Wild Virginia is excited to announce that the new website for Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance’s (ABRA) Compliance Surveillance Initiative (CSI) program is up and running! The purpose of the CSI is “to support citizen efforts to ensure strict application of environmental laws and regulations in the event the pipeline goes forward.” Wild Virginia is a proud… Read more
Attorneys representing 10 local, state, and regional organizations sent a letter today to the members of the State Water Control Board, urging the Board quickly start a process to revoke the water quality certification issued for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). At the same time, the attorneys strongly urge the Board to use enforcement tools… Read more
In response to requests for documents about meetings and deliberations that may relate to Dominion Energy’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Governor’s office has supplied some records but has withheld other, crucial information. When faced with a choice between open government and concealment, Governor Northam made the wrong choice, relying on state law provisions that… Read more
Wild Virginia sent letters to the office of Governor Ralph Northam on November 21, 2018 asking for public records related to two vital issues in the State of Virginia’s actions to regulate the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley pipeline projects. First, we asked for any documents describing a private meeting between Thomas Ferrell,… Read more
by Sierra Gladfelter As we turn onto the dirt lane leading to Spruce Creek Camp-Out up the hill, we run into a small group of folks walking down the road. My husband and I have driven out to Nelson County to join the last of three weekend campouts in October organized by activists on land… Read more
by Megan Mason Dister In early October David Sligh, Wild Virginia’s conservation director, went up in the air with SouthWings to view the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and observe the construction currently being done. SouthWings is a non-profit that works for the protection and preservation of the environment through flying over natural… Read more
by Steven David Johnson I first became aware of the Rusty Patched Bumblebee through the enthusiastic advocacy of my good friend, conservation photographer Clay Bolt. Clay has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the decline of this species through photography, film and even testimony before Congress. As a Virginia resident, I was excited to learn… Read more
Morgan Kurst, University of Virginia Forest Conservation as Climate Protection The recent report Forest Defense is Climate Defense from Oregon Wild links the practice of logging forests with greenhouse carbon emissions. According to the report, logging old-growth forests releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, and planting new trees after logging still creates “carbon debt.” It… Read more
by Megan Mason Dister Have you seen a more beautiful bee? This amazing bee, known as the rusty patched bumble bee (RPB) is unfortunately federally endangered. On October 15, 2018, Wild Virginia’s David Sligh filed public comment to express concerns about how this bee will be effected by the Forest Service’s Duncan Knob Gypsy Moth Proposal. These… Read more
Comment period ends October 15, 2018 On September 13, 2018, the United States Forest Service published two advanced notices of proposed rulemakings (referred to as ANPRMs). The notices aim to streamline regulations regarding the exploration and development of oil, gas, and locatable minerals in national forests and grasslands. Locatable minerals are recognized as a mineral… Read more