Regional, State and National

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.

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Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit hits a milestone

Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit hits a milestone

In late April, at the Virginia Land Conservation and Greenways conference in Harrisonburg, Senator Hanger proudly announced the permanent protection of over 1 million acres of land as a direct result of the LPTC …
collage of photos featuring aerial photo of farmland and river; conservation easement sign; family outside; woman standing next to cow; person kayaking; local park with trees and a picnic table

Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. announces 1 million acres conserved since Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit went into effect, highlights importance of land conservation moving forward 

Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) has led to the permanent protection of over 1 million acres of land in Virginia, Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. announced today in Harrisonburg at the Virginia Land and …
aerial view of a few huge data center buildings between a set of apartments and public trail

Questions Swirl Around Data Centers – How Many, Where and at What Cost?

Although DEQ’s proposed variance for data center diesel generator has been pulled, the underlying issue remains: Is this continued boom in data center development sustainable? …
data center presentation title slide

PEC Presentation on Data Centers & Potential Reliance on Backup Diesel Generators

On March 28, 2023, The Piedmont Environmental Council hosted a local information session in Loudoun County about a variance being proposed by The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to allow Loudoun data centers to use …
2022 Land Conservation Totals

2022 Land Conservation Totals

Last year, landowners partnered with The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and other land trusts and conservation agencies to permanently protect 6,651 acres of land in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Orange and Rappahannock counties …
Update on DEQ’s air quality variance for data centers

Update on DEQ’s air quality variance for data centers

The variance would allow backup diesel generators to run more frequently this coming summer …
aerial of wildnerness crossing property with mine icon overlay

March 23: Public Hearing on Wilderness Crossing

It is critically important that County decisionmakers hear from you before they vote on this impactful proposal …
data center web map screenshot

Data Centers, Diesel Generators and Air Quality – PEC Web Map

PEC requested the air permits for all of the approximately hundred data center facilities covered under the proposed DEQ variance, including the number of commercial generators per facility. We determined that there are 4,632 commercial …
aerial photo of data center with a residential neighborhood in the background. Overlaid text reads "Take Action: Tell DEQ to Protect Our Air Quality"

Take Action: The Air We Breathe Is at Risk

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is considering adopting a variance that would allow the data center industry to run backup diesel generators for longer and more frequent periods of time from March to …
aerial photo of data center with a residential neighborhood in the background. Overlaid text reads "Take Action: Tell DEQ to Protect Our Air Quality"

Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Air Quality in Jeopardy

The VA Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comment on an order that will temporarily allow data centers in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties to operate their generators for longer and more frequent …