ENERGY + ENVIRONMENT
Chesapeake Bay clean-up: Pennsylvania lagging in reducing pollution
The federal Environmental Protection Agency issued a largely positive assessment Friday of efforts to stem the flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution into the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Cutting those pollutants from farms, sewage treatment plants and municipal and suburban stormwater systems has been key to the recovery of the […]
State lawmakers again urge Northam to act on pipelines
With a crucial meeting of the State Water Control Board looming next month on water-quality reviews for a pair of contentious natural gas pipelines, Democratic state lawmakers again urged Gov. Ralph Northam Thursday to halt the projects and insist on a stream-by-stream review of the hundreds of spots where they will cross Virginia waterways. “We […]
Blocked by-law proposals at Virginia’s largest electric cooperative prompt complaint to state regulators
Members of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Virginia’s largest co-op, have filed a petition with the State Corporation Commission in an effort to force a vote on more transparency at the organization, which provides electricity to more than 160,000 member owners in parts of 22 Virginia counties. Behind the petition —which seeks an injunction from regulators at […]
State picks firm to help guide offshore wind development
The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has picked a London-based renewable energy consulting firm to help position Virginia to become a hub for the “offshore wind supply chain and service industry,” Gov. Ralph Northam’s office announced. BVG Associates will “build on Virginia’s advantages and opportunities as well as provide recommendations to further enhance the commonwealth’s […]
Atlantic Coast Pipeline gets permission to begin North Carolina construction
The 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the more than $6 billion natural gas project led by Dominion Energy, won approval to begin full construction in North Carolina today. The decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission comes amid a federal court challenge that seeks to halt construction of the hotly contested pipeline following a ruling by […]
Cumberland landfill, fiercely opposed by locals, would be state’s first new mega dump in two decades
CUMBERLAND COUNTY — A Virginia political issue largely consigned to the dust heap of history in the late 1990s resurfaced this June when the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors voted to allow plans to go forward for the construction of a mega-landfill just a mile from the Cumberland–Powhatan border. If the company behind the project, […]
Northam’s energy plan: A blueprint for action or destined for dusty shelf?
Forget “all of the above.” Under Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia’s next Energy Plan will emphasize the features of a clean energy future: solar and wind, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, energy storage and offshore wind. This marks a welcome departure from previous state energy plans, though whether the end result serves as a blueprint for action […]
Advocacy group will monitor Staunton detention center
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia will look for signs of abuse and neglect at the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, the Staunton News Leader reports. Immigrant children being held at the facility have alleged they were “beaten while handcuffed and locked up for long periods in solitary confinement, left nude and shivering concrete cells,” the […]
Local and state cops have already spent nearly $126,000 policing pipeline protests
Construction has begun on one of two major natural gas pipelines in Virginia and state and local officials have already reported spending almost $126,000 responding to protests aimed at halting work. It’s a number that is only likely to rise this year as construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline progresses and work on the Atlantic […]
A long walk off a short bridge?
Dominion Energy, Virginia’s biggest utility with about 2.5 million customers, is banking big on natural gas, in the near future at least. The company has two big new combined cycle gas plants in Greensville and Brunswick counties, one already finished and the other scheduled to begin operation this year. Another eight smaller gas plants were […]
Invasive giant hogweed, which can burn and blind, was here all along
Giant hogweed’s sap causes third-degree burns. If it gets in your eyes it can blind you. And this summer, there’s been a run of sightings around Virginia. The most recent came last week, when an incoming Virginia Tech freshman who was doing landscaping work in Spotsylvania County was hospitalized with third-degree burns. Alarming, yes. But […]