FIRE CONCERNS

The proposed solar field presents an unacceptable risk to the lives and property of thousands of men, women and children who live nearby. There is a demonstrable, serious risk of fire on any of the three sites. Such a fire would present unique challenges for firefighters, for which Spotsylvania County is not currently prepared.

Clearly a significant risk is the possibility of a massive fire on the proposed solar plant site, spreading quickly to neighboring homes and communities. To read the full Fire Risk Analysis report provided to the Board of Supervisors by Concerned Citizens,

Click here to access the full report

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEALTH & SAFETY CONCERNS

Open burning of thousands of tons of timber waste will pose a serious health risk for children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who suffer from heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, COPD and emphysema. LEARN MORE

SPower has proposed burning thousands of tons of timber waste to clear the land at the proposed solar field sites in preparation for installation of solar infrastructure.

Open burning of this magnitude is unprecedented in Spotsylvania County. Several months of burning timber waste will propel large quantities of microscopic particles into the atmosphere that are hazardous to the health of nearby residents as well as children at Brock Road Elementary school just 3 miles downwind from Site A.

Smoky air conditions will be exacerbated by burning damp/wet debris, rainy day trench burning, trenches left smoldering after work hours, and microscopic combustion particles suspended close to surface by cold temperatures in winter months.

Center for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency, and American Lung Association research indicates microscopic particles, a byproduct of open burning, present a serious health risk to children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and emphysema.

According to the VA EEQ 2017 Ambient Air Monitoring Report, “Fires generate irritating and corrosive gases. Aldehydes and Acrolein are released when wood and cellulose burn. These products cause intense tearing, coughing and choking. Acrolein is highly toxic to lung tissue, causing protein destruction in the deep lung tissue.”