The State Corporation Commission required Dominion to supplement its Oct. 15, 2024, Integrated Resource Plan with modeling plans that meet the requirements of the Virginia Clean Economy Act and show scenarios without data center load. Dominion Energy has begrudgingly responded and the results are alarming, yet unsurprising.
Maps & Resources
Landowner Testimonial – Virginia Grassland Bird Incentive Program
The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative’s Incentives Program application is open!
Open to 16 counties, VGBI’s financial incentives program pays farmers $35 per acre for delayed haying and/or summer pasture stockpiling during the grassland bird nesting season.
Both practices balance grassland bird conservation and long-term production goals by allowing ample time for nesting grassland birds to successfully fledge their young before farmers cut hay or rotate cattle into select fields.
Since 2021, 46 farmers have formally enrolled 3,000 acres of land into our financial incentives program, and 28 have implemented delayed haying or summer pasture stockpiling on another 3,000 acres voluntarily, without the financial incentives.
This year, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have provided funding to support enrolling new properties in the program!
Apply by November 15 at vagrasslandbirds.org/incentives
VGBI is a collaborative effort of PEC, Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, Quail Forever and American Farmland Trust working together with landowners and farmers to restore grassland habitat for the benefit of birds and farms across the Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley
Community invited to judge PEC annual photo contest finalists
Finalists in The Piedmont Environmental Council’s 15th Annual Photo Contest were announced on Monday, Oct. 28. Community members are now invited to view the images and vote for their favorites through Sunday, Nov. 17. To view the images and vote, visit pecva.org/photovote.
Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative offers financial incentives for delayed haying and summer pasture stockpiling
Now through Nov 15, the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is accepting applications from producers in 16 counties across the northern Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley, who are interested in financial incentives for protecting nesting grassland birds during the 2025 haying season.
Dominion Energy Integrated Resource Plan projects historic rate increases for Virginia ratepayers while subsidizing the world’s wealthiest companies
The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) filed by Dominion
Energy with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (“SCC”) this week projects a more than 100
percent increase in electricity usage in the next 15 years, primarily driven by the explosive and
uncontrolled growth of data centers.
President’s Letter: A Lifetime of Conservation
At our annual Farm-to-Table Dinner and Gala on September 21, we honor the lifetime of conservation leadership by two amazing women, Hope Porter and Marie Ridder, who will both turn 100 in the coming months.
On The Ground Updates – September 2024
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
A Match Made in Conservation
Stepping into land conservation for the first time, or starting a new conservation project, can feel as intimidating or overwhelming as a first date might feel. But in these brightly lit rooms with friendly faces, VGBI’s Conservation Speed Dating workshops replace the awkward small-talk with a fun and comfortable atmosphere where neighbors come together with conservation professionals to receive guidance.
2024 Summer Fellowship Program Highlights
PEC’s eight-week Summer Fellowship Program engages 12 college students and graduates in classroom discussions, field trips, and hands-on activities designed to impart practical knowledge and skills for careers in conservation, urban planning, agriculture, historic preservation, public policy and other related fields.
The Next Chapter for Aldie Assemblage
The Piedmont Environmental Council this summer became the proud new owner of six acres in the Village of Aldie, known as the Aldie Assemblage.