Category: Environment
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Weighing the Coal Ash Options
Meeting EPA deadlines constrains Dominion’s options for disposing of coal ash at four of its power stations. Under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules published in 2014, Dominion Virginia Energy must find a way to safely dispose of nearly 30 million tons of coal ash within 15 years. After intense controversy over how best to proceed,…
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Roll Back Rate Freeze, Says Haner
Steve Haner, a frequent contributor to this blog, says it is time for the General Assembly to un-do the freeze on base electric rates in Virginia. A lobbyist representing the Southern Poverty Law Center, Haner lays out the case in a Richmond Times-Dispatch op-ed: Return to the regulatory approach before the 2015 rate freeze, put…
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Solar Projects Progress in Orange, Campbell
Speaking of Dominion Energy Virginia’s commitment to solar (see previous post)… Apco commits to solar… Appalachian Power Co., Virginia’s second largest electric utility, has signed an agreement to purchase electricity from the 15-megawatt Depot Solar Center in Campbell County as part its shift from coal to renewables. The deal represents the utility’s first commitment to…
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What If… Dominion Pursued a Solar+Smart Grid Strategy?
After proposing an end to the freeze on base electricity rates and a reinvestment of excess profits into modernization of the electric grid, Dominion Energy Virginia has produced an ad touting renewable energy and the smart grid. What if more of the energy we used came from renewable resources? What if the electric grid…
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Water Board Gives Atlantic Coast Pipeline Conditional Approval
In a 4 to 3 vote, the State Water Control Board gave a provisional water-quality certification for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline today, but added a big condition reports WHSV television: The permit won’t take effect until several additional studies are reviewed and approved by the Department of Environmental Quality. Dominion Energy, managing partner of the ACP, is…
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ACP Foes, Supporters Contend in ACP Environmental Hearing
After issuing a water-quality certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline last week, the State Water Control Board held a public hearing today to consider a comparable certification for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Public comment this morning tended to focus on the question of whether new Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) rules designed to cover…
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Atlantic Coast Pipeline Inks Labor Contracts
Now that the State Water Control Board has approved water-quality permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), the odds look exceedingly good that the board will approve comparable permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) as well. Indeed, state regulatory approval looks like such a lock that the ACP has signed project labor agreements with four…
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Follow the Dark Money
Yes, it’s a legitimate story when Dominion spend big bucks supporting grassroots groups that favor the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Why isn’t it also a story when out-of-state billionaires underwrite pipeline foes? We learn from the Washington Post today how Dominion Energy, its partners in the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and the American Gas Association poured resources…
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Eco-Districts as Competitive Advantage for Edge Cities
Speaking at a TedxTysons conference, my friend Dan Slone describes his vision for eco-districts in edge cities. Eco-districts integrate urban farming, renewable energy, microgrids, water recycling and even wildlife habitat with a walkable, mixed-use built environment to create resiliency and business continuity in the face of natural disasters and social upheaval.
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Air Board Approves Carbon Caps for Electric Utilities
The Virginia Air Pollution Board unanimously approved today regulations to reduce carbon from electric utilities by 30% between 2020 and 2030. The rule also will link Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which will allow Virginia utilities to swap carbon allowances with power companies in other states. The vote “will make this Commonwealth…
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Virginia Could Get Its Own Clean Power Plan
Terry McAuliffe’s days as governor of Virginia are rapidly drawing to a close, but proposed carbon-dioxide regulations working through the administrative process could prove to be his most lasting legacy. If adopted, the rule would cap carbon emissions at large power plants in 2020 and then require 3% reductions annually for 10 years, reports the…
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Dominion Announces Intention to Renew North Anna Nukes
Dominion Energy Virginia has informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of its intention to file for licenses to operate two nuclear units at its North Anna Power Station in Louisa County for another 20 years. North Anna One began commercial service in 1978, North Anna Two in 1980. Originally licensed to operate for 40 years,…
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Another Arcane Obstacle to Solar Power
Some of the barriers to solar energy in Virginia are tucked away in the bowels of state government and the byzantine rules by which it operates. One obstacle, since resolved, was a state rule granting solar projects an 80% tax exemption from property taxes under the guise of pollution control equipment. One would think the…
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Virginia Air Getting Cleaner
Good news is hard to find these days, so let’s celebrate what crumbs we can find: Virginia’s air is the cleanest it has been in years, the Department of Environmental Quality has announced. States the press release: For years now, the trend for air quality in Virginia has been one of steady improvement. Pollutants such…
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Rocky Forge Wind Project Stalled: No Buyer for Its Electricity
The developer of what could be Virginia’s first commercial wind farm has lined up all the regulatory permits it needs, but it hasn’t started site work yet because it can’t find a buyer for the electricity. Apex Energy will not start construction by the end of this year, as planned, on the Rocky Forge project…