Letter to the Editor: Students should continue to oppose coal plant

I applaud the College of William and Mary students in the Student Environmental Action Coalition Surry Justice League who, as reported in The Flat Hat, are working to stop the proposed coal-fired generating plant that the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative proposes to build in Surry County near Williamsburg. This proposed huge plant, if built, would for decades emit countless tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is one of the biggest causes of destructive climate change. NASA’s renowned climate expert, James Hansen, has warned that we must stop all new coal plants and phase out existing ones soon if we are to have any hope of avoiding the most dangerous climate-change impacts. Students at the College can and should play a big role in fighting to block ODEC’s planned new coal plant.