My name is Ellie Toler, and I’m a second year student at the University of Virginia, studying Global Sustainability and Public Policy. I’ve been interning with Wild Virginia throughout the past academic year, and I’m incredibly grateful for this experience, as it has impacted me both personally and professionally in a number of ways, and… Read more
Wild Virginia’s ongoing fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline has showcased a key feature of the Clean Water Act: cooperative federalism. This legal principle supports the statute’s regulatory and enforcement structure, establishing a framework founded on “collaboration between the federal and state governments to achieve a common goal.” Specifically, to restore and maintain the… Read more
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is three years behind schedule, three billion dollars over budget, has crushing legal and regulatory challenges, and no competition date in sight. The project has major hurdles to overcome in order to be completed. NextEra Energy, a company with nearly one-third partnership in MVP states, “The continued legal and regulatory challenges… Read more
Photos and Text by Lori A Cash | February 05, 2022 Lori Cash is a partner photographer with Wild Virginia and generously donates her images to us. Imagine yourself driving along a dark highway at night. Suddenly, you see movement right in front of you on the road. An adult deer starts walking across the… Read more
Tune in to this podcast episode of Wild Virginia Virtual Coffee Talk, where BJ Lark, activist and talented vocalist, talks about her work in the environmental justice movement and what inspires her to keep fighting for equity through art. Bernadette “BJ” Lark is an activist with over 35 years of experience as an artist, vocalist,… Read more
Tune in to this podcast episode of Wild Virginia Virtual Coffee Talk, where Brie Hashem, Director of Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, talks about wildlife rescue work and the importance of crossings for wildlife in Virginia. The Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to rescue, rehabilitate, and release native wildlife in Central Virginia. The… Read more
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (“CWA” or “the Act”), the key federal law protecting water quality throughout the United States. Our CWA50 blog series celebrates this milestone by offering opportunities to learn about the CWA as well as highlighting occasions to participate in environmental action. Excitingly, you have an… Read more
A Water Control Board Approval on MVP is Not the End of the Story! Many of you will have heard the unfortunate news that the Virginia State Water Control Board voted 3 to 2 to approve a proposal for Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to cut and blast through hundreds of our valuable waters. MVP still… Read more
Our Clean Water Act (CWA50) blog series continues with a short overview of one of the Clean Water Act’s most powerful enforcement mechanisms: the citizen suit provision. Clean Water Act History Under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), the states, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and citizens all have enforcement authority. This novel environmental enforcement framework… Read more
Wildlife crossing structures help to connect habitats, providing animals with safe passages they can use to avoid heavily trafficked roads and highways. On November 5th, 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which contains $350 million in federal funding for a “Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program” to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. The new legislation creates… Read more