This blog post is written by Stephanie, a CCAN fellow reporting from Fredericksburg, where CCAN has just opened a new office to educate local electric co-op members that they have a say in whether the $6 billion coal plant that’s been proposed for the Hampton Roads area of VA goes forward. Throughout the summer, our fellows will be writing posts on our progress.

Since starting two weeks ago I have learned a lot about the proposed coal plant and all of the devastation it would cause to the sensitive Chesapeake Bay ecosystems, many of them already struggling. As well as the more immediate effects it would have on the people of the electric co-ops who would necessarily see an increase in rates, one that as I have heard could break some of these families or older couples already experiencing tough times in this economy. What’s more, even if they are not in such dire financial straits, they are going to be paying for this $6 billion plant whether they support it or not and most of them have never even heard of it! One of the most motivating things about the campaign (in addition to the purely environmental) is finding out and then changing the fact that almost none of the co-op member-owners seem to have any clue about what kind of dirty energy their money is being invested in!

The most fun thing I’ve done on the job with CCAN is in