For Immediate Release:
Friday, March 1, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the State Water Control Board voted not to move forward with revoking permits it had issued allowing construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Southwest Virginia, after voting in December to begin that process following hundreds of environmental violations by the pipeline developer.

In response to today’s vote, Lee Francis, deputy director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, offered the following statement:

“The evidence is overwhelming that Mountain Valley Pipeline is a bad actor, that construction of this pipeline has hurt local waterways and our environment, and that the Water Control Board has the authority to put its foot down and stop further harm. In refusing to exercise that authority, state regulators have put clean water and people in the path of this pipeline further in harm’s way. This is truly a step in the wrong direction for our environment and for citizens’ health and safety.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – The Virginia League of Conservation Voters today released the Virginia congressional delegation’s scores in the League of Conservation Voters’ 2018 National Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress, and is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org.

“Virginia’s House delegation looks very different today than it did in 2018 and for good reason: you can’t continuously vote against clean air, clean water and climate action and expect to keep your job in Congress – Virginia voters simply demand more,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “We applaud all of the environmental champions who pushed back against the Trump administration’s reckless, anti-environmental agenda and voted against the worst assaults on conservation. With a pro-climate congressional delegation now in place in Virginia, we look forward to the 2019 Scorecard telling a very different story.”

The 2018 Scorecard measures votes cast during the second session of the 115th Congress. In Virginia, four House members earned a score of 80 percent or greater and both U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine earned perfect scores of 100 percent, while six House members received subpar scores of 10 percent or less.

The average House score for Virginia was 36 percent and the average score across Virginia’s congressional delegation as a whole was 68 percent.

The full delegation’s scores for 2018 are:

United States Senate

Name	Party	2018 Score	Lifetime Score
Tim Kaine	D	100	95
Mark Warner	D	100	87

 

 

 

 

United States House of Representatives

Name	Party	District	2018 Score	Lifetime Score
Rob Wittman	R	1	6	11
Scott Taylor	R	2	9	7
Bobby Scott	D	3	94	91
Don McEachin	D	4	86	87
Tom Garrett	R	5	9	6
Bob Goodlatte	R	6	0	6
Dave Brat	R	7	0	1
Don Beyer	D	8	86	96
Morgan Griffith	R	9	3	5
Barbara Comstock	R	10	14	7
Gerry Connolly	D	11	94	97

The 2018 National Environmental Scorecard reveals that, once again, the extreme pro-polluter Republican leadership drove their caucuses to an abysmal average score of 8 percent in both chambers of Congress. In stark contrast, Senate Democrats and the Independents who caucus with them earned an average score of 95 percent, and House Democrats earned an average score of 90 percent.

“After eight years of the most anti-environmental U.S. House ever and two years of relentless attacks on the environment from the Trump administration, the tectonic shift to a pro-environment majority in the people’s House comes not a moment too soon. We could not be more excited to work with the new pro-environment House majority to protect our air, water, lands, and wildlife, combat the climate crisis, and hold the Trump administration accountable,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld.

The 2018 Scorecard includes 35 House votes that span the chamber’s assaults on clean air and water, lands and wildlife protections, investments in clean energy and so much more. In the Senate, the majority of the 14 votes scored are confirmation votes on Trump’s anti-environmental nominees.

LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from about 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored.

LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs. The votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Friday, Feb. 15, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the House of Delegates voted 93-2 in support of Senate Bill 1355, which will require Dominion Energy to clean up the 28 million tons of toxic coal ash waste stored at four power plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Senate on Thursday passed the identical House Bill 2786 in a vote of 38-2.

In response to today’s final passage of SB 1355, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, offered the following statement:

“Today’s vote is a huge victory for clean water. After years of debate and study, lawmakers came up with a final coal ash solution that protects our water from heavy metals and carcinogens and ensures we no longer have to live with a toxic threat on the banks of our rivers.

We sincerely thank the patrons of this legislation – Senators Scott Surovell, who has championed this issue year after year at the General Assembly, Rosalyn Dance, Amanda Chase and Frank Wagner, and Delegates Jennifer Carroll Foy, Riley Ingram, Terry Kilgore, Tony Wilt and Danny Marshall – for their leadership in addressing one of Virginia’s largest and most complex environmental issues.

This type of bipartisan, landmark legislation is rare and shows that despite political differences, Virginia lawmakers can still come together to do the right thing for the commonwealth’s environment, public health, and wellbeing.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Friday, Feb. 8, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – In response to a second, serious, and we believe credible, allegation of sexual assault against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:

“The allegations against Justin Fairfax are deeply troubling and appalling. We believe these accusations make it impossible for Mr. Fairfax to meet the demands of the office of Lieutenant Governor and disqualify him to hold office in Virginia. We call on Fairfax to immediately resign the office of Lieutenant Governor.

As an organization committed to the health and safety of all people, we also believe it is important to take allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously. Virginia LCV condemns sexual harassment and sexual violence of any kind and we believe that, like all survivors, these women deserve to be respected and heard through a fair, thorough and safe process that allows their full stories to be told.”

Anyone affected by sexual assault, whether it happened to you or someone you care about, can find support on the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE). You can also visit online.rainn.org to receive support via confidential online chat.

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, Governor Northam, alongside a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from both chambers, announced consensus legislation to comprehensively address Virginia’s toxic coal ash problem in a way that protects clean water and minimizes impacts to ratepayers and adjoining communities.

The legislation requires all of the nearly 30 million tons of coal ash stored in the Bay watershed at Dominion Energy power plants to be removed from unlined, leaking ponds and transferred to a modern, lined landfill or recycled – the only approaches guaranteed to safeguard clean water going forward.

In response to today’s announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, offered the following statement:

“This is an important, historic step forward for clean water. One of Virginia’s largest environmental threats will now be addressed in a comprehensive way that gets this toxic waste off our riverbanks once and for all and safeguards public health in the long-term.

Responsible coal ash cleanup has been a top priority of Virginia LCV over the past several years, and we’ve seen steady progress. However, 2019 was the year we needed a final, safe coal ash solution and lawmakers and the Northam Administration delivered.

We are grateful for the Governor’s leadership on this issue as well as the dogged efforts of lawmakers at the General Assembly, including Senators Scott Surovell, Amanda Chase, and Rosalyn Dance, and Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy. We look forward to helping get this consensus legislation across the finish line at the General Assembly and signed into law.”

 

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the State Air Pollution Control Board voted 4-0 to approve an air permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s Buckingham Compressor Station. The vote brings to an end a highly controversial and tumultuous process, marked by the removal in November of two dissenting board members in the middle of an important regulatory decision, who voiced concerns about the Buckingham Compressor Station’s disproportionate impact on the majority African-American community of Union Hill.

In response to today’s vote, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, offered the following statement:

“We are disappointed in today’s outcome. This flawed process has exposed the evil-handed tactics Dominion Energy will employ and the communities they are willing to destroy to secure billions of dollars in profits. We stand with the Virginians who demand leadership from our elected officials to hold this corrupt electric monopoly accountable.

Dominion’s compressor station continues to present a significant and toxic threat that will fall unfairly on the people of Union Hill, and marks perhaps the electric monopoly’s most egregious disenfranchisement of any impacted community along the route of their unnecessary and destructive pipeline.

But an important fact remains: though Dominion has a permit in hand for the compressor station, their flawed Atlantic Coast Pipeline does not currently have any way to connect to Buckingham. At every turn, this pipeline has failed to pass legal muster, and while Dominion might be able to game a regulatory process, they can’t game the judiciary.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, the Air Pollution Control Board voted 3-1 to allow another round of public comment on Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s proposed Buckingham Compressor Station, which if built, would disproportionately impact the historic African American community of Union Hill. The new comment period will allow concerned citizens to weigh in on new information that came to light following the board’s contentious November hearing.

In response, Michael Town, executive director of Virginia LCV, issued the following statement:

“While we had held out hope the citizens of Union Hill would be celebrating the defeat of Dominion’s compressor station today, the Air Board’s decision to hear more public input on a project with such clear environmental justice impacts is a positive step forward in this fight.

Time after time, Dominion has put its profits before people. No example is more glaring than the electric monopoly’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which isn’t needed and will destroy our environment and communities’ way of life along the route for the benefit of Dominion shareholders.

With traction behind this project slipping, Dominion is no doubt already scheming ahead to a ‘Plan B.’ But the days where this corrupt utility can ram through policies and projects that hurt Virginians and our environment are numbered – it’s time for them to see the writing on the wall, and my hope is the Air Board’s final vote on this project will make that painfully clear.”

 

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Monday, Dec. 17, 2018

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

RICHMOND – Today, in response to a new report indicating that the average Dominion Energy ratepayer pays approximately $250 a year in unnecessary electricity costs, Dominion Energy attempted to invalidate the authors of the report and mentioned the Virginia League of Conservation Voters in doing so.

In response, Michael Town, executive director of Virginia LCV, issued the following statement:

“Virginia LCV is confused as to why Dominion Energy felt it necessary to invoke our organization in their recent press release.

Clean Virginia and Virginia LCV may have different missions; however, both of our organizations recognize that Dominion, for decades, has taken advantage, manipulated, and abused the political and legislative processes that regulate their activities.

Both of our organizations agree that this needs to end and Clean Virginia’s report accurately highlights the burden that Dominion’s greed and corrupt dealings places on Virginia households.

It makes sense that Dominion Energy is lashing out at environmental groups following a couple weeks where nothing has really gone their way. Dominion’s business model breeds corruption – they have a monopoly on electricity and will do whatever it takes to keep it, whether that’s bullying the opposition, waving cash at lawmakers, or funding multi-million dollar green-washing campaigns to convince their captive ratepayers they’re doing the right thing.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018

Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

 

VIRGINIA BEACH – Today, Governor Northam announced historic funding commitments aimed at safeguarding Virginia’s land and water resources and ensuring the Commonwealth meets its Chesapeake Bay recovery targets.

This funding goes, in part, to increasing “Best Management Practices” cost-sharing used to help farmers protect local streams from agricultural runoff; increasing monies available to the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund; boosting funding for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation; and returning much-needed staff back to the under-funded Department of Environmental Quality.

In response to today’s news, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:

“Today, Governor Northam made a historic commitment to protect Virginia’s land and water resources, which we believe will pay even huger dividends for our environment, for citizens’ quality of life, and to our economy going forward. Voters across Virginia support clean water, clean air, and protecting important land resources; however, funding for key environmental programs has for years not kept pace with public demand.

These investments are a clear signal from Governor Northam that conservation will remain a priority of his administration going forward, and a necessary down payment to meet his goals of increasing natural resources funding to 2 percent of the general fund. It is now up to the General Assembly to do the right thing for conservation, our economy, and for Virginians in every corner of the commonwealth by fully funding Northam’s blueprint for clearer water, protected lands and a healthier environment.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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