The Virginia Court of Appeals has upheld an air emissions permit for a coal-burning power plant being built in southwest Virginia. A coalition of environmental groups has been fighting to block the Dominion Virginia Power plant for years, arguing that emissions would harm air and water quality and contribute to global warming. In its ruling, the appeals court rejected the coalition’s argument that a permit issued by the State Air Pollution Control Board should be invalidated because it failed to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The court also affirmed the way the board regulated particulate matter.