PEC works to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. The following highlights reflect our work in 2023.
Orange County
PEC’s Orange County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Orange’s rural character, environment and historic resources.
Breaking update on PEC’s VFOIA lawsuit against Orange County
Orange County officials signed NDAs with Amazon; court hearing deferred
Piedmont Environmental Council sues Orange County for VFOIA violations
In the interest of good governance and transparency, The Piedmont Environmental Council filed a lawsuit yesterday against Orange County for improperly denying public access to documents pertaining to a local rezoning application, in violation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The lawsuit comes after Orange County officials were unresponsive to PEC’s petition for a Writ of Mandamus, served on Oct. 26, which gave county officials a number of days to correct their VFOIA deficiencies. The lawsuit reflects PEC’s growing concern about the dramatic loss of public access to information about land use decisions in Orange County and across the Commonwealth.
Help choose our photo contest winners
Here are the 2023 PEC Photo Contest finalists. Take a look and vote for your favorites now!
Data Centers, Surging Power Demand Take Center Stage
The size, scale, and speed at which applications for data center projects are coming in and being approved is astounding.
Just this month, massive proposals moved forward in Culpeper, Louisa, and King George counties, with more being reviewed in Caroline and Stafford counties. Prince William, Loudoun, Fairfax, and Fauquier counties all have multiple active proposals for hyperscale data centers, which can demand hundreds of megawatts of power per campus. As an example, the data center campus just approved in King George County could total more than 1,200 MW alone.
On The Ground Updates – September 2023
A series of short updates from around the PEC region.
Transmission Proposals – PEC Web Map
Transmission line proposals to serve the explosive growth of data centers in Virginia over the past few years have begun to roll in.
PEC Accepting Annual Photo Contest Submissions Through Sept. 30
Now through September 30, photographers are invited to submit their best images of the Virginia Piedmont to PEC’s 12th Annual Photo Contest.
Wilderness Crossing, RSA Withdrawal Permit, Elections
A brief update on Wilderness Crossing and some related Orange County happenings.
Get Distributed Solar for Your Home, Farm or Business
It’s solar season! Solarize Piedmont, our annual campaign with the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), is running now through the end of August.