Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Clean Water and Crape Myrtles

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by

James A. Bacon
in

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has given the General Assembly much higher scores for votes on environmental issues in 2006 than it did the year before. The House garnered a 56 percent rating this year, up from 40 percent in 2005. The Senate scored 54 percent, up from 42 percent.

The scores measured floor votes on conservation issues including the land preservation tax credit, the Virginia Energy Plan, air emissions controls, billboard vegetation control, water protection permits, construction of an I-95 alternative, and impact fees for transportation. “Extra credit” was also issued to legislators who patroned conservation-friendly bills that VALCV supported.

For details on the Conservation Scorecard, click here.

Just one question: A bill on “billboard vegetation control”?

Yes indeedy, the bill, which passed, grants VDOT “the authority to impose on a billboard company requesting approval of a vegetation control permit, the obligation to relocate or replant vegetation according to a landscaping plan approved by VDOT, at the sole cost of the billboard company.” The VALCV was against it:

This legislation arose from a situation in Virginia Beach in which a billboard owner applied to VDOT for a permit to cut down crape myrtles in the median of Virginia Beach Boulevard. The permit was rejected because the roads are city-maintained and not within VDOT’s jurisdiction.

I can’t tell from this explanation what the League was opposed to. But what the heck? Who could possibly support the cutting down of crape myrtles — especially when the alternative is looking at billboards?

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6 responses to “Clean Water and Crape Myrtles”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I know where some idiot planted some in a median strip, blocking visibility on a busy commercial interchange. That was dumb and they need to go. Thanks for showing people what deep and vital issues consume our legislators.

  2. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    You can see where this is going. Before long you will need a permit to cut any vegetation.

    A similar rule exists in King County where you are required to leave 45% of your property in natural habitat. A woman there was fined $15,000 when she bought a new home and removed a junk pile of appliances that was on the lot. The fine was for removing the vines that covered the appliances.

  3. Jim Patrick Avatar
    Jim Patrick

    Jim, you tried this last year. I know you’re associated with PEC, an advisory group to the League, and I fear you’re giving them too much credit.

    With all-Democrats at the top ranking and the bottom all Republicans, the League’s agenda is clear. They can claim to be bipartisan, but their scorecard (and non-deductible donations) proves otherwise.

    Last year’s comment by Subpatre nails it perfectly: “Rank hypocrisy‘ now has a dual meaning.“

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Here’s the problem:

    Virginia Beach LIKES the crepe myrtles right where they are. They are very attractive. The billboard company does NOT like them – they want a stark, clear, unobstructed view of their entire billboard structure.

    Because this has passed all the billboard company has to do is petition VDOT and VDOT will say that the company may remove the crepe myrtles that they dislike and transplant them elsewhere. These crepe myrtes are on city property, not the property of the billboard owner.

    Problem is also that even though it is not a VDOT road, they get to decide what stays and goes.

    An excerpt from a 2005 Virginian-Pilot article:

    “The request by Adams Outdoor Advertising has alarmed some City Council members. They say the requested state permit would let Adams chop about 67 trees down to 4 feet tall.”

    “Regardless, Beach officials said pruning is unnecessary because the city routinely trims trees. They worry that the trees could be permanently damaged if Adams prunes them more.
    “It would just totally destroy the natural canopy shape of the trees and create a maintenance nightmare,” said Roger Huff, the city’s arborist. “Topping is not an acceptable pruning practice.”
    The permit also would allow Adams to prune four Japanese Zelkova trees. “The way they propose to cut those trees would kill them,” Huff said.
    The crape myrtle trees already have a troubled history. In the mid-1990s, someone poisoned about 10 trees in the same location. In 2001, 31 more crape myrtles died. The suspected weapon was herbicide. Police could not identify a culprit. Some crape myrtles that Adams now wants to prune are the poisoned trees’ replacements.”

    Gosh, I wonder who could have poisoned those trees right next to his billboards in the mid-1990s??? Hmmm. Strange.

    Can you imagine what will happen to a 15 year old crape myrtle that is trimmed down to only 4 ft. tall???

    Congratulations on selling out the citizens Del. Wardrup. I hope you got a big donation.

  5. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    The only auto accident I have ever had in my life, was a result of an obsucred stop sign. That would have been OK had not the stop sign wrning sign also been obscured by untrimmed vegetation.

    I consider myself to be a conservationist. But I give no credence to anything the league of conservation voters have to say, specifically because they have only one agenda.

    As far as I’m concerned, they and PEC are shooting themselves in the foot. I’d like to help, I’d even contribute. But I won’t support nonsense, and I can’t support people who are actively working against my best interests AND promoting what I consider to be causes that are counterproductive to our best means of living, and the environment as well.

    Here we have a situation where what the leagu is promoting has resultind in someone illegally spreading herbicide. What is it that they don’t get?

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Just so you know Ray, the ONLY thing obscured by these trees are billboards. Period. No traffic signs. No side roads. Nothing but billboard.

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