Category: Environment
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Making NIT More Productive, More Resilient
by James A. Bacon For the millions of Virginians living above the fall line, the struggle that Hampton Roads has with rising sea levels and increasing flooding may seem remote and far away. Why should we care? After all, does anybody in Hampton Roads give a hoot about our problems? Kit Chope, vice president of sustainability for…
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Why Is Virginia a “Dark State” for Solar Power?
by Erik Curren Around America, there’s a boom in solar energy. More solar power generation was installed in 2015 than ever before and 2016 could be even better, doubling in U.S. solar capacity. Although solar still provides less than one percent of America’s total electricity, it’s the fastest growing source of new energy since shale…
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Sweet Perks Paid to GMU Climate Change Prof
by James A. Bacon In addition to collecting pay from George Mason University and the federally funded, non-profit Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES), climate scientist Jagadish Shukla also enjoyed some perks not normally due university professors. IGES would pay for business-class airline travel, expenses for Shukla’s wife to accompany him on some IGES-related travel, and…
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Dominion Still Facing Opposition on Possum Point Coal Ash Plan
As a follow up to my reporting yesterday… Dominion Virginia Power may have settled disagreements with some foes of its coal-ash disposal plans, but it still will have the state of Maryland to contend with. Prince William County withdrew its appeal of the wastewater discharge permit from Dominion’s Possum Point power station in exchange for…
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Dominion, James River Association Reach Understanding on Coal Ash
by James A. Bacon Dominion Virginia Power has reached a settlement with the James River Association regarding the discharge of treated coal-ash wastewater into the James River, and the river-keeper group, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, has agreed not to appeal Dominion’s wastewater permit approved last month. For the most part, the agreement…
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Did Shukla Fudge His Conflict-of-Interest Waiver Form?
by James A. Bacon George Mason University climatology professor Jagadish Shukla obtained a waiver from the university’s conflict-of-interest committee for payments received from the federally funded Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES) in addition to his full-time faculty salary, according to Freedom of Information Act documents acquired by Bacon’s Rebellion. In his waiver request, Shukla revealed that…
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Drinkable Water for Humans — or Fish?
by James A. Bacon State regulators have taken heat recently for permits they issued Dominion Virginia Power to release treated wastewater from coal-ash ponds into the James River and Quantico Creek. The controversy has played out in the news as the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed an appeal to contest the permit and as protesters organized by No…
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More Questions than Answers on Coal-Ash Waste Water Discharges
by James A. Bacon A crowd estimated at 2oo strong by the Richmond Times-Dispatch (and 700 by the protesters themselves) gathered at the state Capitol grounds Saturday to denounce the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for granting Dominion Virginia Power permits to discharge treated coal-ash waste water into Quantico Creek and the James River. Chanting “Coal…
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Econometric Studies at Fifty Paces!
by James A. Bacon From the perspective of theoretical economics, the debate over the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is getting quite interesting: To what extent do natural gas pipelines diminish the value of property they cross? A coalition of five community groups opposed to the pipeline contend that landowners along the proposed route will lose up…
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Navigating the Clean Power Plan Maze
by James A. Bacon Stakeholders in Virginia’s electric grid got a close-up look last week at the wild and woolly world of Clean Power Plan regulation. One of the few things that can be said for certain is that the plan will make a complex industry even more complicated. To make an informed decision about how to proceed,…
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How Clean Is Clean Enough?
Regulations for cleaning up Virginia’s coal ash ponds are much stricter — and more expensive –than the old rules. But do the new standards do enough to protect water quality? by James A. Bacon Two years ago, few Virginians had any idea that coal ash posed a threat to the environment. Then in February 2014…
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Clean Power Plan Stalled, Green Energy Still Viable
by James A. Bacon The U.S. Supreme Court has halted implementation of the Clean Power Plan until challenges to its constitutionality can be resolved, creating uncertainty at the state level, including here in Virginia, on how to proceed. The high court gave no explanation for its stay, but foes of the plan, which would compel electric power…
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Domenech Claims about Clean Power Plan Detract from Serious Debate
by James A. Bacon There is a principled conservative-libertarian argument to be made against the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which would compel Virginia’s electric utilities to cut CO2 emissions by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030. Unfortunately, Doug Domenech, Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources during the McDonnell administration, didn’t make it in a Sunday…
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Curse Thee, Demon Smart Meter!
Smart meters could be a key contributor to America’s evolution to an energy-efficient future. The devices measure gas and electricity consumption, helping consumers reduce energy consumption, save money and reduce the CO2 emissions implicated in global warming. The widespread use of smart meters could enable power companies to offer incentives for consumers to shift their electricity…
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Gas Worse Carbon Polluter than Coal, Says Sierra Club
by James A. Bacon The Sierra Club has attacked the idea of natural gas as a “clean fuel” in a new broadside against the proposed construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) through Virginia. When viewed over the “natural gas fuel cycle” — including production, transportation and combustion — natural…