The mission of the Friends of Buckingham is to protect the natural environment and cultural heritage of Buckingham County.
Urgent Request to Deny Green Ridge Landfill
Dear Cumberland County Supervisors,
Friends of Buckingham strongly urges you to deny the request to construct the Green Ridge Landfill in Cumberland County. While the proposed site is within your borders, the impacts will stretch far beyond affecting the environment, infrastructure, and public health of neighboring counties, including our own.
This is not an isolated local matter, it is a regional issue with serious long-term consequences.
We ask you to consider the following concerns:
1. Water Contamination – Including the James River:
Landfill runoff presents a high risk of contaminating nearby water sources, including the James River—a vital regional waterway. Numerous municipal water intakes are located downriver of the proposed site. Any leachate or polluted runoff entering the river could jeopardize drinking water for thousands of Virginians. The long-term environmental and public health implications of such contamination are both irreversible and unacceptable.
2. Air Pollution and Odor Exposure:
Landfills release harmful gases such as methane and volatile organic compounds that degrade regional air quality. Beyond that, trash trucks traveling daily to the site will pass through rural roads in Cumberland and neighboring counties, exposing residents to diesel exhaust, airborne particulates, and overwhelming odors. Being stuck behind these trucks—on two-lane roads with no alternative routes—is not only unpleasant but also poses legitimate health and safety risks.
3. Traffic and Infrastructure Impact:
The proposed landfill would significantly increase heavy truck traffic through neighboring communities, placing an undue burden on rural roads. Residents will bear the cost of road degradation, increased travel times, and safety concerns—without any say in the landfill’s approval.
4. Quality of Life and Regional Responsibility:
Our communities will deal with the side effects—polluted water, foul air, dangerous roads, and declining quality of life—without compensation or representation in the process.
We urge you to consider not just the immediate implications within your county, but the far-reaching impacts on the broader region. Denying the Green Ridge Landfill proposal is a critical step toward protecting the health, safety, and environmental integrity of our shared communities—now and for future generations.
Thank you for your time, attention, and commitment to regional stewardship.
Sincerely,
Solar News
Watch the webinar from Friends of Buckingham, recorded April 25, 2025, to learn from a panel of experts about the Dark Side of Industrial-Scale Solar. Please share this widely.
Earth Month –
The Dark Side of Industrial-Scale Solar
Industrial-Scale Solar in Spotsylvania County, VA
(Photo by Hugh Kenny. The Piedmont Environmental Council)
Solar energy must not come at the expense of nature or communities. But that is what is happening in Buckingham and across Virginia as industrial solar projects replace our forests and working lands.
- Deforestation and bulldozing that forever changes the land.
- Wildlife destroyed and habitats lost.
- Waterways harmed.
- Erosion and sediment to wetlands and waterways.
- Largest land-use change ever.
- Enormous industrial projects inserted into rural communities.
- Forestry and forestry dependent jobs lost.
We must change course. We must save our forests and working lands by putting large-scale solar projects in the built-world. Places like parking lots, rooftops, brownfields, and already developed lands. Read more about the solar issues of our times.
Scott Flood, president of Friends of Buckingham, speaking at our 10th anniversary celebration.
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Celebrating 10 Years of Successes
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Use this link to watch the slide show of our many accomplishments from the past year.
(The show has many photos and may load slowly.)
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