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Goodbye almond milk, hello nut beverage? Lawmakers advance milk labeling bill.
Virginia Beach Del. Barry Knight’s milk bill cleared its first hurdle Wednesday afternoon when the House Agriculture Subcommittee voted 7-1 to pass it on for consideration to the larger Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. The measure, which defines milk as “the lacteal secretion, practically free of colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of a […]
Northam ‘discussing’ whether to take legal action against Pennsylvania, EPA over Bay cleanup
Gov. Ralph Northam is weighing legal action against Pennsylvania over its Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, which falls short of the state’s commitments to reduce pollutants that make it into the bay. On Jan. 8, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced he was directing his state’s attorney general to pursue an action against both Pennsylvania and the […]
In Virginia and U.S., urban heat islands and past redlining practices may be linked, study finds
The rich may get richer and the poor poorer, as the saying goes, but in a world increasingly altered by climate change, the poor may also be getting hotter — especially if they’re people of color. So finds a study released Monday in Climate journal by Science Museum of Virginia Chief Scientist Jeremy Hoffman, Portland […]
Pawpaws may become Virginia’s official state fruit. What’s behind their rise in popularity?
Appalachian banana. Hillybilly mango. Quaker delight. Call the pawpaw by any name you like, but if one House of Delegates member has her way, make sure you also call it Virginia’s state fruit. Native to Virginia and growing mainly in forests, pawpaws have been enjoying an unexpected moment in the sun. Cidermakers and wineries have […]
General Assembly will decide whether to build environmental justice into Virginia law
Two years after Virginia established its first formal advisory body on environmental justice, legislators will weigh several bills proposing to weave the principle into the daily workings of state governance. “Environmental justice isn’t just theoretical. It actually happens all the time,” said Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax, who has put forward one bill making an advisory […]
On environment, lawmakers to grapple with everything from small fish to global shifts
As if they didn’t have enough on their plates with energy legislation, lawmakers this session are set to consider a vast array of environmental bills, ranging from small fish (menhaden) to problems perplexing leaders worldwide (climate change). What unified policies, if any, will emerge from this pastiche of concerns and proposals is largely unclear, as […]
Federal court overturns Union Hill compressor station permit
Calling Virginia’s review of a controversial compressor station in the historic Buckingham County freedmen’s community of Union Hill “arbitrary and capricious,” a federal court on Tuesday stripped the facility of its permit and ordered the State Air Pollution Control Board to reconsider the case. The decision is the latest blow to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline […]
With new Democratic leadership, General Assembly faces flood of energy proposals
The week after elections swept Democrats to power in the General Assembly, environment and clean energy activists struggled to get their sea legs in the new ocean of possibilities that suddenly opened up before them. “I think everyone’s a little surprised by the power dynamics and the shift in the political calculus,” said Tim Cywinski, […]
Natural gas development is speeding up in Virginia. Legislators will have to square that with state climate goals.
This September, Gov. Ralph Northam took the stage at the inaugural Virginia Clean Energy Summit to announce he was committing the state to a carbon-free grid by 2050. “I always say that I want Virginia to be a welcoming place, with our lights on and our doors open,” he said. “Well, I also want those […]
More natural gas infrastructure proposed for second Charles City plant
More natural gas infrastructure may be on the way in Virginia as plans move forward for a major new plant in Charles City County. No, not the Chickahominy Power Station. A different privately financed natural gas plant known as C4GT is driving a recent application by Virginia Natural Gas to construct 24 new miles of […]
Federal government orders Virginia menhaden fishery shut down
There is no joy in Reedville — mighty Omega has struck out. On Thursday U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross ordered Virginia’s menhaden fishery, the largest on the East Coast, shut down after Reedville-based Omega Protein exceeded a fishing cap set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. “A moratorium on fishing for Atlantic menhaden […]
Waste company slashes size of controversial Cumberland landfill
The company behind a controversial mega-landfill in Cumberland County has eliminated one of two cells from its plans, reducing the area where waste can be dumped by more than half. The change “significantly reduces” the project’s impact on both wetlands and the surrounding communities, said Jay Smith, a spokesperson for the Green Ridge Recycling and […]