Category: Environment
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SCC Says Dominion Must Seek Third-Party Solar Alternatives
The State Corporation Commission has nixed Dominion Virginia Power’s proposal to construct a 20-megawatt solar projects near its Remington Power Station in Fauquier County, stating that the power company must first see third-party alternatives. In its final order, the Commission said, “As a ‘small renewable’ solar project, the Remington Solar Facility is one type of…
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Environmentalist Update on Offshore Wind
by James A. Bacon Judging from comments made in a Environment Virginia-sponsored webinar held this morning, environmentalists, the McAuliffe administration and Dominion Virginia Power are operating on the same wave length when it comes to developing offshore wind power in Virginia. If environmental groups have big differences with Dominion on how to proceed, no sign of…
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How about Habitat Exchanges for the Cow Knob Salamander?
by James A. Bacon I’ve been cogitating a lot recently over the difficulty of building major infrastructure projects in Virginia that are vital to the economy yet intrude upon landowner rights and the environment. One problem, which I dubbed the “rule of firsties,” is the spreading conviction that existing landowners (the ones who got there…
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Virginia’s Answer to the Snail Darter?
by James A. Bacon The proposed route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline runs through the mountain habitat of the Cow Knob salamander, creating a new rallying point for pipeline foes. National forest officials say the pipeline should be routed around salamander territory or even under it by drilling through Shenandoah Mountain, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.…
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I’d Like to Know Where They Got that Number!
From WalletHub’s list of “greenest cities” in the United States: Virginia Beach may have ranked only No. 62 for overall greenness out of 100 cities surveyed but it ranked No. 2 in the country for lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita. Really?
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A Whimsical Proposal for Defusing the Skiffes Creek Controversy
Two weeks ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued “preliminary finding” that Dominion Virginia Power’s preferred route for building a 500 kV transmission line across a historic stretch of the James River is the lowest-cost alternative for meeting the electricity needs of the Virginia Peninsula while remaining compliant with federal environmental laws. While the Corps continues to…
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Fuzzy Thinking at the Top
by James A. Bacon Governor Terry McAuliffe views the implementation of the Clean Power Plan as a great opportunity for Virginia to create “green” jobs in solar energy and energy-efficiency while also reducing carbon emissions and head off global warming. “I am working hard with Virginia businesses and environmental leaders to seize this moment to…
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A Sign of the Coming Grid Wars
It happened in Nevada first, but it could come to Virginia eventually — the effort by major electricity consumers to bypass their local utilities and purchase power from wholesale electric markets. Three big casino companies — Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Las Vegas Sands — say they could slash millions of dollars from their electric bills…
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When Dynamic Pricing Meets Energy Storage
Other states are targeting energy storage as an industry of the future but Virginia may have the most hospitable climate for it.
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George Mason Profs: Prosecute Climate Deniers
by James A. Bacon Jagadish Shukla, a George Mason University climate scientist, thinks corporate climate deniers should be criminally prosecuted under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law. Corporations and other organizations have “knowingly deceived” the American people about the risks of climate change, wrote Shukla and nineteen other scientists (five of whom…
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An Intractable Dilemma
When Dominion shuts down the Yorktown Power Station, Virginia’s Peninsula will need another source of electric power. Dominion says a 500 kV transmission line over the historic James River is the the best. Conservationists disagree.
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Energy's Innovation Race
Foes of fossil fuels are wondering if natural gas production in the United States is peaking. While some observers depict the supply of natural gas as lasting decades, maybe a hundred years, others see signs that gas wells in the Marcellus shale formation are playing out more rapidly than anticipated. As supply becomes constricted, prices will…
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Energy’s Innovation Race
Foes of fossil fuels are wondering if natural gas production in the United States is peaking. While some observers depict the supply of natural gas as lasting decades, maybe a hundred years, others see signs that gas wells in the Marcellus shale formation are playing out more rapidly than anticipated. As supply becomes constricted, prices will…
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Why Doesn't Virginia Have More Wind Power?
Why hasn’t Virginia made more progress in generating energy from wind power? This map from the National Renewable Energy Lab highlights the problems we face. Unlike the plains states, where almost every square mile is wind blown, Virginia has few suitable locations. Wind power is practical only offshore and on scattered mountain ridges. Putting windmills…
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Why Doesn’t Virginia Have More Wind Power?
Why hasn’t Virginia made more progress in generating energy from wind power? This map from the National Renewable Energy Lab highlights the problems we face. Unlike the plains states, where almost every square mile is wind blown, Virginia has few suitable locations. Wind power is practical only offshore and on scattered mountain ridges. Putting windmills…