plan progresses with $35M land sale, residential development agreement (Richmond BizSense)*
In case you missed it:
- Mountain Valley Pipeline sues its opponents (The Roanoke Times)*
- Truist plans $750 million in annual expense reductions, undisclosed job cuts (Winston-Salem Journal)*
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.