View articles published in our quarterly membership newsletter, The Piedmont View. To become a PEC member or renew your existing membership, visit our donations page today!
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Protecting the Jordan – A Community Effort
When James and Karen Allen placed their Flint Hill property under a conservation easement this August, they protected over 100 beautiful acres of scenic open space and viable farmland; over 4,000 feet of the Jordan …
Orange County’s Rural Areas Under Threat
Since 2008, Orange County has had a subdivision ordinance that calls for time-phased divisions of land—limiting the number of divisions allowed on a property over a specific period of time. This aspect of the ordinance …
Landscaping to Make a Difference
In the Eastern U.S., the crop that takes up the largest acreage isn’t corn, hay, or soybeans—it’s mowed lawns …
Looking Beyond Property Lines to Restore the Thumb Run Watershed
PEC’s Sustainable Habitat Program Manager, James Barnes, often works with landowners in the Piedmont on a one-on-one basis—helping them find ways (and funding) to improve their properties to restore wildlife habitat and water quality. This …
Culpeper Rebuilt
Residents across the Commonwealth were shocked August 23, 2011 when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, centered in Louisa County, shook the east coast. Downtown Culpeper was one of the hardest hit communities—left with numerous damaged historic …
On the Ground
PEC has been hard at work in many areas these last few months. Read a brief story from each of our 9 counties …
Coal-By-Wire Transmission Line: DEFEATED
For six years, the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH)—a massive, unnecessary 765-kV transmission line— has threatened Virginia. The line was to start in southwest West Virginia, travel northeast through previously undisturbed land, eventually cross through …
Gov. McDonnell’s Uranium Mining Group: Putting the Cart Before the Horse
In 2007, Virginia Uranium, LLC, (VUI) began lobbying hard for the General Assembly’s standing moratorium on uranium mining and milling to be lifted. The corporation has big plans to start a mining and milling operation …
Charlottesville Western Bypass: Not just a local issue
In June 2011, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors shocked constituents by holding an unpublicized, late-night vote to resurrect the Route 29 Western Bypass, northwest of Charlottesville. Since then, VDOT—under pressure from political interests in …
Changing Perspectives: My time as a PEC Fellow
PEC’s Fellowship Program, which just finished its sixth year, gives college and graduate students a comprehensive look at the work PEC does in this region—with the hope that the participants will take what they learn …
