By Tram On and James Jarvis
Inside a small storefront in Vienna, neatly labeled dispenser bins line the walls. Wooden shelves are laden with bulk containers of everything from hand soap to vinegar, reusable bags to pasta.
A new regional study warns that the D.C. area could face water shortages as early as 2030 if a severe drought hits.
The report, released by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) last Friday (Dec. 5), says shifting weather patterns and rising demand are putting increasing pressure on the region’s supply.
Fairfax County is stepping up efforts to meet its carbon neutrality goals with new programs and tools to help residents go green, starting next year.
First outlined in May, the three-part plan includes a public awareness campaign, a climate action tracking app and a home energy advisory service to help residents transition to clean energy and reduce their carbon footprints.
Floyd County Circuit Court Judge Randall Lowe determined Wednesday Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin acted unlawfully by withdrawing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program aimed to reduce climate changing emissions that has funneled hundreds of millions to the state to deal with the impacts of extreme weather events.
In his five page opinion, Lowe wrote that “the only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be the General Assembly. This is because a statute, the RGGI Act, requires the RGGI regulation to exist.”
Fairfax County has updated its Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance to reinforce requirements for developers along the Potomac River and its tributaries to protect older trees and guard against rising sea levels.
However, even as they voted unanimously yesterday (Tuesday) to amend regulations related to the ordinance, Fairfax County supervisors expressed some frustration with a lack of clarity in the guidance handed down by Virginia’s State Water Control Board (SWCB).
Bad news for anyone who has already gotten roots in the ground: Fairfax County’s window for planting trees has shifted back following a record-hot summer.
Forest Conservation (FCON) staff in the county’s Department of Land Development Services (LDS) updated its policy this spring to designate Oct. 1 through May 31 as the recommended time frame for planting trees, pushing back the previous start date of Sept. 1 and extending it through the winter.
The regional electric grid that supplies power to Virginia during times of extreme weather announced a 1,400% increase in some electric costs after its most recent capacity auction. But Dominion officials were quick to assure customers that they would not see an increase in their bills before the end of next year.
PJM Interconnection, which oversees the electric grid serving several mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, announced the increase for its capacity market. Dominion buys electricity off of capacity markets during peak, or emergency, demands.
Prepare for more hot, humid weather tomorrow (Friday) as the D.C. area endures its fifth heat wave of 2024.
The National Weather Service has already issued a new Heat Advisory for tomorrow that’s scheduled to take effect from noon to 8 p.m. across the region, including Fairfax County. A similar advisory is now in effect for today (Thursday), prompting the county to activate its heat plan.
The county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services launched a solar panel recycling program last week, expanding upon its November 2022 pilot program.
Daniel Brooks, an environmental services specialist at the county’s Solid Waste Management Program, said this new program falls under their electronic recycling program, which focuses on prevention.
Fairfax County has issued a call for innovators to pitch solutions that work toward carbon neutrality and clean energy.
“Pitch and Pilot,” a county-led innovation challenge, aims to find and pilot new projects that improve energy efficiency, increase renewable electricity use, and encourage the use of electric vehicles.
