PEC joins with partner organizations to promote thriving communities and healthy natural resources in the Shenandoah Valley, the central Piedmont, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor and Northern Virginia counties. This includes work through the Virginia Conservation Network and our Coalition for Smarter Growth.
If you have any questions related to PEC’s regional, state and national policy work, or would like to partner with us, please reach out to John McCarthy at jmccarthy@pecva.org or (540) 347-2334 x7043.
A Mixed Bag at the General Assembly
This has been a very busy, and challenging, legislative session …
6,315 acres conserved in nine-county region last year
The Piedmont Environmental Council reports that in 2023, 6,315 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties were permanently protected with 52 new conservation easements …
Bills and Budget Amendments Post-Crossover
Now at crossover, some notable progress has been made on a few key priorities of the environmental community …
Data Center Legislation in the 2024 Virginia General Assembly
Numerous pieces of legislation related to data center reform were introduced as part of the 2024 Virginia General Assembly Session. Unfortunately, the majority of the bills were defeated or carried over to the 2025 Virginia …
Take Action: Protect Local Government Accountability
We need your help opposing House Bill 1459 (Owen), which will be voted on by the full Counties, Cities and Towns Committee this Friday morning at 9 a.m …
Three Advocacy Priorities That Need Your Attention
Since the General Assembly began its 2024 session, the newly-opened General Assembly office building and the Capitol have seen frenetic activity, day in and day out. Many bills that were introduced in January have now …
Video: “The Hidden Costs of the Cloud: Data Centers in Virginia”
Virginia is undergoing an unprecedented economic, technological, and environmental transformation, all centered around the activities of one industry: data centers …
2024 General Assembly Begins
As you’ve probably noticed from an uptick in news out of Richmond, the Virginia General Assembly kicked off this Wednesday, Jan. 10. …
Conservation Community Priorities for the 2024 General Assembly
With the many issues facing Virginia throughout the upcoming session, PEC staff will work with VCN and other allies to testify before the legislature, speak about budget priorities and amendments, and help lead with our …
Power Surge: Data center boom leads to expansive transmission proposals
We must address the booming data center growth in our state that is requiring unprecedented expansions of our energy grid and hindering our ability to get off of fossil fuels …
