Tag: climate change
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Statewide environmental news roundup – March 2023
Governor Youngkin signed several energy bills—focused on nuclear, methane, gas, and coal—announcing on March 23 his delivery “ on his All-American All-Of-The-Above Energy Plan Priorities”. Not everyone agrees with the plan or the priorities. The governor remains committed to his “quest to put [the] nation’s first commercial small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia.”
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Statewide environmental news roundup – Dec. 2022
“Virginia … [began its] official withdrawal [via the regulatory process] from [the] regional carbon market [known as RGGI, although] debates over legality of [the Youngkin administration’s and the Air Quality Control Board’s] move persist.”
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Statewide environmental news roundup – Nov. 2022
The Governor “wants Virginia to be the first state to commercialize [small nuclear reactors, SMRs]”; he wants one located in Southwest Virginia. This technology hasn’t been developed on a large-scale. The Governor said recycling nuclear waste will be a priority. He also said Southwest Virginia could become an “energy epicenter” for the state, the US, and world. An Environment and Energy reporter explained what an SMR is.
Statewide environmental news roundup – October 2022 (Part I)
Amherst County joins other Virginia school systems deploying its first electric school buses. Currently, “Virginia is required to follow California EV standard, [and automobile] dealers … [are preparing] for [an] electric future.” “California ban on gas-powered vehicles [by 2035] highlights EV challenges, including affordability.”
Statewide environmental news roundup – September 2022
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) recently approved Dominion’s offshore wind project, with the caveat that Dominion needs to achieve the projected capacity of 42% of the “stated 2,600 megawatts of output.” There have been a number of articles and opinions about the fact that the SCC’s approval was a foregone conclusion because of the authorizing legislation, about the costs and risks to ratepayers, about data that has remained hidden, and about the benefits the project will bring.
Local climate activists say measure in Congress is a start, but fossil fuel provisions concern them
Environmental activists gathered Tuesday in Court Square to call on President Biden to commit to steps beyond the sweeping energy-related measure moving through Congress. That included calling on the president to declare a climate emergency.
Statewide environmental news roundup – April 2022
The 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act required the state’s utilities to move aggressively into the renewable energy arena. Virginia Business reports that “Virginia’s largest electric utilities [Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power] are deploying an array of technologies as they decarbonize, digitalize and decentralize their power grids to meet the state’s and their own clean energy goals.” An SCC hearing examiner will issue a decision on Appalachian Power’s proposals “pretty quickly.” The projected costs of the utilities’ plans are raising concerns.
