Public News Service

Expanding solar in VA can provide numerous benefits

Virginia energy experts feel a recent push for solar energy legislation could have benefited the state. Senate Bill 697 would have removed a ban on …

As of June 2023, the World Resources Institute estimates there are 2,277 electric school buses on order, delivered, and operating in the U.S. (Adobe Stock

VA school districts, parents working to get electric school buses

By Elizabeth McGowan for Energy News Network.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for Virginia News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism …

Federal legislation has been introduced to improve the efficiency of the U.S. electrical grid. The FASTER Act would amend the Federal Power Act to expedite the review and permitting of electric transmission facilities. (Adobe Stock)

Transmission upgrades needed to keep U.S. climate goals on track

Environmental groups in Virginia are among those looking at how to improve and modernize electrical grid transmission. Experts said the grid's age …

A recent analysis found PJM Interconnection's processing time of 37 months is the fastest for grid operators in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Report: VA grid manager needs better interconnection process

Virginia's electrical grid manager ranked poorly in a new energy scorecard. Advanced Energy United's Generator Interconnection Scorecard gave PJM …

Gas power plants are vulnerable to adverse weather. A report showed during Winter Storm Elliott in late December, gas-fired power plants were responsible for around 70% of unplanned outages. (Adobe Stock)

VA residents oppose proposed Dominion Energy power plant

A proposed power plant in Chesterfield County is meeting with the ire of local residents. Dominion Energy's Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center …

A 2020 Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action report finds transportation sources are responsible for 190 air pollution-related premature deaths annually in the state. (Adobe Stock)

VA adopts rule to sell only 'clean' cars starting in 2035

Virginia has adopted a new rule advancing clean car use. The Advanced Clean Cars II Rule requires carmakers to only sell zero-emission vehicles by 20…

No commercial small modular nuclear reactors are in use in the United States. The only project to get federal approval was canceled in 2023 because of a series of challenges, including oversized cost increases. (Adobe Stock)

VA General Assembly OKs bills to develop small modular nuclear reactors

Virginia's General Assembly has approved legislation to develop small modular nuclear reactors. The bills passed both chambers despite concerns …

Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to design a study methodology for menhaden research. It estimates the study will take several years and cost $2.6 million. (Adobe Stock)

VA General Assembly nixes menhaden study bill

Virginia's General Assembly has killed legislation to address the declining menhaden population. The tiny forage fish are an important part of the …

Virginia has two liquefied natural gas facilities with a total storage capacity of 407,200 barrels. (Adobe Stock)

Environmental groups discourage U.S. use of liquified natural gas

The U.S. is reconsidering its use of liquefied natural gas. While it has long been touted as a "clean alternative" to fossil fuels like coal…

Some environmental effects of pipeline projects are loss of water and air filtration capability from forests, risk of severe erosion in mountainous areas, and increased air pollution from leaking methane gas. (Adobe Stock)

Despite opposition, VA pipeline expansion moves ahead

Despite extensive opposition, the Virginia Reliability Project is moving forward. This month, the state's Marine Resources Commission issued a …

A 2022 Southern Environmental Law Center study found Enviva wood pellet plants in Virginia and North Carolina harvest 60,300 acres of forests per year. Research shows clear-cutting trees at such a magnitude can destroy necessary ecosystems and damage water quality. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Biomass outpaces emissions of other fossil fuels

A new report found woody biomass is worse for the environment than other fossil fuels. The study showed biomass facility emissions are almost three …

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's biennial State of the Bay report gave the bay's overall health a D+, the same grade it received in 2020. (Adobe Stock)

Farm Bill funding impacts Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts

Virginia environmentalists are seeking Farm Bill funding to help Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts. The proposed Chesapeake Bay Conservation …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported 12% of methane emissions stem from leaks in natural gas systems. (Adobe Stock)

New methane safeguards protect VA communities

New methane safeguards can protect communities in Virginia and the U.S. A new rule targets leaks from wells and pipelines, which can emit at least 2.…

Along with flooding, Virginia is experiencing sea level rise. Between 1950 and 2023, the state has seen a 14-inch rise in sea level rise, putting 45,000 homes at risk of tidal flooding. (Adobe Stock)

Wetlands forming on VA surface mines, impacts uncertain

A recent report found wetlands forming on surface mines in Virginia can benefit the state. The wetlands form because surface mining flattens land…

Virginia's Department of Energy is one of nine state and tribal programs to receive funds from Congress for repurposing abandoned mine lands. It was first authorized in 2016, and the state received $10 million in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. (Adobe Stock)

VA group looks at carbon-offset market to help reforest former mines

A Virginia group is working out ways to reforest former mines across Appalachia. The state has several hundred thousand acres of mine land, which …

Based on current environmental impacts, residents of Petersburg have a life expectancy 10 years lower than the national average, according to U.S. News & World Report. (Adobe Stock)

VA environmentalists frustrated by FERC-approved pipeline extension

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan extending a natural-gas pipeline in Virginia. The Virginia Reliability Plan and Transcot's …

In the three decades between 1980 and 2010, Virginia's York River lost more than 20% of marsh area. By 2050, the region is projected to lose 40,000 acres to sea-level rise. (Adobe Stock)

New plan outlines ways to conserve VA’s coastal wetlands

A new plan takes an interconnected approach to saving Virginia's coastal wetlands. The aim of Virginia's York River and Small Coastal Basin …

A 2021 report found Virginia has the potential to create more than 220,000 terawatts of offshore wind energy by 2050. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Dominion Energy plan falls short on renewables

A new report found Dominion Energy's Integrated Resource Plan does not align with Virginia's climate goals. Dominion wants to keep using gas and …

In the last two decades, Virginia has managed to reduce its methane emissions by 58.7%. (Adobe Stock)

VA developing plan for Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

Virginia is determining how to best use its Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. This grant was awarded to numerous states through funds allocated in …

A U.S. Water Alliance poll found 85% of voters find ensuring a reliable supply of water extremely or very important. (Adobe Stock)

Nonprofit seeks to raise awareness for failing water systems

A national group is using today as a national day of action to raise awareness for U.S. water systems. The U.S. Water Alliance is behind the Imagine …

A National Wildlife Federation survey finds 36% of respondents are required by city ordinances or homeowners associations to rake their leaves. Additionally, 14% of those surveyed got rid of 10 bags of leaves per year. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Leave leaves on yards to aid biodiversity

A new study finds the autumn chore of raking leaves could be a disservice to budding plant life. The National Wildlife Federation found fallen leaves …

The National Council for Air and Stream Improvement found while older forests accumulate more carbon than younger ones, a younger forest can remove more carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere than an older forest. (Adobe Stock)

Virginia groups seek old-growth forest protections

Virginia environmental advocates are looking for protections of old-growth forests. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to have …

A 2023 Resources for the Future report noted the state of Virginia established a climate resilience fund in early 2022, using $25 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Chesapeake Climate Action Network)

Environmental Groups File Lawsuit to Keep VA in RGGI

Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to keep Virginia in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In June, Virginia's Air Pollution …

Energy prices across the United States increased 5% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration. Coupled with 8% inflation, ratepayers saw a total 13% increase, the largest growth in electric bills since 1984. (Adobe Stock)

Energy-Efficiency Programs Aid Virginians with High Utility Costs

Growing energy prices have Virginians seeking relief to high utility bills. Earlier this year, Appalachian Power announced its customers will see a $2…

The American Lung Association reported emissions from natural gas and biomass power plants could result in cancer and other health issues, releasing pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide into the air. (Adobe Stock)

VA Environmental Groups Wary of Proposed Gas Power Plant

A proposed Dominion Energy power plant has Virginia environmental groups in an uproar. The Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center would be a gas-…

A pilot program is being developed for Virginia's Security Corridor with the American Forest Program to grow the Family Forest Carbon Program in the region. It would help provide capacity to private landowners to improve carbon sequestration of their forests. (Adobe Stock)

VA Joins Sentinel Landscape Partnership Program

Virginia is the 12th state to join the nationwide Sentinel Landscape Partnership, which has goals of strengthening military readiness while advancing …

Nuclear energy is one part of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's

Experts Concerned about SW Virginia Nuclear Plant Placement

Environmentalists and Southwest Virginia residents are concerned about proposed sites for small modular nuclear reactors. The LENOWISCO Planning …

The Chesapeake Legal Alliance sued in May to challenge the Virginia Marine Resources Commission's standards on menhaden harvesting. The proposed regulations would have pushed these operations away from the shores of Chesapeake Bay in the hopes of preventing net spills. (Adobe Stock)

Industrial Menhaden Operations Harm VA Ecosystems

Virginia fishermen want action to be taken to keep industrial menhaden operations in the state in check. Menhaden are a nutrient-rich fish and a key …

In 2021, transportation was the highest source of greenhouse-gas emissions, accounting for 28% of all emissions in the United States, according to the EPA. (Adobe Stock)

Public Comment for EPA’s EV Standards Concludes

The Environmental Protection Agency's comment period on new electric vehicle standards has ended. New regulations from the agency would phase-in …

En 2021, el transporte fue la mayor fuente de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, representando el 28% de todas las emisiones en los Estados Unidos. (Adobe Stock)

Concluyen comentarios públicos sobre normas de EPA para vehículos eléctricos

El período de comentarios de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental sobre los nuevos estándares para vehículos eléctricos ha fina…

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory finds solar resources make up around 90% of potential renewable energy generation potential on tribal lands in the contiguous 48 states. (Adobe Stock)

Community Solar Focuses on Equity for VA Climate Goals

By Carey L. Biron for Context.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for Virginia News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public …

A 2018 study from The Electricity Journal found the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative had created a $4.7 billion net benefit for consumers and created over 40,000 jobs. (Adobe Stock)

VA Bails on Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Virginia's Air Pollution Control Board has voted to leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI is a cooperative effort among multiple …

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wetlands cover 5.5% of the 48 contiguous states, with one million acres of wetland in Virginia. (Adobe Stock)

SCOTUS Ruling Creates New Definition for Wetlands

Virginia environmental advocates are not happy with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision on the Clean Water Act. The ruling in Sackett versus E-P-…

A 2022 study from the Administration for Community Living found 60% of senior centers are designed to be points of delivery for Older Americans Act programs, like home-delivered or congregate meals, health and wellness programs, caregiver support and adult day care. (Adobe Stock)

VA Senior Center Grows 'Environmental Wellness' Programs

As the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, senior centers in Virginia are welcoming back their participants, and one in particular has shifted some of …

Due to sea level rise, 263,500 jobs and more than $11 billion in wage income across the Chesapeake Bay region will be at risk of 100-year flooding by 2050, according to a new report. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Rising Sea Levels to Impact Chesapeake Bay Region’s Economy

A new report finds rising sea levels in Chesapeake Bay will cost the surrounding regions jobs. The Resources for the Future report finds, in …

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has identified several locations across the state as having forever chemicals at their sites. Some are Fentress Air Base, Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, DuPont Spruance Manufacturing in Richmond. (Adobe Stock)

EPA Issues New Guidance on ‘Forever Chemicals’

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is implementing new rules on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as forever chemicals. The new …

In recent years, Norfolk Southern has kept accidents on a downward trend, according to Federal Railroad Authority data. Since the derailment of freight cars carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, the company has been under a great deal of scrutiny. (Adobe Stock)

VA Environmentalists Disagree with DEQ’s Norfolk Southern Fine

Virginia environmentalists are frustrated by the state Department of Environmental Quality's $27,000 fine of Norfolk Southern for a 2020 train derailm…

According to real estate consulting firm CBRE, Northern Virginia's total data center load in 2021 was 1,688 megawatts, which is equivalent needed to power 1.6 million homes. (Adobe Stock)<br />

VA Carbon Emissions Drop Despite Data Center Growth

By Elizabeth McGowan for Energy News Network.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for Virginia News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism …

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States has sustained a total of 341 climate disasters where the damage was more than $1 billion since 1980. In those four decades, the cost of these events exceeds $2.475 trillion. (Adobe Stock)

UN Preparing Fund to Aid Poorer Nations Facing Climate-Change Impacts

The United Nations is reviewing details for a loss and damage fund to aid poorer countries for the harm they will suffer from climate change's effects…

According to a 2022 report from Generation 180, about 8,400 schools in the United States use solar power. They generate more than 1,600 megawatts of electricity. (Adobe Stock)

Proposed Bill Helps Schools Become Climate Friendly

Proposed legislation would help schools throughout Virginia adopt renewable energy. The bill would direct the Virginia Department of Energy and the …

The top five states for green building in 2022 were Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California and Maryland. Each state had more than 2 million square feet of green building space become LEED certified. (Adobe Stock)

Virginia Ranks Among Top 10 States for Green Building

Virginia ranked eighth on a list of the top 10 states for green building. The report by the U.S. Green Building Council finds Virginia had 95 …

While the 2022 State of the Bay ranks at a 32 or a D+, it's the highest score since the report's inception. When the report first came about in 1998, the bay's health was at a 27. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Chesapeake Bay Needs Further Cleanup

A biennial report found the health of Chesapeake Bay is in poor condition. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's 2022 State of the Bay report gives the …

According to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, there were 255,037 workers in the solar industry across the U.S. in 2021, which represents a 9.2% increase from 2020. (Adobe Stock)

Virginia Nonprofit Offers Training for Solar Jobs

By Elizabeth McGowan for Energy News Network.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for Virginia News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism …

As part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Dominion Energy must generate all electricity from carbon free sources by 2045. (Adobe Stock)

Sierra Club VA Chapter: Lots More Work to Do in 2023

The Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter said it has spent the past year working toward climate solutions to benefit everyone in the state, and the work is …

Tribes from Alaska, Montana, and British Columbia have been adamantly opposed to pollutants flowing into a transboundary waterway between the U.S. and Canada. (Adobe Stock)

U.S. Tribal Leaders Bring Canadian Mine Waste Concerns to D.C.

Tribal leaders from the Northwestern U.S. have been in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss how waste from mines in British Columbia is threatening …

In draft legislation for a Chesapeake National Recreation Area, the National Park Service would be able to acquire land through voluntary donation, purchases from willing sellers, and exchanges or transfers from another agency in consultation with a CNRA Advisory Commission. (Adobe Stock)

Draft Legislation Would Create Chesapeake National Recreation Area

Newly drafted legislation would combine swaths of land in Virginia and Maryland to create the Chesapeake National Recreation Area. Although it's …

NOAA seeks to make it easier for groups and agencies to work towards restoring habitats. (Adobe Stock)

NOAA Brings Focus to Middle Peninsula

Virginia has some of the fastest-eroding coastline in the U.S, so an effort at one federal agency is bringing new focus to the region. Inside the …

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, roughly 2.2 million Americans currently work in the clean-energy sector. (Adobe Stock)

Virginia Elected Officials Call on U.S. Senate to Pass Climate Actions

A coalition of elected officials from Virginia has joined a group of more than 565 elected leaders asking the federal government to accelerate the nat…

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VA: Environment

Expanding solar in VA can provide numerous benefits

VA school districts, parents working to get electric school buses

Transmission upgrades needed to keep U.S. climate goals on track

Report: VA grid manager needs better interconnection process

VA residents oppose proposed Dominion Energy power plant

VA adopts rule to sell only 'clean' cars starting in 2035

VA General Assembly OKs bills to develop small modular nuclear reactors

VA General Assembly nixes menhaden study bill

Environmental groups discourage U.S. use of liquified natural gas

Despite opposition, VA pipeline expansion moves ahead

Report: Biomass outpaces emissions of other fossil fuels

Farm Bill funding impacts Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts

New methane safeguards protect VA communities

Wetlands forming on VA surface mines, impacts uncertain

VA group looks at carbon-offset market to help reforest former mines

VA environmentalists frustrated by FERC-approved pipeline extension

New plan outlines ways to conserve VA’s coastal wetlands

Report: Dominion Energy plan falls short on renewables

VA developing plan for Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

Nonprofit seeks to raise awareness for failing water systems

Report: Leave leaves on yards to aid biodiversity

Virginia groups seek old-growth forest protections

Environmental Groups File Lawsuit to Keep VA in RGGI

Energy-Efficiency Programs Aid Virginians with High Utility Costs

VA Environmental Groups Wary of Proposed Gas Power Plant

VA Joins Sentinel Landscape Partnership Program

Experts Concerned about SW Virginia Nuclear Plant Placement

Industrial Menhaden Operations Harm VA Ecosystems

Public Comment for EPA’s EV Standards Concludes

Concluyen comentarios públicos sobre normas de EPA para vehículos eléctricos

Community Solar Focuses on Equity for VA Climate Goals

VA Bails on Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

SCOTUS Ruling Creates New Definition for Wetlands

VA Senior Center Grows 'Environmental Wellness' Programs

Report: Rising Sea Levels to Impact Chesapeake Bay Region’s Economy

EPA Issues New Guidance on ‘Forever Chemicals’

VA Environmentalists Disagree with DEQ’s Norfolk Southern Fine

VA Carbon Emissions Drop Despite Data Center Growth

UN Preparing Fund to Aid Poorer Nations Facing Climate-Change Impacts

Proposed Bill Helps Schools Become Climate Friendly

Virginia Ranks Among Top 10 States for Green Building

Report: Chesapeake Bay Needs Further Cleanup

Virginia Nonprofit Offers Training for Solar Jobs

Sierra Club VA Chapter: Lots More Work to Do in 2023

U.S. Tribal Leaders Bring Canadian Mine Waste Concerns to D.C.

Draft Legislation Would Create Chesapeake National Recreation Area

NOAA Brings Focus to Middle Peninsula

Virginia Elected Officials Call on U.S. Senate to Pass Climate Actions