by Karuna | Jul 5, 2025 | Latest News, News, Pipelines
On July 5, 2020, community opposition forced Dominion Energy and Duke Energy to announce they were shutting down plans to build the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina residents united across state lines to put an end to this...
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Jun 16, 2025 | Newsletter
by Karuna | Jun 6, 2025 | Health & Safety, Latest News, News
The Buckingham County Comprehensive Plan is Buckingham County’s land use and development projection for the next five years has already been approved it by County Administration. It charts out the next five years of land use and economic development. Since Friends of...
by Karuna | Apr 11, 2025 | Pollution - Other Sources, Uncategorized
Jaimi McPeek – Hi everyone! Many of you know me as your local environmental scientist, but I’m also working on something much bigger—I am the Legislative Director for the VA Bottle Bill, a proposed recycling refund program. Here’s how it works: When you buy a...
by Karuna | Feb 19, 2025 | Industrial Solar
Thank you, everyone who wrote and called Senators on the Commerce and Labor Committee. HB2438 is dead on a 7-7-1 vote. McDougle, DeSteph, McPike, Obenshain, Peake, Reeves, Stanley voted no. We appreciate their protection of our rural community.
by Karuna | Feb 16, 2025 | Industrial Solar
Dear Senator Cifers, Friends of Buckingham is seeking your assistance to please STOP HB2438 (Solar facilities; local regulation, special exceptions) 1) Solar ordinance decisions should remain at the local level. Each locality has its own unique circumstances and...
by Karuna | Feb 5, 2025 | Industrial Solar
Virginia Senator Russett W. Perry The Friends of Buckingham and other concerned citizens flooded the phones of our local representatives. We succeeded in stopping SB1190, a bill proposed by Sen. Creigh Deeds, (D-Charlottesville), that would have wrestled away local...
by Karuna | Jan 29, 2025 | Industrial Solar
A bill on the Virginia House floor would dictate solar ordinance to the counties. HB 2438 seeks to create a statewide solar ordinance taking decisions away from local government. If passed, there will be no limits on the size of utility-scale solar projects or the...
by Karuna | Jan 25, 2025 | Industrial Solar
The Farmville Herald reported on HB2126. (Click to read the story. A subscription is required.) This bill gives state authorities the power to strong-arm local government into approving industrial solar projects. It restricts local decision-making on things like how...
by Karuna | Jan 24, 2025 | Industrial Solar
Two more bills are attempting to override local decisions. These bills dictate what can and can’t be in a solar ordinance. We need to STOP these bills from becoming law! It is urgent that opposition comments be sent in now! The Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor...
by Karuna | Jan 19, 2025 | Industrial Solar, Regulatory Permit Process
Great work from our group OPPOSING HB2126! Great response from citizens across Virginia too! (See comments here: https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/committees/H14/bills/HB2126/comments ) The same legislation is being pushed in the Virginia Senate as...
by Karuna | Jan 17, 2025 | Industrial Solar
Solar is taking center stage at the General Assembly. There are two proposed solar bills that could greatly impact Buckingham County. If these bills pass, state authorities could override the supervisors on industrial solar approvals. The county acreage limit would be...
by Karuna | Jan 8, 2025 | Conservation, Industrial Solar
Friends of Buckingham applauds this local news coverage. Environmental justice, solar development among top legislative concerns for Henry County-Martinsville NAACP...
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Dec 30, 2024 | Newsletter
As the year 2024 closes, we wish to reflect on what is happening in Buckingham. We call on you, our friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens to support all the work yet to be done to protect our natural environment and cultural heritage of Buckingham County. Whether...
by Karuna | Dec 28, 2024 | Environmental Justice, Events, News, Politics of energy, Regulatory Permit Process
There will be a special election on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to replace state Senator McGuire, who was elected to Congress. The Democratic candidate is Jack Trammell and the Republican is Luther Cifers. Early voting will be December 27, 28, and 30, and January 3 and 4. Find...
by Karuna | Dec 7, 2024 | Industrial Solar
Scott Flood, president of Friends of Buckingham, has submitted comments on our behalf regarding the proposed rule for small solar energy projects with rated capacity greater than five MW and disturbance zones greater than 10 acres. See...
by Karuna | Nov 22, 2024 | Latest News, News
The Circuit court rules in favor of rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Today, a circuit court judge confirmed that the decision to pull Virginia out of a successful climate program known as RGGI, or the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, was unlawful. ...
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Nov 15, 2024 | Newsletter
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Nov 12, 2024 | Latest News, News, Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 12, 2024 CONTACTS Chad Oba, 434-806-6332, chado108@icloud.com Kenda Hanuman, 434-969-1586, kendahanuman@gmail.com Friends of Buckingham to celebrate their 10-year anniversary The all-volunteer organization helped defeat the Atlantic...
by Karuna | Oct 30, 2024 | Industrial Solar
The Virginia Farm Bureau, which has pushed back against solar development in the state in order to preserve farm and forested land, is opposed to taking away local authority. The Farm Bureau’s opposition includes the argument that farmers need to meet water quality...
by Karuna | Oct 29, 2024 | Economic Impacts, Fossil Fuels, Health & Safety, Industrial Solar, Regulatory Permit Process
A 60-day public comment period will begin on Monday, October 7, 2024, upon publication of the proposed regulatory action for HB 206 in Volume 41, Issue 3 of the Virginia Register. Additional dates associated with this action: The comment period will run from Oct. 7...
by Karuna | Oct 29, 2024 | Industrial Solar
VACo put out a new podcast yesterday on HB206. This episode reviews regulations that amend the requirements for utility-scale solar installations to receive state permits to operate. Specifically, a 2022 law – commonly referred to as HB 206 – requires that...
by Karuna | Oct 29, 2024 | Gold Mining
International Allies Applaud the Dropping of the False Charges Against the Five Salvadoran Water Defenders Friday, October 18, 2024, 4 pm ET “No Crime to Pursue”: International Organizations Applaud Salvadoran Tribunal Ruling that the Five Salvadoran Water...
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Oct 6, 2024 | Newsletter
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Oct 6, 2024 | Industrial Solar, Solar
The where and how of the solar projects placement is critical. When forests and agricultural lands are lost, the valuable services they provide like clean air, clean water, flood protection, and carbon capture also go missing. Harvard Forest and Mass Audubon present a...
by Karuna | Sep 14, 2024 | Climate Change, Conservation, Endangered Species, Industrial Solar
A great podcast series from the “Voice of the Commonweath Counties” explains the threats facing us now. Part 1. Utility-Scale Solar – Legislative Outlook with Dean Lynch In the first of a 2-part episode, Joe Lerch sits down with VACo Executive Director...
by Karuna | Jun 28, 2024 | Industrial Solar
“This document reflects … scientific opinion and position on these issues as of May 12, 2024, and will be revised and updated as needed due to changes in research findings or regulations.” “Even relatively small local projects (< 5 MW) can lead to significant...
by Karuna | May 23, 2024 | Environmental Justice, Health & Safety, Politics of energy, Renewables, Solar, Sustainability
DEQ fines Energix Renewable Energies over $150,000 for environmental violations— further damaging its reputation in Virginia. Citing Energix violations of some 75 legal requirements of the State Water Control Law, permits, and regulations, the Virginia Department of...
by Karuna | May 1, 2024 | Latest News
We are delighted by this podcast and invite you to listen and to share it widely. Originally published on https://religionlab.virginia.edu/podcast/a-church-an-ashram-and-a-pipeline/. Used with permission. Transcript In 2014, Virginia’s Dominion Energy...
by Heidi Dhivya Berthoud | Feb 3, 2024 | Newsletter
