In a recent report released by Environment America, The Commonwealth of Virginia comes in second in the country for the most polluted waterways. Not a designation any Virginian should be proud of to say the least. The data used in this report comes from the EPA’s very own Toxics Release Inventory.

The report also found that nearly half of our country’s waterways are too polluted for fishing, swimming or other recreational activities because polluters are continuing to use them as major dumping grounds. As I blogged about previously, coal-fired power plants are one of the biggest threats to our waterways yet there are no federal regulations on the proper disposal of toxins from these plants into nearby rivers and streams.

It’s time polluters cleaned up their act and federal and state governments started cracking down. One way our state government can begin working toward removing our beautiful Commonwealth from this list is by refusing to allow new coal plants such as the one proposed for Surry County in the Hampton Roads region. This coal plant would be the largest in the state, if built, and would only be a mere 35 miles from our precious Chesapeake Bay.

Want to join the fight? You can sign our petition or attend the public hearing on November 23 in Surry County. Tell your friends and family to get involved too. We can do better for our waterways and ourselves.