This petition proposes that Dominion Resources and Sunenergy1 move its projected solar farm site to a location that would be more beneficial for Chesapeake residents.

Dominion Resources and SunEnergy1 are planning to build a solar farm in southern Chesapeake on Ballahack Rd. off of Route 17.  It is critical that citizens of Chesapeake realize that unless this plan is stopped, it will put 250 acres of usable farmland at risk, as the long term impacts of solar panels (and their degradation) are simply unknown. As it stands, this plan allows citizens of other states to begin taking in profit, while homes in another city receive the power generated by the panels.  The only direct effect for Chesapeake would be allowing Dominion, who has already destroyed 257 acres of valuable Chesapeake property along the Elizabeth River, to potentially compromise an additional 250 acres of land for at least 20 years.

For 60 years, Dominion operated a coal powered plant on the Elizabeth River. That plant is now shut down, however 900,000 cubic yards of the arsenic containing fly ash remains on site. Dominion is currently fighting a lawsuit against the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) claiming that this site is slowly leaking arsenic into the Elizabeth River.  Data presented by SELC shows that the arsenic levels reach levels higher than acceptable limits of the cancer causing substance, in fact in some areas of the Elizabeth River, as high as 30 times the allowable limits. This site, with its aging and unmaintained buildings as well as stores of fly ash, has no disposal plan, and will remain stagnant until the arsenic has been slowly diluted into Chesapeake Waterways.

This petition is to propose that rather than allowing Dominion to have its way and continue to abuse even more profitable Chesapeake acreage, let's hold Dominion accountable for the wasted 257 acre site that is contaminating the Elizabeth River. If Dominion is being required by the federal government to implement solar energy, then Dominion should be forced to clean up the land they have destroyed, which creates a perfect site for the solar panels without additional destruction. Rather than this land laying waste for years to come, where no commercial, industrial, or residential development can occur, this plan would revitalize the land, and again make it productive for Dominion, and also Sunenergy1. The days of high arsenic and mysterious fish kills would be long gone and 250 acres of profitable farm land would be saved for future agriculture or economic development.

I urge you to sign, thus helping to protect the land, animals, and citizens of Chesapeake.

Thank you for making a difference.