With mountaintop removal and new nuclear and coal burning plants under a lot of environmental scrutiny, Dominion Power has decided to turn to a more ‘renewable’ resource’, namely, the James River.

Today the company leadership said that the State Corporation Commission has given its permission for an emergency contingency plan to dam the river just above the falls and install hydro-electric turbines near Dominion’s corporate headquarters and trading floor on Tredegar Street. While Dominion has hydroelectric plants in other parts of the country, this James River plan is expected to create huge controversy.

This development comes at a crucial time for Dominion Power. It has already asked the SCC for a residential rate increase. At the same time, it is trying to retool with smart grid technology.

Locally, the City of Richmond’s James River Park manager exploded upon hearing the news about the proposed dam. No comment, just exploded. Local environmental activists tried to explain what this meant for the James River eco-system, but most, like the park manager, were just stunned speechless.

When a Dominion Power official was asked about a possible conflict with the City’s new James RIver Park Easement, he reportedly echoed former President G.W. Bush, by muttering through his clenched teeth that “its just a goddamned piece of paper”. He then recovered his composure to say,

“People need to understand, more and more energy is being used by Virginians and we need to find new ways to meet that need”.