conservation
Thank you to everyone that showed up at the Board of Supervisors meeting on July 19th to support the Resilience and Sustainability Resolution for All to Thrive in Loudoun County. Individuals and representatives from co-signing organizations showed up in significant numbers and at an important time.
air monitoring
As of the time of this writing, we’re up to 4 air monitors in Loudoun. We need to source locations for up to 15 more monitors, which means we need more than 15 suggestions for locations as not all of them will be suitable.
Thankfully, we have this new form: Suggest an air monitor location.
These air monitors air weatherproof and don’t need much maintenance. All they require is power (a standard wall outlet), and access to wifi.
Perhaps you have a home that would be perfect, or maybe you go to a chuch that would work out well. Maybe you’re on an HOA board and the HOA has a clubhouse that would be a good location. The possibilities are endless.
The data from our current air monitors, as well as where to find data from future monitors is here: http://www.loudounclimate.org/air-monitoring
To see data from all of the Purple Air monitors (not just ours) both in Loudoun and everywhere else, go to www.purpleair.com
Uncategorized
Editor: Three years ago, on May 17 and 18, 2019, hundreds of Virginians united in common cause to oppose unjust and unneeded fracked-gas pipelines, and to stand in solidarity for environmental justice and the climate.
On May 17, the Stand with Appalachia: Progress Not Pipelines rally was held in Richmond. On May 18, a rally was held in Leesburg, Attorney General Mark Herring’s hometown.
Since then, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, ACP, has been defeated, but climate disaster Mountain Valley Pipeline, MVP, is still active. Last year on the second anniversary of these anti-pipeline rallies, Del. Chris Hurst wrote an Op-Ed in the Roanoke Times – Hurst: Mountain Valley Pipeline is not the Future Virginia Needs, He reminisced “What I shared with the crowd that day in Leesburg still rings true: There is no need for the MVP and it should be cancelled.
Both pipelines were permitted in December 2017 by misusing/abusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit 12, NWP 12, to fast track these fracked gas pipelines through rural Southwest Virginia. The original intent of NWP 12 was to streamline the permitting process for utility lines, not 42” diameter gas pipelines. As a result, these pipelines caused:
Pipeline builders clearcut 125-foot wide swaths along hundreds of miles for both pipelines routed through rural southwest Virgina. The routes traverse steep terrain, cut into fragile limestone bedrock, and cross over 1,000 streams. Natural gas pipelines have never been built in such steep terrain. Sediment and erosion control devices deployed are inadequate. The MVP violated Virginia’s Water Quality Standards hundreds of times. In December 2018, Virginia’s attorney general filed suit against MVP, citing over 300 water quality violations. Because the NWP 12 does not require project specific National Environmental Protection Act, NEPA, or Clean Water Act, CWA, review violations continue to this day every time it rains.
Multiple lawsuits against the ACP and MVP overturning Federal Agency Permits clearly demonstrates the misuse of NWP 12. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, ACP, prior to its cancellation, had 8 permits rescinded by a federal court or a regulatory agency. Recently, the MVP received significant defeats: this February, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down, for the second time, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service approval to cross the Jefferson National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management permit was struck down as well.
Fracked gas pipelines exacerbate climate change. Upon the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez declared on 09/08/2021 “code red for humanity.” It is obvious that fossil fuels, particularly the extremely potent greenhouse gas methane, aka “natural gas,” must stay in the ground. Rescinding NWP 12 is critical.
Written public comment can be made at: regulations.gov/document/COE-2022-0003-0001. You can view other comments received to help develop your own. The last date to submit your comments is May 27. Use your voice.
Natalie Pien, Leesburg
Original: https://loudounnow.com/2022/05/23/letter-natalie-pien-leesburg-31/
Loudoun Climate
Loudoun Climate Project is proud to share Appalachian Voices’ recent acknowledgement of our President and Co-Founder, Natalie Pien. Since attending the 2017 VA State Water Control Board hearings for the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Natalie has worked to bring the fight against them to Loudoun County. A former Environmental Scientist and retired public school science teacher, Natalie is guided by science, education, and science-based policy making. Since founding Loudoun Climate Project’s predecessor 350 Loudoun, Natalie has been sounding the climate crisis alarm regarding: its anthropogenic causes; the need to stop greenhouse gas emissions by keeping fossil fuels in the ground; and advocating for a rapid transition to renewable sources of energy in order to avert the worst outcomes.
It’s clear that regular people like you, me, and Natalie Pien can accomplish amazing things. Regular people can fight the fossil fuel industry and defeat the kinds of projects that ravage communities and increase the warming of the planet. However, none of us does that alone. We’re grateful to our coalition partner Appalachian Voices, and look forward to our next opportunity to work together to advance environmental justice, and stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
On such an auspicious occasion, Natalie had this to say:
While I appreciate this recognition, I am humbled to be included with a group of stellar women. I just try to do my best to make a difference.
We agree with Appalachian Voices and think Natalie’s pretty great as well. We invite Loudouners to join us in congratulating her on this well deserved acknowledgement!
MVP
On 12/11/2021 Loudoun Climate Project joined hundreds of pipeline fighters from across Virginia and West Virginia in Richmond to read 2 of over 300 environmental violations the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) has received from Virginia’s department of Environmental Quality.
On December 14th, the Virginia State Water Control Board, an independent regulatory body tasked with administering the state’s water laws will vote on whether to issue MVP a water crossing permit under section 401 of the clean water act.
It is imperative the State Water Control Board deny MVP’s permit. The emissions from the MVP would be equivalent to building 23 new coal-fired power plants, at a time when our collective future depends on the world immediately taking all available actions to address the deepening climate crisis.
There has been no reasonable assurance, no past compliance, and there should be no MVP.
landscaping
Learn about the multiple benefits of planting native trees and plants from guest speakers Chris Stone, Loudoun County Department of General Services and Renee Grebe, Audobon Naturalist Society. Find out how native tree planting projects and native plants landscaping projects can be organized in your neighborhood.
Fundraiser
This years polar plunge was a little different, but we’re very grateful to our donors for making this one of our better funded plunges.
We put together this little video of the event to show our gratitude.
Missed the polar plunge but want to donate? Donations can still be sent in here: https://us-p2p.e-activist.com/4544/brrrrtual-polar-bear-plunge/95044/loudoun-climate-project-plunge-team
conservation
We’re glad to see that the Loudoun Board of Supervisors reversed their prior decision on the Goose Creek Overlook development.
We lament that the affordable housing this development would’ve brought won’t be built, as we do consider ourselves affordable housing advocates. Loudoun Climate Project is working on building alliance w/ affordable housing advocates so that local organizing on conservation and housing affordability can both benefit from increased coordination.
The banks of Goose Creek aren’t appropriate for development for a variety of reasons.
Affordable Housing – Loudoun needs a lot more affordable housing, but this is a highly sensitive location that isn’t suitable for increased development. There is also no access to public transportation and the location isn’t walkable to jobs or services people rely on, so every trip needs to be made by car. That makes it more expensive for residents who will live here. The county must take these important factors into account in order to create true, long-term affordable housing.
Impervious Cover – Roofs, parking lots and sidewalks block rain water from soaking into the ground so it runs off them at high velocities and volumes, carrying with it oils, metals, fertilizers, pesticides, salts and trash generated by human activity. The proposed density would double the impervious surface, and the steep slopes further increase the negative impact.
Trails and Parks – Loudoun needs more public trails and parks, but the county could make alternate plans to provide parking and build trails for this and other county-owned land under easement without approving this development.
Drinking water -The properties are located just upstream from a public drinking water intake. The cleaner the stream, the easier and less expensive it is to provide clean drinking water, so it’s important to minimize all types of development in drinking water & reservoir watersheds. Runoff from impervious surfaces, soil compaction and the loss of natural vegetation from intense development can have a detrimental effect on stream health.
Steep slopes – The steep slopes on this property make this a bad location for intense development. Major site disturbance will be needed. Creating huge potential for erosion. They will have to blast to put in both the housing and underground stormwater vaults, due to both the steep slopes and diabase rock underneath the site.
Comprehensive Plan – The county’s Comprehensive Plan that was developed over three years with input from residents calls for this area to be less densely developed than the proposal calls for. When we rezone, it has to be good for the county and good for residents. This site is neither. Before approving any more rezonings in this area, the county should create the source water protection plan called for in the Comprehensive Plan, with special attention given to more protective requirements to reduce development on steep slopes, limit clearing and increase setbacks from Goose Creek.
Climate change – We are entering a period where we know there are going to be more and more extreme weather patterns, including flooding. Yet, this proposal would remove natural cover and permeable ground on moderate and steep slopes right next to Goose Creek. If we also want to reduce people’s reliance on cars and fossil fuels, we need to be thoughtful about creating walkable, transit-oriented places to live.
Loudoun Climate
We were excited to officially launch Loudoun Climate Project on January 27th, 2021.
We recorded the meeting and the video can be found below.