If It Weren't for You Meddling Kids!

Sometimes Why-I-Fight has to take a back seat to actual fighting.

So I thought I'd share a bit of What I've been doing, since I don't have a Why I'm doing it to post today.

Do you remember me telling you about our neighboring county passing a resolution against the coal plant HERE?

Well, it seems my county officials have their panties in quite a wad over it. They've decided to send a letter to our neighbors in which they will probably scold them for being big ol' meanies, beg them to just take it all back, and maybe end with some form of, "We're rubber, you're glue..."

Anyway, here's my letter to our local paper about it all.

Enjoy!

P.S. Sit tight for a really spectacular item I've been working on that should be ready in a few days. Believe me, it will be well worth the wait!


Dear Editor,

Last week the Surry Board of Supervisors voted to send a letter to Isle of Wight County asking them to reconsider their resolution of opposition to the coal plant.

This is simply preposterous. Firstly, IoW sent their resolution to the Town of Dendron not to Surry County.  Surry County does not have a permit application for a power plant--only the Town of Dendron does.*  Surry County accused IoW of meddling in their neighbor's business, yet Surry continues to insert themselves (on our dime) into IoW’s business. Surry and IoW are equal neighbors to Dendron. One neighbor sees a positive impact from Dendron's proposed business, one sees a negative impact. They are both entitled to an opinion on what Dendron does, nothing more. Attempts to silence one another is the epitome of meddling.

Secondly, ODEC has stated that IoW's resolution was premature and they couldn’t know with certainty what they were opposing. Of course, ODEC has no problem asking Dendron--and the rest of us--to support it despite this same uncertainty. In an attempt to answer these unknowns, IoW invited ODEC to participate in an Info Session. ODEC declined. IoW also respectfully asked that Surry County conduct a 3rd party study to gather more information. Surry County not only declined, but expressed "disappointment" in IoW for even asking.

Finally, IoW received countless petition signatures, emails, and in-person comments from their constituents supporting the resolution of opposition.

It’s clear that ODEC and the Surry supervisors are more concerned with squelching opposition and information gathering than they are with respecting the concerns of the communities they will impact. And there will be impact. ODEC stating otherwise is about as reliable as when they told the Dendron Town Council to “go ahead and vote," a move that was recently found plainly illegal.

Sincerely,

Betsy Shepard
Surry

* For those who aren't local, the Town of Dendron is a small incorporated town within Surry County. The power plant is technically proposed for inside the town, but some of the land spills over into the county. Clear as mud? Yes, I thought so.