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Virginia Biennial Budget Proposes Historic Funding for Clean Water
December 15, 2021
Today Virginia Governor Ralph Northam previewed his proposed budget for clean water, covering fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The budget proposes $1 billion for programs to clean up local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
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CBF, JRA, and EIP Issue Statement on Henrico Consent Order
December 14, 2021
The State Water Control Board today approved another consent order with Henrico County that fails to solve chronic water pollution violations by its sewage treatment plant and sewage collection system.
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Virginia Releases Coastal Resilience Master Plan
December 7, 2021
Today Virginia Governor Ralph Northam released Virginia’s Coastal Resilience Master Plan, which aims to protect communities vulnerable to flooding and provides a roadmap for adapting to climate change.
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Clean Water Advocates File Federal Lawsuit to Halt Decades of Violations by Henrico Sewage System
December 6, 2021
Three environmental organizations filed a federal lawsuit today to halt decades of water pollution violations by Henrico County’s sewage treatment plant and sewage collection system, including the release of more than 66 million gallons of raw sewage into the James River in the last five years alone.
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Virginia Air Board Denies Permit for Pipeline Compressor Station
December 3, 2021
Today in a 6-1 vote the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board denied a permit for a controversial proposed compressor station in Southside Virginia.
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95-Year-Old Williamsburg Man Honored as Longest-Serving Oyster Restoration Volunteer
December 1, 2021
CBF today presented Walter Zadan with an award for outstanding environmental stewardship recognizing him as CBF’s longest-serving Virginia oyster shell recycling volunteer.
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Virginia Completes Major Oyster Restoration Projects
November 30, 2021
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today announced the completion of major oyster restoration projects on Virginia’s Piankatank and Great Wicomico rivers, totaling more than 150 acres of oyster habitat combined.
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CBF Statement on Election of Glenn Youngkin to Virginia Governor
November 3, 2021
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Executive Director Peggy Sanner issued the following statement on the election of Glenn Youngkin to Virginia Governor.
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CBF Statement on Passing of A. Linwood Holton Jr.
October 29, 2021
CBF Virginia Executive Director Peggy Sanner issued the following statement on the passing of former Virginia Governor A. Linwood Holton.
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Southside Richmond Residents Eligible for Free Trees in October Giveaway
October 11, 2021
Southside Richmond residents this October can receive two free native trees or shrubs to plant at home as part of a major initiative to increase tree cover under the Greening Southside Richmond project.
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Alexandria Renew Enterprises to Prevent Millions of Gallons of Sewage Pollution
September 30, 2021
This morning, Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew), Alexandria’s wastewater treatment provider, celebrated the groundbreaking of a major initiative to control millions of gallons of raw sewage polluting the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
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Fredericksburg to Prevent Litter With Plastic Bag Fee
September 29, 2021
The Fredericksburg City Council has approved an ordinance to prevent litter through a 5-cent fee on disposable plastic bags provided at grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores.
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Ann Jennings Appointed Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources
September 22, 2021
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam today appointed Ann Jennings as Virginia’s Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. Jennings has served for more than three years as Virginia Deputy Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, helping to implement Governor Northam’s priorities for the Chesapeake Bay, water quality, and natural resources.
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Virginia Environmental Leader W. Tayloe Murphy Passes Away
September 16, 2021
Longtime Virginia environmental leader and Chesapeake Bay advocate W. Tayloe Murphy passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Murphy served as Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources from 2002 to 2006 and as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the Northern Neck throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
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400,000 Dead Fish Spilled in Hampton Roads Waters by Omega Protein
September 10, 2021
This week Omega Protein, a Canadian owned seafood company, spilled more than 400,000 dead menhaden fish into Hampton Roads waters, according to a Sept. 8 letter by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. The fish spilled during two separate incidents this week.
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Virginia Efforts Plant 3.5 Million Oysters This Season from the Northern Neck to the Eastern Shore
September 7, 2021
CBF's Virginia Oyster Team is completing its 2021 oyster restoration season today after raising about 3.5 million new oysters on innovative oyster barges docked at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. The barges produced a CBF Virginia record high spat set this year.
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Hampton Roads Faces Harmful Algal Blooms This Week
August 27, 2021
A proliferation of harmful algal blooms this week across Hampton Roads is clear in striking aerial photos and videos captured by CBF and American Multimedia Solutions near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on Aug. 26. The algae colored the water reddish-brown in many places, including Ocean View in Norfolk, Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach, and the Lafayette and York rivers.
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Shenandoah’s North Fork under Health Advisory Due to Harmful Algal Bloom
August 13, 2021
The Virginia Department of Health this week urged people to avoid the water on more than 50 miles of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River due to dangerous toxic algal mats recently reported in Shenandoah and Warren counties. These harmful algal blooms can contain toxins that cause illnesses and rashes in people, pets, and livestock.
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Virginia Farmers Now Eligible for Portable Fencing Funding to Protect Streams
August 10, 2021
This summer, farmers in Virginia became eligible for state cost-share funding to pay for portable fencing to keep livestock out of streams and rivers. Fencing livestock out of waterways has significant benefits for clean water because it prevents erosion and waste from polluting streams. The practice also contributes to healthier herds.
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Virginia House and Senate Boost Budgets for Clean Water Programs
August 9, 2021
The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, meeting in a special session today, approved appropriations that will substantially increase investments in programs that lead to cleaner water in rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.
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Report: Freshwater Mussels Unsung Heroes at Risk in Chesapeake Bay Watershed
July 29, 2021
Freshwater mussels play an amazing yet little-known role in healthy rivers and streams. As their numbers dramatically decline, we must now focus on restoring mussel populations, according to a report issued this week.
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Virginia Landowners Eligible for Full Funding to Plant Streamside Trees in Upper James Watershed
July 27, 2021
Under a new initiative, landowners in parts of Augusta, Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland, and Rockbridge counties can now receive full funding to plant trees along rivers and streams that eventually flow into the James River.
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Gov. Northam Proposes Clean Water Investments Totaling $411.5 Million in Federal Funds
July 27, 2021
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today announced a $411.5 million proposal to invest federal American Rescue Plan funds in updating Virginia wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
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New Virginia Plan Should Protect Clean Water and Communities Vulnerable to Flooding
July 21, 2021
As Virginia seeks feedback from people affected by flooding to develop a coastal protection plan, CBF urges leaders to use this opportunity to provide greater water quality protections while defending vulnerable communities.
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Governor Northam Signs Clean Water Bills
June 25, 2021
Today at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation that will benefit the environment and the Chesapeake Bay. The bills were passed earlier this year by the Virginia General Assembly.
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More Portsmouth Residents to Grow Oysters in Chesapeake Bay Foundation Effort
June 24, 2021
More people in Portsmouth will be able to raise oysters for restoration work this year as CBF expands its oyster gardening program. For the first time in more than a decade, CBF is offering an oyster gardening workshop in Portsmouth.
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On National Soil Health Day, CBF Highlights Importance to Clean Water
June 23, 2021
As a member of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation supports soil management for its ability to reduce polluted runoff from agriculture and trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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Clean the Bay Day Prevents 52,306 Pounds of Litter to Virginia Waterways in 2021
June 11, 2021
More than 2,000 volunteers across Virginia picked up 52,306 pounds of litter as part of Clean the Bay Day in 2021, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) annual longstanding litter cleanup.
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CBF Statement on Gov. Northam Directive to Reduce Polluted Runoff from State Lands
June 3, 2021
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a new executive directive setting targets for significantly reducing polluted runoff from lands owned by state agencies and public educational institutions.
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Newly Open Classroom Redefines School in Chesapeake Bay Foundation-Virginia Beach City Public Schools Effort
May 20, 2021
A cutting-edge new classroom launched this spring is reinventing learning in a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Virginia Beach Public Schools at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center.
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Clean the Bay Day Returns the First Week of June after COVID Cancellation in 2020
May 3, 2021
Clean the Bay Day, Virginia’s long-running annual litter cleanup, is coming back in a new way the first week of June after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Last year was the first time the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia tradition missed a year since the event began in 1989.
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Southside Virginia Pipeline Compressor Station Raises Environmental Justice Concerns
April 27, 2021
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is raising environmental justice and pollution concerns about a proposed compressor station in Pittsylvania County for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Lambert Compressor Station, an industrial facility planned to pump gas through the pipeline, would be built within five miles of four environmental justice communities with strong African American and American Indian roots.
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Virginia DEQ Announces New Environmental Justice Director
April 23, 2021
CBF is encouraged by the announcement of an environmental justice director at DEQ and hopes it will prove a significant step forward in ensuring that Virginia’s communities have a meaningful voice in environmental decisions that could affect them.
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Delegate Lopez Earns CBF’s Virginia Legislator of the Year
April 20, 2021
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) this week presented Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington and Fairfax) with a Virginia Legislator of the Year award for his work to achieve a healthy Chesapeake Bay and reduce pollution to Virginia’s rivers and streams.
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Virginia to Phase Out Single-Use Plastics in State Government
March 23, 2021
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today released an executive order requiring the phase-out of single-use plastics by state government agencies, including all state universities and colleges.
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Historic Budget for Clean Water Programs Passes Virginia General Assembly
March 1, 2021
Approving historically strong levels of investment in clean water programs, the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates this weekend passed final budget amendments for the upcoming second year of the biennial budget.
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Virginia Bans on Balloon Releases and Polystyrene Are Environmental Wins
February 23, 2021
The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting the outdoor release of nonbiodegradable balloons and separate legislation requiring food vendors to phase out their use of polystyrene takeout containers will greatly enhance Virginia’s efforts to prevent litter from polluting waterways.
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Norfolk Artist's Work Inspired by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Oyster Restoration
February 11, 2021
A new exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art displays striking collages by Norfolk artist Andy Harris inspired by CBF's oyster restoration efforts and exploring the connection between food and art.
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Virginia House and Senate Release Budgets for Clean Water Programs
February 10, 2021
The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates today formally proposed separate amendments for the upcoming second year of the biennial budget. The budget proposals include investment in key programs that benefit Virginia’s rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.
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Acclaimed Virginia Naturalist, Educator, and Photographer Bill Portlock Retires
January 21, 2021
Following a five-decade career advancing environmental education in Virginia and producing stunning nature photography, Bill Portlock retired earlier this month as Senior Educator for CBF.
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Key Virginia Environment Bill Could Expand Tree Planting and Preservation
January 20, 2021
Legislation to allow Virginia counties and cities to better use trees to address flooding, reduce polluted runoff, and take steps to address the “heat island” effect, which is part of the legacy of past discriminatory lending practices, is expected to be heard in key House and Senate committees in the coming days.
