For over a year, Chesterfield residents and local allies have spoken out against Dominion Energy’s controversial proposed methane gas plant, imploring local officials to hold a public hearing on the project’s potential impacts on the county. The local advocacy group Friends of Chesterfield has held months of community meetings, rallies and educational events opposing Dominion’s plans, and with other local residents, members have testified at multiple Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meetings in 2024. As someone raised in Chesterfield County, I am grateful for and inspired by the growing opposition to the project and the creative ways the local community has responded.

Community members have repeatedly asked for their elected leaders to weigh in on the plant’s potential harms to the area, and asked the supervisors to provide them with a meaningful opportunity to be heard. These requests to give the public a voice largely went unanswered by county leaders.

That inaction from most county officials created the clear need and inspiration for the community to hold their own hearing — the Chesterfield People’s Hearing, held Oct. 29 at a high school in southern Chesterfield. The impactful event with close to 150 attendees was an opportunity for local residents to voice concerns and submit on-the-record comments to multiple state agencies about the proposed project. The Chesterfield People’s Hearing featured speakers, public testimony, Central Virginia state legislators opposed to the plant and Friends of Chesterfield board members. Watch a recorded livestream of the event here.

Attendees entering the halls of the venue were greeted with information booths, helpful volunteers, comment forms and refreshments. The welcoming atmosphere continued into the auditorium, where fun music filled the air and everyone gathered ahead of the program’s start. 

Glen Besa, Chesterfield resident and chair of Friends of Chesterfield, emceed the evening, as dramatic, deep red banners flanked speakers. A responsive crowd heard from Nicole Martin, president of the Chesterfield NAACP and a Friends of Chesterfield board member who spoke about the environmental injustice of locating the plant in a majority Black and Brown community. 

Jason Woodby, a county public school teacher and Friends of Chesterfield board member, spoke about the air pollution the plant would cause and the need for cleaner, healthier solutions. Eleven residents then delivered public comments, remarking on the plant’s impact on the futures of youth, the  plant’s incompatibility with state climate goals and the injustice of placing a new power plant in a community that has already endured decades of air pollution from coal plants. 

The powerful testimony of Chesterfield resident and CASA member Maria Alvarado, shared in Spanish and in English via an interpreter, summarized public sentiment so well: “The proposed gas plant is a ticking time bomb, silently threatening the lives of Chesterfield’s residents and surrounding communities. Every breath we take is at risk. It’s not just about today — it’s about the long-term health and survival of our community.”

Of note, Chesterfield Supervisor Jessica Schneider submitted written testimony to be read at the hearing. Within her comment, she shared her gratitude for the community’s willingness to show up on this issue and clearly stated: “I continue to stand with you in opposition to the gas plant.” After public testimony, Besa, Martin, Woodby and Aliya Farooq of the Friends of Chesterfield Board were honored with a gift in appreciation of their community leadership.

The spirit of thankfulness at the event continued as event organizers recognized state lawmakers representing the area who’ve spoken publicly against the gas plant. Dels. Rae Cousins, Mike Jones, Debra Gardner and Rodney Willett, along with Nkechi George-Winkler, chief of staff for Del. Delores McQuinn, sat with the audience during the hearing and were brought up on the stage in appreciation for denouncing Dominion’s proposal.

They will continue to be important voices alongside local residents, as the plant’s review process will soon be in the statewide arena of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. 

Now, Chesterfield gas plant opponents await public notices detailing the review of Dominion’s application for an air permit for the project. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality  will hold public hearings and comment periods on the air permit application in early 2025. The permit will face significant public opposition from residents local to the proposed site and people statewide who are concerned with the plant’s ability to worsen the climate crisis. The project also faces review from the State Corporation Commission, which will help determine if the project is actually needed and would have a public review opportunity likely in the second half of 2025. 

As Appalachian Voices, along with other Virginia organizations, continues to support the work of Friends of Chesterfield, there will be more events, rallies and opportunities for public participation in 2025. That vital and vivacious opposition will be integral to stopping the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center from receiving its necessary permits.

Stay involved with this issue by connecting with Friends of Chesterfield.

Learn more about the harms that Dominion Energy’s proposed Chesterfield power plant poses to the nearby community in this video promoting the Oct. 29 Chesterfield People’s Hearing.