For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018

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

RICHMOND – Today, the House Committee on Commerce and Labor advanced a measure (Senate Bill 966) that will greatly expand energy efficiency and renewable energy in Virginia, return our electric utilities to regulatory oversight, and shield consumers from inflated costs going forward while also giving them an upfront refund due from the 2015 rate freeze.

SB 966 from Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) is now headed to the full House for consideration.

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

“Heading into this year’s General Assembly, one thing was clear: the 2015 rate freeze was harming the public and holding back significant progress on the environment. At the outset of the debate on how to repeal this measure and replace it with something better, we said the legislation needed to do three things: give ratepayers back the money they were owed, grow renewable energy and energy efficiency, and return utilities to regulatory oversight. This bill accomplishes these goals and goes even further. It is not perfect – no compromise is – but the transformational changes this bill lays out will secure Virginia’s clean energy future while making meaningful regulatory reforms and protecting consumers from paying more than they should to power their daily lives.”

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. 7, 2018

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

RICHMOND – Today, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor advanced a measure (Senate Bill 807) that extends the current moratorium on coal ash closure for another year, solicits a request for proposals for a coal ash recycling facility, and orders a legislative study to determine best steps moving forward.

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

“Today’s outcome was a step in the right direction for clean water in Virginia, but obviously more work remains to be done to secure a final outcome that fully protects citizens’ drinking water from toxic coal ash. We don’t get a second chance to close these facilities, and it’s important we do it the right way the first time. I am optimistic that we can get this done in a way that secures our long-term safety and keeps the millions of tons of toxic coal ash currently lining riverbanks in Virginia from putting us further in harm’s way.”

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. 25, 2018

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

RICHMOND – Today, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources voted 8-7 to kill Senate Bill 696, which would have allowed Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state cap-and-trade program that would have steered as much as $200 million back to the commonwealth.

The bill directed revenues from the sale of carbon allowances in the RGGI marketplace toward flooding resiliency, energy efficiency and clean energy projects, agricultural best management practices, and economic development efforts in southwest Virginia.

“Today, lawmakers unfortunately voted along party lines not to take action to protect our coastline, grow our clean energy sector, secure much-needed funding to help farmers clean the Bay, and give the coalfields the boost they desperately need,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “Climate change isn’t going away by itself, which is why we need strong action today, not tomorrow. Fortunately, Governor Northam has made acting on climate a priority and we will work with his administration to make progress on cutting carbon and advancing clean energy for the good of public health and our economy, even when the legislature refuses to.”

SB 696’s bipartisan House companion, House Bill 1273, has been referred to a House Commerce and Labor subcommittee but has not yet been scheduled for a vote.

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, Jan. 15, 2018

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

 

RICHMOND – In response to today’s address to the Joint Assembly by Governor Ralph Northam, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:

“Tonight, in his first address to the Joint Assembly, and only two days into his term, Ralph Northam laid out a bold plan to tackle climate change and grow our state’s clean energy economy. It’s clear that addressing the growing climate crisis is chief among Governor Northam’s priorities, as it should be – things will only get worse, and future generations of Virginians will pay the price if we don’t take serious action now.

“On Nov. 7, voters across the state overwhelming chose the steady hand of Northam to lead Virginia forward and to be our state’s chief problem solver. The clean energy agenda he’s laid only a couple days into the job is ambitious and we all have a lot of work to do over the next four years to see it through. But, come 2022 my prediction is we will have done the heavy lifting necessary to cement Virginia’s place as a leader, nationally, in addressing the most serious environmental threat we’ve ever faced.”

 

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.

 

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018

Contacts:
Lee Francis | Communications Manager
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org

Nancy Sorrells | Co-Chair
Augusta County Alliance
(540) 292-4170 | info@augustacountyalliance.org

Claudine McElwain | Program Communications Manager
Southern Environmental Law Center
(434) 977-4090 | cmcelwain@selcva.org

Harrison Wallace | Virginia Policy Coordinator and Coastal Campaign Manager
CCAN Action Fund
(804) 305-1472 | harrison@chesapeakeclimate.org

Bills would eliminate unnecessary gas infrastructure, require DEQ to perform robust water permitting, impact review process

RICHMOND – Today, Delegates Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) and Chris Hurst (D-Blacksburg) along with State Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke) announced legislation aimed at strengthening Virginia’s oversight of interstate natural gas pipelines.

The suite of bills (HB 1187 and 1188 from Hurst; HB 1141 and 1294 from Rasoul; SB 324 from Edwards) protect landowners’ property rights from gas companies; prevent the Department of Environmental Quality from waiving any water permitting authority and require the agency to review construction in upland areas and in karst terrain, while also ensuring adequate erosion and sediment control measures; and require bonding for pipeline builders to provide financial compensation in the event of adverse impacts to our environment.

“The process that has unfolded over the past year exposed obvious flaws in Virginia’s current process to review and approve pipeline projects,” said Nancy Sorrells, co-chair of the Augusta County Alliance. “These necessary reforms add the layer of accountability we need to safeguard our water resources, property rights and the environment.”

“These pieces of legislation will go a long way towards protecting Virginians from the costs and environmental harm of unnecessary pipelines. We thank Delegates Rasoul and Hurst and Senator Edwards for doing the important work of holding Dominion and other pipeline developers accountable for projects that are costly, threaten private property, are unnecessary and could lock Virginians into decades of reliance on fossil fuel,” said Greg Buppert, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

“Corporations should not be able to seize private land, build unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure, charge us for it, and contaminate our drinking water in the process,” said Lee Francis, Communications Manager for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “We applaud the bills’ patrons for their leadership and urge the legislature to do the right thing for countless Virginians in the path of pipeline projects by supporting these bills.”

“The impacts of the interstate pipeline projects proposed in Virginia will be immense, and without safeguards like those proposed today, Virginians will be in harm’s way,” said Harrison Wallace, Virginia Policy Coordinator and Coastal Campaign Manager, CCAN Action Fund. “We don’t get a second chance to get this right. Now’s the time for the legislature to put citizens’ health and safety above corporate interests.”

The Mountain Valley Pipeline, proposed in southwest Virginia by EQT Midstream Partners, and Dominion Resources’ Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which will cross 10 counties in the heart of the commonwealth, stand to disrupt a combined 443 miles of Virginia farmland, mountain peaks, and virgin forests, as well as countless streams, springs, rivers and wetlands.

In December, the State Water Control Board gave conditional approval to the Mountain Valley Pipeline pending further information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and required further information from Dominion before allowing its Atlantic Coast Pipeline to proceed.

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For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017

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

 

RICHMOND – Today, after two days of hearing strong opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the State Water Control Board approved the necessary water quality permits allowing the project to move forward.

In response, Lee Francis, communications manager for Virginia LCV, offered the following statement:

“Today’s vote marks a sad day for Virginia’s environment. When big corporations win out over the interests of landowners, farmers, concerned citizens and conservation advocates alike, we all lose. To anyone that looked into the water permits this board just approved, it was painfully clear they fell woefully short of actually protecting water quality. Make no mistake about it; if this project moves forward, people will suffer.

“Those who have been on the front lines of this fight deserve recognition and should continue making their voices heard. This process is far from over. The incoming administration still has a chance to make this right by ensuring regulators use every tool in their toolbox to hold this project to the highest environmental standards possible, instead of abdicating their authority. Fighting this project and the even more devastating Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be a top legislative priority as we head into the 2018 General Assembly.”

 

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, Dec. 1, 2017

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

RICHMOND – Today, Dominion Energy released site-by-site assessments of its coal ash impoundments, as required by legislation from the 2017 General Assembly that also prevented final closure of these facilities until May 2018. The lengthy report essentially attempts to validate Dominion’s earlier plans to cap coal ash waste in place at multiple sites in Virginia.

Coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal to general electricity, contains harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and other severe health problems. Currently, caches of this carcinogenic material are being stored in Virginia on the banks of the James River, Elizabeth River, and a main tributary to the Potomac River. In some cases, this waste is being stored in unlined pits that predate environmental regulations, which can leach harmful waste into waters we depend on as drinking sources and for recreational purposes.

“Virginia LCV remains committed to ensuring the safest possible outcome for clean water and public health during the closure process, and chief among our legislative priorities heading into the 2018 General Assembly is fighting for strong solutions to this toxic threat,” said Trieste Lockwood, government affairs manager for Virginia LCV. “We don’t get a second chance to do this the right way, and the risks to waterways and our economy could be catastrophic if we get it wrong. This is why legislators asked for more information in 2017 and why they should support the best possible solutions to Virginia’s coal ash problem in 2018.”

Following massive environmental disasters in Tennessee (2008) and across the Virginia border in North Carolina (2014), where coal ponds failed, sending millions of gallons of coal ash slurry into nearby waterways, the Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 required utilities to begin draining and closing these facilities. EPA, however, gave utilities a range of options to do so, including a “cap-in-place” approach, which allows utilities to bury coal ash waste in place, an approach that doesn’t fully remove this toxic threat to clean water but one clearly sought by Dominion Energy.

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, Nov. 7, 2017

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

FAIRFAX – Today, Virginia voters elected Justin Fairfax to serve as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.

Fairfax garnered the endorsement of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters due to his commitment to expanding clean energy and addressing climate change, protecting Virginia’s clean water resources, and safeguarding open spaces across the commonwealth. As lieutenant governor, Fairfax will be able to break ties in the State Senate and is next in line to the Governor’s Mansion.

“Voters across Virginia made the right choice today by choosing Justin Fairfax to be our state’s next lieutenant governor,” said Michael Town, executive director of Virginia LCV. “Throughout this election, he was the clear choice for the environment, emphasizing the need to protect our clean air and water and build Virginia’s clean energy economy. We’d like to congratulate Lieutenant Governor-elect Fairfax on a well-deserved victory and look forward to working with him to continue making progress for the commonwealth for years to come.”

Virginia LCV’s electoral arm, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Political Action Committee, invested more than $4 million in the 2017 election cycle, overall, the most in the organization’s history, including an extensive ground campaign that knocked on upwards of 350,000 doors to both persuade undecided voters and turn voters out on Election Day. More information on Virginia LCV PAC’s electoral efforts is available here.

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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