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| Tuesday, August 04 | | · | Dominion Power Seeking Approval for Conservation Program |
| · | Rappahannock River Refuge Plan in the Works |
| Monday, July 27 | | · | Webb, Kaine, Warner Speak on Wilderness Wal-Mart Issue |
| Tuesday, July 21 | | · | Crow's Nest Receives Another Grant |
| · | Virginia Proposing Stricter Rules to Govern Stormwater Runoff |
| Tuesday, July 14 | | · | Wintergreen Preserves 1,400 Acres of Land |
| · | First Round of Stimulus Funds Released for Virginia Energy Programs |
| Monday, June 29 | | · | Fredericksburg Passes Model Pollution Control Ordinance |
| · | Stafford County Wins Lawsuit to Keep River Protection Ordinance in Effect |
| Wednesday, June 17 | | · | A.P. Hill Conserved 3,000 Acres in Buffers in 2008 |
| Monday, June 08 | | · | New Grant Helps Farmers Reduce Runoff |
| · | Richmond Protects 280 Acres in James River Park |
| Monday, June 01 | | · | Navy Giving $3.8 Million toward Protecting Oceana |
| Friday, May 29 | | · | Wilderness Battlefield Named One of Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia |
| · | State Helps to Conserve 4,200 Acres in Dragon Run Watershed |
| Monday, May 18 | | · | Civilian-Military Community Relations Council Meets to Discuss Education, Encroa |
| Monday, May 11 | | · | Kaine Has Big Plans for Environmental Action in 2009 |
| Tuesday, May 05 | | · | Henrico County to Profit from Landfill Methane |
| Monday, April 27 | | · | Prince William Commuter Ferry to Be Tested |
| Monday, April 13 | | · | Training Noise Bothering Residents |
| Monday, April 06 | | · | Governor Kaine Addresses Symposium, Will Reach Conservation Goal |
| · | Federal Judge Rejects King William Reservoir Permit |
| Monday, March 30 | | · | Quantico and A.P. Hill at Top of Toxic List |
| · | Fredericksburg Battlefield to Be Preserved |
| Monday, March 23 | | · | Wilderness Battlefield Makes "Endangered" List |
| · | Agreement Reached for Crow's Nest |
| Monday, March 16 | | · | House Votes Against Bill for Virginia Wilderness |
| · | Quantico Looks to Conservation Easements to Protect the Base |
| · | Easement Set Aside in Richmond County |
| Monday, March 09 | | · | Dahlgren Looking for Community Dialog and Compatible Use Planning |
Older Articles
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 | Land Conservation: Virginia Department of Forestry to Preserve Forestland |
 The Virginia Department of Forestry estimates that Virginia could lose more forest and agricultural land in the next 40 years than it has since Jamestown was founded. In order to prevent and offset this loss, the department is developing a new program, called Tomorrow Woods, to protect forestland in Southeastern Virginia. Dominion Virginia Power is supporting the Department of Forestry on the program. The Department will work with landowners to protect large tracts of forests by keeping them intact through conservation easements. The Tomorrow Woods program will provide funding toward up-front costs in the conservation easement process, such as fees for attorneys, appraisal, title search, and title insurance. The Program will be available to landowners in Southampton, Isle of Wight, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties, and the City of Suffolk. The Department of Forestry is concerned about the conversion of private farmland to other uses within these counties in Southeast Virginia.
Tidewater News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 09 @ 09:00:12 EST (60 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Greenhouse Gases: Cuccinelli Challenges EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulations |
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli filed a petition with the U.S. EPA asking the agency to reconsider its finding that greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health by contributing to climate change. The EPA’s finding is a “legal trigger” that would allow the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Cuccinelli’s office said that the EPA needs to review its findings due to newly available information. In a press conference, Cuccinelli said that the EPA should consider recently publicized emails from a British climate-research office that show that they used faulty data to support the notion of manmade climate change. Cuccinelli also filed a separate petition asking a federal court to review the EPA’s finding. Texas also filed a similar petition challenging the EPA’s finding, claiming that the finding is “legally unsupported” because it relies on scientific findings from the IPCC (which may have used the faulty data from the British climate-research office to reach their conclusions). Cuccinelli said that the decision that global warming poses a threat to people relies on faulty data and will hurt jobs.
Washington Post: Article
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 02 @ 13:50:57 EST (62 reads)
(Read More... | Greenhouse Gases | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: McDonnell Pledges to Conserve 400,000 Acres During Term; Largest Conservation Ea |
Governor Bob McDonnell commended The Nature Conservancy for placing 13,350 acres of land in a conservation easement, the largest easement in Virginia history. The easement, in Dragon Run Swamp on the Middle Peninsula, adds to already protected lands at Dragon Run to bring the total to 20,000 acres. Dragon Run Swamp is considered to be one of the most ecologically important areas in the Chesapeake Bay region. While commending the conservation easement, McDonnell also commended Governor Kaine on his efforts to preserve 400,000 acres during his term, and McDonnell has also pledged to conserve an additional 400,000 acres during his term.
Appomattox News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, February 08 @ 15:16:03 EST (79 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Rappahannock Plan Is Developing |
A committee will make public a draft watershed management plan on how Fredericksburg’s vast Rappahannock riverfront easement should be used. The plan will be unveiled on 17 Feb at the University of Mary Washington’s Jepson Center. The plan will outline how the property will be managed for access, recreation, and wildlife. The public will also get another chance to weigh in. The effort has been spearheaded by the Friends of the Rappahannock, working with representatives of Fredericksburg’s planning and utilities departments, watershed property manager, and the easement holders (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation). In 2006, the Fredericksburg City Council created a permanent conservation easement on over 4,200 acres along more than 20 miles of the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers. The city had purchased the land from Virginia Electric and Power Co. in the 1960s. After the Feb 17th meeting, an updated draft will go to the city council for review, and later there will be another opportunity for public comment.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, February 08 @ 15:15:17 EST (89 reads)
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| Offshore Drilling: Drilling Rights off VA Coast Facing a Delay |
A federal plan to sell oil and natural-gas drilling rights off the Virginia coast in November 2011 is facing a delay. The director of Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy was told by a member of a federal agency under DOI that more time is needed to conduct environmental studies on the program. It is unknown how long the delay on the lease sale will be – possibly until 2012 or later. The federal government’s five-year drilling plan calls for drilling leases on almost 3 million acres in an area about 50 miles off the Virginia coast. Obama’s administration is reviewing the plan, which was drawn up by the Bush administration; a congressional and presidential ban on Atlantic Ocean drilling ended in 2008. Virginia’s proposed lease sale would be the first since the ban ended. Governor McDonnell has said he hopes to see the sale proceed in 2011 as planned so that the revenue from drilling can be used to pay for roads and other state needs. It is believed that the proposed leasing area off Virginia could contain 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, February 01 @ 10:16:21 EST (91 reads)
(Read More... | Offshore Drilling | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Northern Virginia Conservation Trust Plans to Expand Network of Green Space |
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust has plans to create a regional network of green space in Northern Virginia, an initiative known as “Connecting Our Green Spaces.” Its goal is to “fill the gaps” in the region’s “green infrastructure,” a system of interconnected public parks, natural areas, stream valleys, and hiking trails. The trust has also created an emblem to brand projects that will focus on connectivity between forests, wildlife, water, and trails. The trust hopes to make it possible for a larger percentage of the Northern Virginia community to live within a short walk of a trail, park, stream valley, or preserved natural area. The trust president said that now is the time to protect properties, during a lull in construction while land is cheap. Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was founded in 1994 and has preserved 5,370 acres in Northern Virginia, holding 92 conservation easements and owning 21 properties.
Sun Gazette: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, January 19 @ 08:34:01 EST (90 reads)
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| Land Conservation: Kaine Reaches Land Conservation Goal |
Governor Kaine announced on 8 Jan 2010 that his goal to conserve 400,000 acres of Virginia land has been reached. The final land tally was 424,103 acres, which includes about 46,000 acres placed under easement during the six months before Kaine took office in 2006 (counts were done by fiscal year). Several land purchases within the last six weeks of Kaine’s term helped reach the final goal. Conservation easements on private lands make up the largest piece of protected lands under Kaine’s goal, but through purchases, Virginia has also gained five state forests, three state parks, three wildlife management areas, and thirteen natural area preserves.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, January 19 @ 08:33:09 EST (71 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Green Movement: Fredericksburg, Stafford Leading the Region with Recycling |
Stafford County and Fredericksburg continue to lead the region in recycling, and Spotsylvania County is also making steady progress with its recycling. The Virginia DEQ put out their Virginia Annual Recycling Rate Report, with numbers from 2008. The R-Board landfill off Eskimo Hill Road recycled 46.7 percent of its solid waste last year, up from 45 percent in 2007. One large improvement in area recycling was the switch to a “single-steam” waste system last year. Recycle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., picks up and sorts the materials to sell to end users. The single-stream system results in an average recovery of up to 30 percent more recyclable materials while maintaining material quality equal to or better than traditional recycling processes. The system is easier for haulers and more convenient for customers. The R-Board landfill also mulches yard waste, recycles construction debris, composts biosolids, and accepts aerosol cans and plastic grocery bags.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, December 01 @ 13:37:09 EST (115 reads)
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| Green Movement: Virginia, Maryland, Delaware Governors Sign Wind-Power Accord |
The governors of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a tri-state partnership for the development of wind energy offshore. Governor Kaine said that wind energy development is consistent with Virginia’s energy plan, and the partnership will help to build on the region’s wind resources. The plan is for the three states to focus on joining resources and information to bring offshore wind energy to the region. The first tasks will include identifying common transmission strategies for offshore wind development in the region, discussing ways to encourage sustainable demand for wind, and pursuing federal policies to advance regional wind power.
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, December 01 @ 13:35:56 EST (99 reads)
(Read More... | Green Movement | Score: 0)
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| Transportation: Spotsylvania VRE Could Come by 2012 |
Spotsylvania County can expect a VRE station by February 2012, according to an agreement governing the county’s membership with the commuter rail. Two pro-VRE candidates won re-election to the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors in this past election, which “essentially sealed the deal for the county to join VRE.” The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission is expected to ratify an agreement that requires the VRE to extend a third rail into Spotsylvania so that train service can begin as soon as the station is built. The third rail must also coincide with the county’s building a new VRE station and parking lot. The parking lot will have at least 500 spaces, with the capacity to expand to 1,000 spaces. About 1,000 Spotsylvania riders now board the VRE trains daily from Fredericksburg and Stafford stations. Currently, the county does not have a formal agreement with any developer, landowner, or company to build the VRE station, but there is much support for the service among the business community in the county. The county’s comprehensive plan targets an area by the VRE Crossroads yard of U.S. 17 and State Route 2 as a prime location, which is also the area where Tricord Companies proposed and later postponed Summit Crossing.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Friday, November 13 @ 09:19:03 EST (225 reads)
(Read More... | Transportation | Score: 0)
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| Climate Change: Carbon Capture/Sequestration Project Awaiting Funding |
Dominion Virginia Power and Virginia Tech are seeking federal stimulus money to cover 50 percent of the cost of a $580 million carbon-capture-and-sequestration project. The project would remove carbon dioxide from power plant emissions at the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center and store it underground. Earlier this month DOE announced $1.4 billion in awards for 12 other similar projects. This project would use chemicals called “amines” to capture the carbon dioxide. It would handle emissions from 70 megawatts of power generation, removing 545,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The captured carbon dioxide would be sent via pipeline into nearby geologic formations (“stacked storage,” or multiple formations at different depths, including unminable coal seams, depleted gas fields, and saline aquifers). The carbon dioxide would not be injected anywhere near deep underground coal mining operations, and will be constantly monitored to guard against leakage. Construction on this project is scheduled to begin in 2013 and be completed in 2015.
Bristol Herald Courier: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Friday, November 13 @ 09:18:14 EST (255 reads)
(Read More... | Climate Change | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Kaine Announces Mill Mountain Conservation Easement |
Governor Kaine announced that over 600 acres on Mill Mountain in Roanoke will be placed under conservation easements through an agreement with the Roanoke City Council. He made the announcement during a speech publicizing the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s addition of 17,000 acres to its land under conservation easements. Mill Mountain is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the easement will add further protection. The only land still under question is at the summit of the mountain, where there is a 20-acre area that has been developed into a city park with a zoo, visitor’s center, and an 80-foot star. It is unclear how this area will be affected, and the city council will be consulting with the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee about the boundaries of the easement.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, October 26 @ 14:08:08 EDT (272 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Governor Kaine's Land Preservation Total May Be Overstated |
According to state officials, Governor Kaine has reached the 350,000-acre milestone in his initiative to protect 400,000 acres from development during his term. An analysis of state data shows that the administration has significantly overstated the amount of land preserved since Kaine took office and has taken credit for at least 45,496 acres protected during the final six months of Governor Mark Warner’s term. Kaine’s promotion of easements and acquisition to protect land has been an unparalleled accomplishment, but taking the 45,496 acres from Warner’s term out of his tally makes it doubtful that Kaine can reach the 400,000-acre benchmark of “newly protected areas.” The state conservation department, which keeps a tally of protected land, said that Kaine inherited acreage from Warner because the final six months of 2005 were the first half of FY06, and conservation acreage is tallied in fiscal years. (Though this would mean that any acreage preserved in Kaine’s final six months in office would be credited to the next governor.) Land conservation leaders are disappointed to learn that Kaine if farther from his goal than previously believed, but say that his achievement is phenomenal and he has done more than any of Virginia’s previous chief executives.
Roanoke Times: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, October 20 @ 11:48:18 EDT (270 reads)
(Read More... | 2072 bytes more | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Green Movement: Half of Dominion "Green" Money Used for Administrative Costs |
For participants in Dominion Virginia Power’s green power program, about half of their money is going to cover the administrative costs in the renewable energy program. Dominion says this is so that the program can be 100 percent self-funded, and that it would be unfair for non-green power customers to bear the cost of managing the program. The program is voluntary for subscribers and typically costs $15 per month for those fully participating in the program. Customers can also participate for as little as $2 per month. Through the program, Dominion customers (about 3,500 currently) can buy credits to help support the development of renewable energy sources. The Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter says they are not encouraging their members to participate in the Dominion green power program with 50 percent going to overhead costs.
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, October 13 @ 10:28:46 EDT (284 reads)
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| Water Issues: King William Reservoir Project Killed |
The Newport News City Council directed Interim City Manager Neil Morgan and Waterworks Director Brian Ramaley to end the 22-year King William Reservoir Project after a presentation during a work session. The presentation was the result of a 120-day assessment requested by the city council, which had indicated in June that it wanted to scrap the reservoir project. The U.S. Justice Department had then decided it would not appeal a U.S. District Court ruling against the Army Corps of Engineers permit for the reservoir. The only way to keep the reservoir alive would be to revisit work the city had done in the mid-1990s, reassessing water needs and considering all possible alternatives to the reservoir, which would take at least two years and cost several million dollars. The city was spending about $1 million per month when it suspended work on the reservoir. The projected cost at completion was about $300 million. By the time the termination process is complete, the city will have spent $54 million. Also contributing to the decision to end the project is the assessment that the city is in good shape in terms of water supply because of the Lee Hall desalination plant built in 1998 and participation by water users in aggressive water conservation practices. As a result, water demand has remained static while the city has supplied water to about 60,000 more customers.
Newport News Daily Press: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 28 @ 11:28:21 EDT (343 reads)
(Read More... | 1934 bytes more | Water Issues | Score: 0)
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| Animal Protection: Bird Habitat Protection Awarded $1 Million |
The Nature Conservancy was awarded $919,774 in funds from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to be used to protect and restore bird habitat on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The funds are being matched by $2,419,000 from the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also contributing $48,920 in nonmatching funds. The Delmarva Peninsula is a globally important coastal migration corridor for millions of birds, especially in the fall. The money will go toward protecting 772 acres of upland forest bird habitat and restoring 423 acres in Northampton and Accomack Counties. This is the third time the partnership has received Wetlands Conservation Act funding for conserving bird habitat. The partnership has protected or restored 10,770 acres of bird habitat on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Delmarva Now: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 21 @ 11:07:46 EDT (378 reads)
(Read More... | Animal Protection | Score: 0)
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| Water Issues: VDOF Awarded Stimulus Funding for Forestry Projects |
The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has been awarded $1,076,000 in federal stimulus funding. The funds will create 12 total new jobs and retain 42 positions, and will be used for projects in 15 localities in the Shenandoah Valley ($897,000) and five localities in Southside Virginia ($179,000). In the Shenandoah Valley, communities will gain tree planting for stream bank restoration, riparian buffer establishment, environmental site design work, community tree planting, and greenway/trail development. The Martinsville and Danville areas in Southside Virginia will see projects involving community tree planting, tree maintenance, hazard tree removal, tree inventory/assessment work, and stream restoration planting. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced that the funding of these VDOF projects are part of a final series of funding awards to enhance water quality, air quality, wildlife habitat, wildfire resistance, and recreational opportunities in 30 states.
Rockbridge Weekly & Alleghany Journal Newsline: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 21 @ 11:07:14 EDT (400 reads)
(Read More... | Water Issues | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Governor Kaine Announces Completion of Largest Conservation Easement |
Governor Kaine announced that 11,363 acres of land in Roanoke are now protected under the largest publicly held conservation easement in the state. Land preservationists, state agencies, and local officials have been working on the easement agreement for 15 years. The protected land is the second-largest municipal park in the country and will now be protected from development. The easement is held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Western Virginia Land Trust. The property is owned by the City of Roanoke.
WTKR News: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 21 @ 11:06:37 EDT (356 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: 339,000 Acres Protected in Virginia |
Governor Kaine is hurrying to accomplish his goal of preserving 400,000 acres of land by 2010, when he finishes his term. He made the pledge in April 2006, and the 400,000 number is in part to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Kaine was also worried about growth trends in the state and the toll growth was taking on natural and historic resources. To date, the Kaine administration has permanently protected more than 339,000 acres of farms, forests, historic grounds and buildings, marshes, caves, and bluffs. It has about $10 million left to spend, and officials predict they will make their goal by the time the governor leaves office in January. Kaine said that they have “some big parcels coming up.” Most of the conservation during Kaine’s term has occurred in Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Of the 339,000 acres preserved, about 80 percent are protected under a conservation easement.
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 18 @ 10:54:25 EDT (392 reads)
(Read More... | 1881 bytes more | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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| Land Conservation: Crow's Nest Is a Done Deal |
A deal was closed on 29 July to add 1,200 acres to the Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve, bringing the total acreage at Crow’s Nest to 2,970 acres. Funding was drawn from a mix of state and federal sources, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) pieced together $14.2 million to exercise the purchasing option for the second phase of the project. The property owner, K&M Properties, lowered their original asking price by $2 million if the county would close by the end of July. DCR and Stafford County are joint owners of the preserve. Access to the property is limited at this time, but the public will eventually have access to hike and canoe. DCR is seeking funds to build an infrastructure. There is land adjoining the Crow’s Nest Preserve area that is still unprotected; Crow’s Nest Harbor was not part of the original sales agreement and would require new negotiations.
Free Lance-Star: Article
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Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 04 @ 15:28:10 EDT (407 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
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