Roughly 60 Virginia religious leaders and scholars have asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to oppose Dominion Virginia Power's plans for a coal-burning power plant in Wise County.

The proposed power plant will release an unacceptable amount of climate-changing greenhouse gases and will encourage more destructive strip mining in Virginia's mountains, they said in a letter to Kaine.

"We do not want our energy to come from these immoral and destructive practices," the authors wrote.

The letter writers are within their rights in petitioning the governor, said Dominion Virginia Power spokesman Dan Genest. "But Dominion believes that its proposed power station protects the environment and is in the best interest of its customers and the commonwealth of Virginia," he said.

A handful of environmental and religion representatives announced the delivery of the letter yesterday at a short news conference at the General Assembly's Richmond office building.

It's more and more important that people come together to fight the urgent issue of global warming, said Glen Besa, president of the Virginia Sierra Club chapter. Besa noted that Southern Baptist leaders recently expressed concern about the threat of global warming.

Rabbi Ben Romer of Congregation Or Ami in Richmond said people have a moral and ethical responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth. Romer, a West Virginia native, said one only had to drive through that state to witness the destruction caused by mining.

People can find solutions to the problems facing the Earth, but they may not necessarily be the cheapest solutions, Romer said. The authors of the letter to Kaine said cleaner air and water would result by filling the demand for energy through conservation, efficiency and clean energy sources such as wind, solar and sustainable biomass fuels.

Ron Skinner, reading a statement for the Rev. Jeanne Pupke of Richmond's First Unitarian Universalist Church, said, "The state is perfectly capable of achieving great things with clean energy. . . . [W]e need to insist that Virginia lead the way."

The letter's authors asked Kaine to travel to Wise County and meet with those who would be most affected by the proposed plant and to tour and see the results of moutaintop removal strip mining.

Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Kaine, when questioned about the letter, said conservation and cleaner energy sources "are central to the governor's energy plan, and he believes we'll get there faster if we work with all the parties to achieve that goal."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Signing the letter were:

The Rev. Jonathan M. Barton, General Minister, Virginia Council of Churches;

Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Bishop, Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Richmond;

Rev. Dr. Kwame Osei Reed, Associate Conference Minister, Potomac Association, Central Atlantic Conference, United Church of Christ;

Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington;

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Director of Outreach, Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, Falls Church;

Rabbi Daniel Alexander, Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville;

Mr. Paul Amrhein, Member of Board, Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, Richmond;

Rev. Dr. Verne E. Arens, Little River United Church of Christ, Annandale;

Rabbi Lia Bass, Congregation Etz Hayim, Arlington;

Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon, Associate Rabbi, Congregation Olam Tikvah, Fairfax;

Rev. Steve Brown, Presbyterian Minister, Charlottesville;

Shirley Yoder Burbaker, Pastor, Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg;

James Burke, Junior Warden, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Arlington;

Rev. Philip K. Cooper, President, Marathon Ministry Inc., Castlewood;

Rev. John D. Copenhaver Jr., Professor of Religion, Shenandoah University, Staunton;

Fr. Gerry Creedon, Chair, Arlington Diocese Peace and Justice Commission and Pastor, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Arlington;

Rev. Dr. David Ensign, Pastor, Clarendon Presbyterian Church, Clarendon;

The Rev. Gail Allinson Epes, former assistant chaplain at Episcopal High School, Alexandria;

Rev. Margaret Ann Faeth, Ph.D., Rector, The Committee on the Stewardship of Creation, Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria;

Rev. Bill Finley, United Methodist Minister, Blacksburg;

Rev. Jeanne Finley, United Methodist Minister, Blacksburg;

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Foss, Pastor, Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Charlottesville;

Rabbi Bonny Grosz, Community Rabbi Foundation, Northern Virginia;

Rev. Leslie J. Hague, Rector, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Arlington;

Rev. Jay Hanke, Senior Pastor, Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, Arlington;

Rev Dr. David S. Harper, Rector, Olivet Episcopal Church, Alexandria;

The Rev. Ann Herlin, Associate Pastor, Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria;

Rev. Denise Honeycutt, United Methodist Minister and Director of Mission, Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Richmond;

Rev. Janine Howard, United Methodist Minister, Warsaw;

Rabbi Brett Isserow, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria;

Cantor Allen Leider, Director of Education, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church;

Rev. Deborah E. Lewis, Campus Minister and Director, The Wesley Foundation at U.Va., Charlottesville;

Rev Randy Lohr, Pastor Bethelehem Lutheran, WaynesboroRev. E. Russell Lynn, LCSW, Presbyterian Church (USA), Arlington;

Lee Martin, Mt. Clinton Mennonite Church, Mt. Clinton;

Peter J. McCourt, Religious Studies/Catholic Studies programs, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond;

Rev. Dr. Laura B. Miller, Church of Spiritual Humanism, Wise;

Rev. Jean L. Milliken, D.Min., Program Coordinator, Foundation s for Spiritual Leadership, Christ Church, Alexandria;

John Moyle, Senior Pastor, Oakbrook Church, Reston;

W. Tayloe Murphy Jr., Senior Warden, Cople Parish, Hague;

Rev. Joseph Nangle, OFM, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Arlington;

Beth Norcross, MTS, Vice Chair, Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, Arlington;

Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, Pastor for Parish Life, Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Arlington;

The Rev. Gideon L.K. Pollach, Chaplain, The Episcopal High School, Alexandria;

Rev Elizabeth Rees, Associate Rector, St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, Alexandria;

Rabbi Ben Romer, Congregation Or Ami, Richmond;

Robert Sage Russo, Christians For The Mountains, Elkton;

Rev. Jose Saldana, Messiah United Methodist Church, Springfield;

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe, Associate Rabbi, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church;

Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Schmid, Pastor, Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Falls Church;

Rabbi Amy M. Schwartzman, Senior Rabbi, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church;

Michael A. Shochet, Senior Cantor, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church;

Rev. Suzanne Shrader, United Methodist minister, Warsaw;

Sarah Snow, Coordinator of Congregational Care, Fairfax United Methodist Church, Fairfax;

The Rev. Catherine W. Swann, Rector, Cople Parish, Hague;

The Rev. Charles R. Sydnor Jr., Cople Parish, Hague;

W. Sibley Towner, Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond;

Fr. Leonard J. Tuozzolo, C.S.Sp., Our Lady Queen of Peace, Arlington;

Rev. Roger W. Verley, H.R., Managing Partner, The Verley Family, LLC, Annandale;

Rev. Pat Watkins, United Methodist Minister and Executive Director, VA Interfaith Power and Light, Richmond;

Rev Rickey White, Senior Pastor, Union Run Baptist Church Ministries, Keswick;

Rev. Sydney K. Wilde, Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston, Reston;

Rev. Robert G. Wilden, Vice President, Falls Church Housing Corp., Falls Church;

Ms. Barbara Williamson, Baltimore Friends Yearly Meeting, Unity with Nature Committee, Richmond;

Rev. Linda Wofford Hawkins, Annandale;

Reverend Robert W. Wohlfort, Th.D., Pastor, The ELCA, Susan.