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Concerned Citizens of Charles City County’s Timeline, 2019-2020


 

June 19, 2019

Charles City County residents attended an “Information Session” at the Charles City County library (it had only been open for public meetings for about a week). The meeting was booked and loosely organized by members of the Richmond chapter of Mothers Out Front. Approximately 35 residents in attendance, and all were pretty outraged by the prospect of two gas plants in the Roxbury Road corridor

June 20, 2019

Charles City residents--many of whom would go on to form C5--collected over 200 petitions from the community requesting the DEQ delay the review of the Chickahominy Gas Plant’s air permit.

June 21, 2019

The Air Control Board reviewed, and granted, the Chickahominy Gas plant’s air permit. At this hearing, approximately a dozen Charles City residents, many of whom went on to form C5, sought permission to address the Board and present the permits they’d gathered. The Air Board denied them permission to speak.

June 25, 2019

Over 60 citizens attended the Board of Supervisors meeting, questioning the Board about the gas plants. In the year that follows, there is a dramatic rise in attendance at Charles City Board of Supervisors meetings, an increase that the Board publicly attributed to C5’s activism

June 26, 2019

Concerned Citizens of Charles City County, C5, was formed, at a meeting held at Cedar Grove Baptist Church. La’Veesha Rollins, Wanda Roberts & Cynthia Robinson set the agenda and provided dinner to the dozen residents in attendance
 

July 11, 2019

C5 members and CCC residents toured the Dominion Energy Greenville and Brunswick Power Plants. They were shocked at the noise and size of the plants, and discovered that the employees at these plants cautioned that “merchant” gas plants proposed for CCC would be under much less regulation than utility-owned plants

July 15, 2019

C5 met at Cedar Grove Baptist Church, discussed organizational goals

September 15, 2019

Facts and Food Forum at Cedar Grove Baptist: this was a presentation hosted by C5, speakers included the VA Chapter NAACP Environmental Justice chair, a retired epidemiologist, a former utility industry compliance officer, and a UofR professor specializing in global energy environmental and policy issues. 

September 23, 2019

C5 attended townhall with Senator McClellan and Delegate Delores McQuinn

October 10, 2019

C5 attended Townhall Meeting with District III BOS Floyd Miles

October 13, 2019

Organizational Cedar Grove Baptist meeting, with over 25 residents in attendance, with a presentation from Sierra Club environmental justice

October 18, 2019

C5 attended CCC Candidate Debate at CC High School

October 27, 2019

C5 hosted a Letter Writing Party

November 3, 2019

C5 spoke about notification and gas plants on Jay Tubb’s “Citizen Voices” radio show

November 19, 2019

C5 attended the CCC School Board Meeting

November 21, 2019

C5 members participated in a Media training at Cedar Grove, led by Sierra Club partners

November 25 and December 10, 2019

Information sessions at eastern Henrico libraries about gas plants and water permit, and impact to Henrico County residents

December 2, 2019

C5 appeared as featured guests on WRWK radio show

December 5, 2019

DEQ hosted an Information session in Charles City County about the Chickahominy water permit--promoted widely and attended by C5

December 8, 2019

Preparation for Charles City County Christmas parade (the actual parade got rained out)--constructed a float with community support

December 17, 2019

Spoke with Terrell Brooks, head basketball coach at CCC High School, about how to support the basketball team

January 9, 2020

C5 attended the Charles City County Planning Commission meeting

January 14, 2020

C5 hosted an information session about the water permit at the Varina Public Library

January 15, 2020

C5 held a core group organizational planning meeting

January 22, 2020

C5 hosted an information session about the water permit at the Charles City County library

January 23, 2020

DEQ hosted an information session about the water permit at the Varina Public Library, largely at the behest of C5 advocates

January 25, 2020

C5 met with Congressman Donald McEachin to discuss local environmental justice concerns

January 28, 2020

DEQ hosted a “Public Hearing” on the Chickahominy Gas Plant’s Special Exception request. Approximately 100 Charles City residents turned out, and with the exception of the County supervisor and plant developer (from Balico), everyone spoke in opposition to the exception

January 31, 2020

C5 members attended Chat & Coffee with Michelle Johnson at Indian Fields Tavern

February 2, 2020

C5 members spoke at Liberty Baptist Church 

February 7, 2020

C5 members attended the William & Mary Law Symposium

February 9, 2020

C5 members spoke at Little Elam Baptist Church

February 16, 2020

C5 core group met at Indian Fields Tavern

February 20, 2020

C5 members met with County Administrator, Michelle Johnson

February 2020

C5 led the successful effort to defeat SB 992 in the General Assembly, an industry authored bill that would have carved out special subsidies for the two gas plants planned for Charles City County

 

C5 also helped promote a Bill sponsored by Senator Jennifer McClellan, SB 1075, intended to remedy exclusion and notification problems such as those experienced in Charles City County.

March 8, 2020

C5 hosted “Friends of C5” meeting at Cedar Grove Baptist. It was attended by 

March 21, 2020

C5 planned, in coordination with the Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, a “Clergy Breakfast” to allow Charles City County clergy to collaborate around local social justice issues. Unfortunately, this was cancelled at the last minute because of the pandemic

Spring 2020

C5 awarded the “Green Giants Award” by the Sierra Club

March 28, 2020

C5 leaders invited to speak at George Mason University at Environmental Justice Summit

March 29, 2020

C5 planned a “Tell All Forum” for Charles City residents about the environmental consequences of the gas plants. This forum involved months of planning, but unfortunately we had to cancel due to the pandemic

April 12, 2020

“Praise in the Parking Lot”  C5 partnered with Cedar Grove Baptist Church and Charles City Ruritan to provide groceries and encouraging words to local residents during the public health crisis

March 2020-ongoing

C5 became leading participants in “SAVE” Coalition, a collaboration of Virginia organizations working on environmental justice concerns

May 12, 2020

C5 participated in SCC Hearing on the Header Improvement Project, the gas pipeline seeking a “certificate of public necessity” that would supply the C4GT plant in Charles City

June 16, 2020

C5, in partnership with Democratic Socialists of America, Richmond, provided 160 masks to Charles City residents, including the local fire department, childcare workers, and retail workers

June 29, 2020

After a year of public advocacy led by C5, 1,199 individuals commented or participated in the public hearing on the “Special Exception” for water to supply the Chickahominy gas plant. A significant number of these comments came from CCC at the behest of C5. “Only the applicant and two others provided comments in support of this draft groundwater withdrawal special exception,” according to the DEQ. Nevertheless, the Water Control Board unanimously supported the application.

July 15, 2020

Presentation at the Environmental Justice 

June 26, 2020

The SCC chose to withhold permission on the “HIP” pipeline unless C4GT could demonstrate it had its financing together.

November 13, 2020

VNG reported that “the conditions precedent

related to C4GT will not be satisfied on or before December 31,2020,” and that they wouldn’t pursue the HIP pipeline project to supply gas to Charles City County. This raised significant questions about whether C4GT, the smaller gas plant proposed for CCC, was able to secure financing.

December 1, 2020

SCC announced that the HIP proposal was dismissed.

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