ENERGY + ENVIRONMENT
Virginia water board approves new sediment limits in five counties over aquatic life impacts
The State Water Control Board last week approved new limits on how much sediment, or loose dirt, can enter into waterways in the counties of Rockbridge, Augusta, Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania because of the impact such pollution has on aquatic life. The new limits, called waste load allocations, are being imposed by the Virginia Department […]
Ashland farmer facing federal lawsuit over wetlands damage
An Ashland man is facing a civil lawsuit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over damages to 21 acres of wetlands, a natural resource with numerous environmental benefits, adjacent to tributaries of the Chickahominy and Pamunkey rivers. According to the EPA, Gary Layne, 62, and his company Chameleon, LLC “conducted extensive clearing, grubbing, earth-moving, and […]
Democratic control of legislature opens up chance for long-delayed SCC appointments
After securing control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly in the November elections, Democrats will have a new opportunity during the 2024 session to fill two long-time vacancies on the State Corporation Commission, the state body that regulates utilities, insurance, banking and business in Virginia. Incoming Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Chair Creigh […]
D.C. region, including NoVa, sets ‘ambitious’ goal for rooftop solar
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments passed a resolution this November that sets a goal of having solar panels installed on 250,000 rooftops in the Washington, D.C. metro region, an area encompassing the nation’s capital, Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland, by 2030. Members of the energy industry say meeting the target will take some […]
All Virginia wildfires except Matt’s Creek contained, say officials
After an unusually active fall fire season that has seen responders struggle to get multiple blazes under control, all of Virginia’s wildfires except for the Matt’s Creek Fire in Bedford County have been contained. As of Monday night, the state had “no active wildfires” besides Matt’s Creek, said Virginia Department of Forestry spokesman Greg Bilyeu […]
Solar developers continue to fight Dominion’s solar interconnection rules
After a state hearing examiner ruled Dominion Energy could temporarily enforce rules for how certain solar projects connect to the grid, developers are asking the State Corporation Commission to hold a full evidentiary hearing on whether or not those rules are justified. The disagreement is the latest chapter in an ongoing fight between Dominion and […]
A 5-point plan for Virginia’s data centers
None of the sessions at last month’s Virginia Clean Energy Summit (VACES) in Richmond were devoted to data centers, but data centers were what everyone was talking about. Explosive growth in that energy-hungry industry has everyone — utilities, the grid operator, and the industry itself — scrambling to figure out how Virginia will provide enough […]
After Siemens turbine plant cancellation, can Hampton Roads still be a hub for offshore wind?
Detroit is known for automobile manufacturing. San Francisco is known for technology. Hampton Roads hopes to be known for offshore wind development. In 2020, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, an ambitious roadmap to decarbonize the state’s electric grid by midcentury, was signed into law with provisions encouraging the development of thousands of megawatts of offshore […]
A year after devastating winter storm, power plant problems ‘still likely’ in extreme weather
Nearly a year ago, a Christmas weekend storm blasted across the country, forcing utilities to cut electricity to hundreds of thousands of people in parts of the southeastern U.S. after temperatures plunged, demand spiked, large numbers of power plants failed and natural gas supply was strained. As the anniversary approaches of Winter Storm Elliott, a […]
Dominion to test another long duration battery, microgrid capability at Va. State University
Dominion Energy Virginia plans to test another long-duration energy battery storage project, this time for the Multi-Purpose Center at Virginia State University. The use of a long-duration battery is Dominion’s latest step in its testing of the storage technologies, and one that could provide insight on creating microgrids. “These projects could be game changers for […]
Proposed Dominion rate settlement would keep customer base rates stable for next two years
Dominion Energy Virginia customers would see no increase in base rates for electric service over the next two years under an agreement between the utility and ratepayer, environmental and other groups announced Tuesday evening. In addition to maintaining current base rates — the primary component of customers’ electric bills, based on how much power they […]
New federal rule seeks to curb ‘deceptive practices’ in poultry production
Federal ag officials are poised to enact new disclosure requirements for the poultry industry to give chicken growers a better understanding of their potential profits. The changes are meant to address some long-standing complaints by farmers who are contracted by large companies to grow chickens for meat, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Wednesday. Most […]