The mission of the Friends of Buckingham is to protect the natural environment and cultural heritage of Buckingham County.
SB1190 Successfully Defeated
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 control over industrial solar factories.
Habitat destruction, disruption of ecosystems, soil erosion, and potential impacts on local wildlife may be caused due to land clearing for installation; additionally, the manufacturing process of solar panels can involve hazardous chemicals if not properly managed, posing environmental concerns when released.
On Monday, February 3, the bill did not pass. (The vote was 20 no to 19 yes.) Then there was a vote to reconsider the bill. Then the bill was “passed by” for the day. Later Monday, Senator Russett W Perry, (D-Parts of Fauquier County and Loudoun County) moved to reconsider the vote that had killed the bill. She then moved to bypass the bill for the day, setting it up for consideration on Tuesday, which her chief of staff said in an email was done so that some possible amendments could be considered.
On Tuesday, Deeds’ motion to pass his bill was approved on a voice vote. He did not explain on the Senate floor then, which is common for such motions.
“I didn’t have the votes for it,” he said in a text message to Cardinal News later. “It shouldn’t have been revived yesterday.”
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.
Latest News
Newsletter #163: Updates on Buckingham metallic mining
Click to read the full newsletter
Buckingham Planning Commission hear from County attorney on local metallic mining options
Buckingham County attorney EM Wright presented information at a work session on May 15 on options for the Planning Commission to consider for local regulation of metallic mining. Check out this clear coverage by Brian Carlton of the Farmville Herald below. ...
Newsletter #162: Metallic mining & PC 4/19; Apres Film discussions; Carter G Woodson
Click to read the full newsletter
Film Screening: “Not On This Land”: The Fight Against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Appalachian Voices and the Southern Environmental Law Center sponsored the documentary film “Not On This Land: The Fight Against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.” The premiere film screening was on Wednesday evening, April 12, 2023 at the Buckingham Community Center in...
Struck Gold in Virginia: StoryMap by International League of Conservation Photographers
After a lengthy battle against a national pipeline, residents of Central Virginia face a new ecological threat - gold mining. Photography by Karen Kasmauski; Written by Dori Rathmell Published April 13, 2023 Check out this well informed, beautifully photographed Story...
News
Join Us!
Membership is free. Support us by adding your name and make a contribution, as you wish. United we can be effective. We stopped the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. We supported the ban on cyanide in metalic mining. We can’t do with without you!
Celebrating 10 Years of Successes
The Friends of Buckingham
10-year anniversary celebration and annual meeting
November 16, 2024
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.)
Stopping the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
After more than seven years fighting the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, we WON!
Read about our successful efforts to protect the natural wonders of Virginia.
Media Center
Chris Landry’s documentary, Not On This Land, focuses on bout the remarkable people who stopped the Atlantic Coast Pipeline from being built.
Ben Price presents to the Buckingham Board of Supervisors 11/15/22: Adopt both a rights-based ordinance to protect our freedom from toxic trespass and a land-use ordinance. Start at 16:50. Stay on for our awesome public comments.