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.