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| Kathy Selvage, Appalachian voice, at a protest outside of Dominion Corporation. |
Natural resources bring change. With change comes either a positive or negative outcome, maybe both. Some may not realize how important a resource is until they are on the outside looking in. Frostburg State University's 7th Annual Appalachian Film Festival, which took place on Thursday, September 14th, provided people with a better perspective about electricity and maybe allowed them to be more open minded to the importance of energy in the United States. As Frostburg's very own, Dr. Melissa Boehm, Mass Communications Department, included, "It's the first event to kick off the Appalachian Festival," students, staff, and members of the Frostburg community gathered in room 226, a lecture hall in Compton Science Center, to view a film titled, "The Electricity Fairy." This film focuses on the major controversy and debate on the ways the environment of Wise County, Virginia were being torn down to supply electricity for the rest of the country with the construction of Dominion Power Plant by company, Dominion Energy Center.
Appalshop Filmmaker, Tim Hansell gets the inside scoop of the generation of coal, it's affects on the environment of Wise County, the costs of generating energy with the use of coal, and so on. This film gives you feedback from the residents of Wise County. Kathy Selvage, resident of Wise County, begins saying, "Coal is our main base, it has been for a long time. People in Appalachia are being ruined by poverty rate." Today, coal provides 50% of the country's energy, mainly electricity according to the United States Department of Energy. The way coal was collected for use brought controversy within the community, it was seen as unsafe and damaging to the environment because of pollution. Two ways of collecting coal are strip mining and deep mining. Strip mining was said to be a lot safer and efficient because it exposes layers of the mine that are already open, rather than deep mining, which is basically mining underground. When deep mining, the area must be kept ventilated and well drained.
The environment was the main focus for the Wise County residents when it came to coal and the effects of utilizing it for energy and electricity. Coal firing plants create pollution because the burning of coal spews mercury into the atmosphere. Kathy Selvage says, The burning of fossil fuels contribute so much to global warming." According to the film, increases in population lead to increases in electricity usage, which generates more pollution. At times, society may not realize the importance of energy regulation. Dominion Energy Center proposed that the construction of a power plant in Wise County would be necessary to regulate energy usage, safer and successfully. Kathy Selvage continues, "We could live with out electricity. Could we live without clean air, clean water? Could we survive?" Although a power plant would help regulate pollution and energy usage, there still will be some form of pollution to the environment.
It was business for Dominion, but an emotional despair for Kathy Selvage. Protesting to stop Dominion from building a power plant in her town, Wise County. Throughout the film, Selvage expresses how much she did not want this plant to be built because of what it would do to her community, she speaks, "Virginia does not need another coal firing plant." The people of Wise County suggested wind energy rather than burning coal, but burning coal is cost efficient and more convenient. Protests, board meetings, compromising, and blockades were of the many efforts of the residents of Wise County, they were not giving up without a fight.
By March 31, 2008, the Dominion Power Plant was approved by the state and construction began in July of that year. This power plant was to generate electricity for almost 1,500 homes and to be completely built by the year 2012.
For more information please visit the following websites:
- www.electricityfairy.com
- http://appvoices.org/about/board/
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