The Piedmont News is an email digest of top news stories about conservation, land use, energy, and environmental matters of interest to the region. We hope you’ll share The Piedmont News with someone else who cares about these stories.
Hugh Kenny |
Splashing in the stream at PEC's annual Bluebell Walk. |
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Reuters
(April 9, 2025)
"U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday that aims to block the enforcement of state laws passed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and combat climate change."
The Guardian
(April 9, 2025)
"Amazon, Microsoft and Google are operating datacentres that use vast amounts of water in some of the world’s driest areas and are building many more, the non-profit investigatory organisation SourceMaterial and the Guardian have found. With Donald Trump pledging to support them, the three technology giants are planning hundreds of datacentres in the US and across the globe, with a potentially huge impact on populations already living with water scarcity."
Fauquier Now
(April 7, 2025)
"Washington has the Potomac and the Cherry Blossoms; Fauquier has Cedar Run and the Bluebells. It sounds like a band, but it is thousands of Mertensia Virginica that are about to be in their full-bloom blue, coating the banks of Cedar Run as it winds through Bonny Brook Farm in Catlett. On Sunday, the community is invited to come have a look and see why the color blue inspired Matisse, Picasso and van Gogh and to pay tribute to one of the county’s longtime conservationists."
This article features The Piedmont Environmental Council's annual Bluebell Walk.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(April 5, 2025)
"As hunger rates climb across the country, federal funding cuts are hitting Virginia farmers who produce food for nutrition programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the cancellation of two programs that provided more than $1 billion nationally for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers."
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(April 5, 2025)
"The Piedmont Environmental Council Board of Directors has approved three new members this year: Kemp Hill of Madison County, Andrew Gutowski of Culpeper County, and Jane Fisher of Charlottesville."
This article features The Piedmont Environmental Council's newest board members.
Canary Media
(April 4, 2025)
"On Wednesday, President Trump unveiled a suite of new tariffs that target pretty much every country and territory in the world — including some where nobody even lives. The full extent of the tariffs’ reach remains unclear, but wind developers, solar manufacturers, tech companies, automakers, and even fossil-fuel producers are already sweating."
Fauquier Now
(April 4, 2025)
"Gov. Glenn Youngkin has delayed – if not outright killed – implementation of a bipartisan bill that requires data center developers to disclose noise and environmental impacts before receiving local approval. Following Youngkin’s amendment earlier this week, the requirement won’t go into effect until 2026 at the earliest."
Reuters
(April 3, 2025)
"U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs could hamstring Big Tech's billion-dollar efforts to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the country, likely undermining a key goal of the administration, analysts said on Thursday."
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(April 8, 2025)
"Each year in April, a spectacular display of thousands of bluebells appears on the banks of Cedar Run at Bonny Brook Farm in Catlett and the public is invited to stroll alongside. The Annual Bluebell Walk will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. Community members are invited to reflect and celebrate with the Piedmont Environmental Council and host, Margrete Stevens. She and her late husband, Mike Stevens, have hosted this event for 22 years. This year, the bluebell walk is a special tribute to Mike, who died in February of ALS at home on their farm."
This article features The Piedmont Environmental Council's annual Bluebell Walk.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(April 6, 2025)
"The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America. It only weighs three to six ounces (the same as about 34 pennies). But kestrels can fly at speeds up to 39 mph in level flight and can reach speeds of up to 60 mph during a hunting dive."
Information Charlottesville
(April 4, 2025)
"The SNP Trust now offers information about how the park has been affected by cuts made by the White House. A total of fifteen probationary employees were let go, according to the page. These positions included maintenance, sanitation, and other operational roles such as collecting fees from visitors."
The Center Square
(April 2, 2025)
"As the development of data centers shows no signs of slowing, a Virginia congressman is calling for a national strategic plan to address their impacts on communities. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., spoke before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform detailing the impacts of data centers, a major source of debate in his northern Virginia district, pegged the data center capital of the world."
Information Charlottesville
(April 6, 2025)
"Almost three months have passed since Charlottesville Community Engagement has featured a single story about the ongoing update of Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan. The review officially kicked off in November of 2021, nearly six years after Supervisors last made the plan an official county document. Virginia law requires a review every five years... Since last fall, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors have been going chapter by chapter and not all of the sections have been made available to the public."
The Crozet Gazette
(April 5, 2025)
"As the Albemarle County Community Development department puts the finishing touches on its Request for Proposals (RFP) for Crozet’s long-sought Eastern Avenue bridge/connector, county officials have confirmed elements of the planned budget for the county’s side of the potential public-private project."
The Crozet Gazette
(April 5, 2025)
"The recent denial of a rezoning application for a proposed mobile home park in southern Albemarle revealed a split in the attitudes of the Board of Supervisors about how and when to allow new development in the county’s rural areas. The schism could have implications not only for Crozet’s two mobile home communities, but also for the future of the county’s designated development areas, of which Crozet is one."
The Crozet Gazette
(April 5, 2025)
"Thousands of white plastic tubes spread over several creekside acres in Crozet are being cleaned up by builder Stanley Martin, thanks to the persistent efforts of neighbors concerned about the environment and the view. The tubes encase tree seedlings that were planted seven years ago behind Western Ridge and Westlake Hills homes overlooking Lickinghole Creek, but the plastic was never removed. Some locals refer to it as “the graveyard” due to its ghostly appearance and sickly trees."
Information Charlottesville
(April 5, 2025)
"The Historic, Cultural, and Scenic Resources chapter of the 2015 Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan has an objective to 'protect the dark sky.' This mentions the University of Virginia’s Fan Mountain Observatory. Mallek said that southern Albemarle is close to James River State Park, one of four parks in Virginia designated as an International Dark Sky Park."
C-VILLE Weekly
(April 4, 2025)
"This week, Norfolk Southern periodically shut down three at-grade railway crossings in Charlottesville to perform maintenance on the underlying tracks. While the closure was temporary, it raises questions about how to make it easier to get across the linear barrier of the railroad."
The Winchester Star
(April 7, 2025)
"The Clarke County Board of Supervisors may consider sharing the cost of future improvements to Va. 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) with the state, despite being opposed to the idea."
The Winchester Star
(April 7, 2025)
"The drought is getting worse in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. The U.S. Drought Monitor website, updated last Thursday, shows that northern portions of Clarke County along the West Virginia line have reached severe drought status."
The Winchester Star
(April 7, 2025)
"Local ecologist Iara Lacher has a vision where lawns become native plant havens, creating a corridor of properties brimming with habitats and resources for pollinators, birds, animals and wildlife."
The Winchester Star
(April 4, 2025)
"Efforts to secure funding to upgrade Berryville’s water treatment plant have hit a snag. The town must obtain a waiver from Build America Buy America Act requirements to receive federal dollars offered by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), according to Town Manager Keith Dalton."
Culpeper Times
(April 8, 2025)
"Beginning this week, a segment of McDevitt Drive was scheduled to be closed to through traffic just east of Route 3 for a project to reconstruct the town of Culpeper intersection as a roundabout."
Culpeper Times
(April 4, 2025)
"Experts in the fields of agriculture and business led panel discussions to discuss their current challenges at the recent state of the community event hosted by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. The agricultural panel discussed rising land prices, retention in farming, decreasing profit margins and the impact of tariffs."
Fauquier Now
(April 9, 2025)
"In a move initiated by Ward 1 Town Councilmember Roy Francis Tuesday night, the Warrenton Town Council repealed its March 11 decision to uphold its support of the Voluntary Settlement Agreement allowing for the annexation of approximately 240 acres into the town, including the proposed 254-home Arrington subdivision."
Fauquier Times
(April 8, 2025)
"The Warrenton Farmers Market turns 50 this year, but its 2025 debut comes with some big changes including a new location that has raised concerns for some Old Town business owners."
Fauquier Times
(April 4, 2025)
"Members of Warrenton’s newest committee have their eyes set on reviewing the approval of three projects: the Amazon data center slated for Blackwell Road, the Arrington housing development's voluntary settlement agreement and the Warrenton Village Center."
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 9, 2025)
"The Leesburg Town Council this week deferred moving forward with any changes to the town's noise ordinance related to amplified outdoor music, following significant input from the public and business community."
Loudoun Now
(April 8, 2025)
"As a housing shortage continues to impact the region, Loudoun’s Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday gathered regional and local industry experts together to discuss challenges and strategies for addressing the issue in Loudoun."
Loudoun Now
(April 8, 2025)
"The kickoff of this year’s Keep Leesburg Beautiful campaign took place at Raflo Park on Saturday morning, launching a month-long, town-wide clean-up effort."
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 7, 2025)
"A group of homeowners in Hamilton met April 2 with representatives from Milestone Tower Limited Partnership IV and Cooley LLP, a global law firm specializing in technology and life sciences, to discuss the proposed construction of an almost 200-foot cell phone tower at the Hamilton Safety Center."
WTOP News
(April 7, 2025)
"Transit advocates are hoping to gather support for a plan to build a commuter rail line along the W&OD Trail from Purcellville, Virginia, to the Metro station at East Falls Church. The rail line would be in the footprint of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which first began running in 1859 and faded away in 1968."
Rappahannock News
(April 5, 2025)
"Preliminary testing indicates a red fox taken to the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center from the town of Hamilton in Loudoun County was infected avian influenza, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reported Friday."
ABC 7 News
(April 3, 2025)
"A number of Loudoun County residents have spoken at Loudoun County School Board meetings and Board of Supervisors meetings to raise concerns about newly proposed high-voltage transmission lines."
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(April 8, 2025)
"Planning Commissioners and Board of Supervisors had a full slate Wednesday night when the two bodies met for monthly public hearings. With minimal discussion and little public comment, the two groups moved quickly to approve the 6 cases."
The Rapidan Register
(April 3, 2025)
"The fate of a lawsuit opposing a major development in the eastern end of Orange County will likely be decided in the coming weeks. Late last month, Orange County Circuit Court Judge David B. Franzen heard arguments regarding a demurrer filed to quash a 2023 lawsuit challenging the rezoning associated with Wilderness Crossing, a more than 2,600 acre proposed development adjacent to the Wilderness Battlefield. The battlefield was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list last year. This is the second time the battlefield has been on the list, the first being in 2010 when Walmart considered a site adjacent to it before moving further down Rt. 3."
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Prince William Times
(April 9, 2025)
"In February, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted to cancel the controversial Va. 28 bypass, which had been in the works for the last seven years. Now, the county is required to reimburse the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority more than $7.4 million it paid for preliminary engineering and design work for the project."
InsideNoVa
(April 7, 2025)
"Northern Virginia developer Stanley Martin hosted a community meeting at Patriot High School in Nokesville as plans to bring new development to the Vint Hill Road corridor materialize."
NBC Washington
(April 8, 2025)
"Two eye-opening reports released Tuesday are raising concerns about safety on Metro. One details how two trains came within 400 feet of a head-on collision, and another could delay automatic train operation from moving beyond the Red Line."
WTOP News
(April 8, 2025)
"Motorists in the D.C. area may notice signs and other advertisements encouraging them to slow down and be more aware of pedestrians and bicyclists."
WTOP News
(April 7, 2025)
"Transit advocates are hoping to gather support for a plan to build a commuter rail line along the W&OD Trail from Purcellville, Virginia, to the Metro station at East Falls Church. The rail line would be in the footprint of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which first began running in 1859 and faded away in 1968."
C-VILLE Weekly
(April 9, 2025)
"To prepare for next winter, one group is petitioning Louisa County to amend its land development regulations to allow more potential warm places for people to sleep."
Fredericksburg Free Press
(April 4, 2025)
"Stafford County has added to an existing land conservation program. The county government this week announced the addition of a 73-acre farm to its Purchase of Development Rights program that preserves open space."
FXBG Advance
(April 3, 2025)
"Stafford County-based developer The Garrett Companies is seeking approval from the county to build a data center campus on 1,042 acres off Ramoth Church Road in the Hartwood district. The applicant is requesting the rezoning of 20 parcels to heavy industrial, or M2, use as well as a conditional use permit to increase the permitted height of any data center building and electric transmission or substation facility to a maximum of 105 feet."
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
(March 31, 2025)
"When George Sempeles became the president of GunBarrel hunt club 10 years ago, he knew he wanted to protect the group’s Hampshire County, West Virginia, land from development. He’d heard about land trusts and conservation easements from foresters over the course of 20 years or so. As club president, he knew this was his chance. He also knew it wouldn’t be easy."
Cardinal News
(April 8, 2025)
"Appalachian Power has proposed a minimum amount to charge customers in its future shared solar program, in which participants will be able to buy solar power generated by another company and receive credit for it on their electric bills."
ABC 13 News
(April 8, 2025)
"A Charlotte County farmer is frustrated after he said Dominion Energy is threatening to invoke eminent domain on his land. He said the company is pushing for him to accept an offer to make way for a transmission line project."
WHRO
(April 8, 2025)
"Aberdeen Gardens’ grant is among about 400 recently listed for cancellation by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency."
Richmond BizSense
(April 8, 2025)
"After getting approval from Ashland but denied by Hanover for a data center campus that would straddle the town-and-county line, the project’s developer is back with a tweaked proposal. Reston-based WestDulles Properties last month filed a new zoning application for the Hanover side of its proposed Iron Horse project, which would be built on a 180-acre site that’s split by the boundary between the county and town."
Virginia Mercury
(April 8, 2025)
"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to hear citizens’ ideas on how it may update its rules to cut costs and boost efficiency while keeping the country’s transportation system safe. But some Virginia lawmakers caution that those recommendations should come from safety experts, not the public, and say 'arbitrarily' loosening roadway regulations could be harmful to supply chains and the economy."
The Roanoke Times
(April 8, 2025)
"More than 150 acres at the base of Cahas Mountain in Franklin County recently entered into a conservation easement that will be keeping it pristine for the foreseeable future."
Cardinal News
(April 7, 2025)
"A federal grant to help pay for recreation and flood-resilience projects in five communities in Southwest Virginia has been terminated by the Trump administration, the nonprofit Appalachian Voices said."
WTKR
(April 7, 2025)
"Some property owners in Virginia Beach, like those at Walton Funeral Home, say newly installed high-voltage transmission lines and poles are too close for comfort. 'It used to look — there were trees. There were a couple of hundred-year-old oaks, just foliage. It was beautiful,' said Walton Funeral Home owner Joseph Walton as he walked around his property."
WMRA
(April 6, 2025)
"Linda Morgan loves living at Trinity Woods, a subsidized senior residence in the tiny Virginia town where she grew up near the North Carolina border. But for three years, since the building's decades-old air conditioning system sputtered and died, she's had to set up an elaborate arrangement to stay cool during long, intense summers."
The Richmonder
(April 6, 2025)
"What was once primarily farmland in Henrico County has evolved into a data center hub over the last five years, dramatically transforming the local economy. Currently home to 16 data centers, with more in the works, the county sees the facilities as a way to diversify its economy. The data centers handle internet traffic, including for major companies like Google and Meta, at scales thought unthinkable a generation ago."
13 News Now
(April 6, 2025)
"Cherry Blossoms are a staple across the Mid-Atlantic. In Virginia Beach, Red Wing Park hosts an annual cherry blossom festival. These Yoshino Cherry trees are progressively blooming earlier. That’s due to climate change."
Radio IQ
(April 3, 2025)
"Last week, Lynchburg celebrated the opening of an innovation center owned by the nuclear energy giant BWX Technologies. They hope to build a small reactor that could be mass produced and shipped almost anywhere. Speeches were inspiring – full of hope and promise, but some energy experts are skeptical when it comes to small, modular nuclear reactors."
WTVR
(April 3, 2025)
"As Dominion proposes hiking its customers' bills by an average of $21 per month within the next two years, many customers have been reacting negatively to the news. 'My eggs are five bucks. I'm not going to be able to afford either eggs or my electric bill. Something's got to give,' said Varina resident Tammy, who only wanted to use her first name."
The Wall Street Journal
(April 30, 2025)
"At 4 million square feet, or 70 football fields, Meta’s data center will cost $10 billion and sit on more acreage than Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, which has more than 34,000 students. Building advanced artificial-intelligence systems will take city-sized amounts of power, which has turbocharged electricity demand projections for the first time this century."
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(April 8, 2025)
"As it sought to obtain land for a nearly $9 billion project spanning five Midwest states, a carbon pipeline company unleashed a barrage of eminent domain lawsuits against landowners."
AP News
(April 8, 2025)
"President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline. Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars."
The New York Times
(April 8, 2025)
"The Trump administration has opened thousands of acres of land in Nevada and New Mexico to oil and gas drilling, geothermal development and hard-rock mining, reversing protections that President Joseph R. Biden Jr. enacted during his final weeks in office."
Public News Service
(April 7, 2025)
"Appalachian communities in Kentucky are poised to become manufacturing hubs for the wind energy industry, experts say. The region's workforce, accessible transportation routes, and stash of coal ash deposits -- which contain rare earth metals needed for turbine production -- all point to a role for Appalachia in the industry's supply chain."
VPM
(April 7, 2025)
"An effort to connect Virginia public schools with local farms to improve food security in low-income communities won’t be getting any federal support beyond this summer’s harvest. With President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk picking apart deeply rooted agencies and initiatives that sprouted during the previous White House administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has eliminated two nascent programs designed to help small farms supply local schools and food banks with fresh fruit, produce and meat."
Bay Journal
(April 7, 2025)
"Amanda Lee-Milner was looking for a way to get her goats something more to eat and help them get a bit of shade. She didn’t think it was part of a radical left-wing agenda."
The Washington Post
(April 5, 2025)
"The Trump administration has removed environmental protections covering more than half of the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the president’s aim to significantly bolster the U.S. logging industry."
The Washington Post
(April 4, 2025)
"The U.S. military is seeking to turn a remote Pacific wildlife refuge into a landing site for SpaceX rockets, a move that could ultimately advance military capabilities but could also threaten a rare sanctuary for 1.5 million birds."
The Center Square
(April 2, 2025)
"As the development of data centers shows no signs of slowing, a Virginia congressman is calling for a national strategic plan to address their impacts on communities. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., spoke before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform detailing the impacts of data centers, a major source of debate in his northern Virginia district, pegged the data center capital of the world."
AP News
(April 8, 2025)
"With the first U.N. climate talks in the Amazon approaching, thousands of Indigenous people marched Tuesday in Brazil’s capital, demanding the state guarantee and expand their rights to traditional lands as part of the solution to the world’s climate crisis."
The Washington Post
(March 24, 2025)
"Parisians have approved an ambitious plan to block 500 streets to road traffic and replace miles of asphalt with plants and trees, signaling a willingness to support climate policies even if they might have a disruptive impact on daily life."
Note: There will be no Piedmont News issue next week. We’ll be back the week after with the latest news!
