Virginia will no longer sidestep recognition that climate change is occurring and poses an existential threat to the state’s way of life, shoreline, economies and resources, a new planning document released by Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration Thursday reveals. The report, called the Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework, heralds a shift...
With a new fisheries regime in place that takes a broader ecosystem approach to management, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on Tuesday cut the menhaden quota for the next two years by 10 percent. The decision reduces the allowable catch of menhaden from 216,000 metric tons to 194,400 metric...
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is dead. So what’s next for Buckingham County? Gold, apparently. This month, plans by a Canadian gold mining company to extract the valuable commodity from thousands of acres of land in Buckingham surfaced, setting off a wave of alarm in a community that fought five years to...
An 18-month study of how the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality can incorporate environmental justice into its policies and procedures calls for both sweeping changes in the agency’s culture and new laws to more clearly govern the evaluation and management of projects that could impact sensitive communities. “Ultimately, DEQ must...
Good news: the acorns are totally normal. So reported the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources this week in announcing the results of its annual acorn surveys, a monitoring effort that tracks the nut crop as an indicator of both wildlife health and potential hunter success. “There seem to be few things...
Southwest Virginians have long looked beneath the surface of the rugged coalfield region for wealth and opportunity. But just below the asphalt and concrete of the communities that dot its ridges and valleys, the area’s aging and dilapidated wastewater systems are draining the coffers of localities already strapped for...
A report by two major educational nonprofits released last week on how states’ science standards for public schools handle climate change gave Virginia a failing grade, citing “abysmal scores across the board.” “Humanity’s impact is downplayed in the standards and is obfuscated by saying ‘natural’ causes of climate change and...
The Virginia Manufacturers Association is suing Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality and State Air Pollution Control Board over the state’s revision of regulations that will allow it to join a regional cap-and-invest market for carbon.The suit, filed in Richmond Circuit Court Oct. 2, says DEQ followed an incorrect process...
A legal principle embraced by Virginia that strictly curtails local powers is hampering cities from making progress on clean energy goals, a report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found. As a Dillon rule state — instead of a “home rule” one — Virginia bars cities and counties...
By Juan HernandezIn the last few months, our country has been facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and unfortunately, a lot has ground to a halt. But through it all, the climate crisis has continued unabated, including through the melting of the Arctic.While the world’s focus is rightly...
