Democrats in Virginia won trifecta control of state government. A lot of action is expected to happen in the next session in 2026. One of the questions before lawmakers: keep with clean energy goals on the books, or ease them for a little more gas? insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...

The location of Dominion's proposed gas peaker plant in Chesterfield County is within the Elizabeth Scott voting precinct. There, Harris received about 52% of the votes in 2024. There, incumbent GOP Del. Carrie Coyner is facing a challenge from Dem. Lindsey Dougherty. (1/3)

Virginia voters will hit the polls tomorrow with electricity bills, data centers and renewable energy front of mind. One potential outcome? A Democratic triefcta control with questions over a commitment to the state's decarbonization law. insideclimatenews.org/news/0311202...

A CSX train carrying coal from West Virginia to Newport News, Virginia derailed just past Richmond in New Kent County. About 4,000 tons of coal and 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into wetlands near the Chickahominy River. insideclimatenews.org/news/3110202...

Virginia Gov. Youngkin signed onto a joint proposal with the Data Center Coalition, 3 other governors wanting the regional grid operator to fast track approvals of data centers that bring their own electricity generation, or BYOG. Rambo has the details: insideclimatenews.org/news/3010202...

My colleague @kileyprice.bsky.social writes a weekly newsletter about the latest on climate events. This one was about houses collapsing on Hatteras Island, where I was last week for a few fay days off. More homes have fallen today. insideclimatenews.org/news/2810202...

Virginia holds the title of data center capital of the world. How did that happen? My colleague @dangearino.bsky.social and I asked the question. Here's some answers. insideclimatenews.org/news/2610202...

There's been some people showing up to support Dominion's proposed natural gas peaker plant at air permit hearings. The group, the Virginia Energy Reliability Alliance, has financial backing from the utility. (1/2) insideclimatenews.org/news/2310202...

Tenaska is proposing a new 1.5 GW gas plant in Fluvanna County as part of PJM's fast tracked process to get more electricity onto the grid to serve data centers. The planning commission said hold up. insideclimatenews.org/news/1810202...

Thanks to Michael Pope, VPAP and @vpm.org for the appearance on the Virginia Press Room with Karri Peifer and Joe Dodson Spoiler alert, Karri and Joe share insights worth following, as always. Now, on Pink-Slime and a Miyares investigation: open.spotify.com/episode/5dTq...

Earlier this year, the Virginia legislature passed only a handful of 33 unique bills on data center development in the state. My colleague Deep Vakil and I took a deep dive on what the bills aimed to do and why they failed. Graphic c/o Paul Horn. insideclimatenews.org/news/3009202...

It happened several months ago, but the Virginia legislature this year passed only a handful of bills on data center development in the state. My colleague @thedeepvakil and I took a deep dive on what 33 unique bills aimed to do and why they failed. insideclimatenews.org/news/3009202...

Yesterday, Govs. Shapiro, Youngkin, Moore and Murphy demanded reforms within PJM. Studies on leaving the regional grid will likely show, "...there’s probably not enough benefit to justify the potential risks," said Jon Gordon with Advanced Energy United. insideclimatenews.org/news/2209202...

Duane Brankley lives 1.5 miles from a former coal plant. He remembers needing to wash ash off his roof and walkways as a kid. Now, he could be exposed to a fine carcinogen if Dominion gets its wish to build natural gas units where an old coal one ran. insideclimatenews.org/news/1809202...

Environmental groups expected some funding for projects, including five in Southwest Virginia, to increase resiliency. Trump canceled the program, and a judge dismissed a lawsuit to restore the grants. The groups are now appealing the ruling. insideclimatenews.org/news/1709202...

Extreme, deadly heat doesn't care about politics. Social-democratic Spain and neo-fascist Italy were hardest hit by this summer's heatwave, both suffering 1000s of casualties to human-caused global warming. insideclimatenews.org/news/1709202...

Trump is halting offshore wind projects amid claims the tech harms birds. Dominion's project is still under construction. Researchers found 6.8% of southbound and 4.7% of northbound tracked Whimbrel's could fly through turbines' spinning blades. insideclimatenews.org/news/0809202...

Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility serving what's called the data center capital of the world, and big tech like Amazon, Google and Microsoft are sparing over new rates. Hanging in the balance? A $20 monthly bill increase for typical households. insideclimatenews.org/news/0409202...

Google, Gov. Youngkin announced a $9 billion investment in the state, including a data center in Chesterfield County in Central Va. The size, construction timeline are unknown. There are also questions around its water use. insideclimatenews.org/news/2708202...

“In our mind, it makes it even more important for the General Assembly of Virginia to really take action,” Tyler Ray, president of the Bren Pointe Homeowners Association, said. “It’s clear under the current statute that residents are at risk.” insideclimatenews.org/news/2008202...

Dominion said in its application for a gas peaker plant in Va that it used an independent monitor to review bids for the project. Then it said it didn't. In 2019, a utility employee colluded with a company during a bid process that undercut other offers. insideclimatenews.org/news/1308202...

Attorneys for environmental groups and the EPA argued in court yesterday whether Trump's orders lawfully canceled $3 billion in grants to fund resiliency projects. Some money went to SW Va, which saw 3.5 inches of rain lead to flooding and injuries in July. insideclimatenews.org/news/0608202...

Virginia's been deploying broadband in rural areas for a few years. The work has overcome obstacles, and now faces changes from the Trump administration as the hardest-to-reach areas remain to be served. Via Virginia Business. virginiabusiness.com/virginia-rur...

ICYMI: Cumberland County approved a landfill last week despite residents' concerns over potential harms to Black cultural, historic resources and well water sources. Via @cardinalnews.org cardinalnews.org/2025/07/31/c...

The Democractic candidate for governor of Virginia, @abigailspanberger.com, has a lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the polls, fundraising. Her platform embraces renewables, natural gas and data centers paying their fare share for grid upgrades. insideclimatenews.org/news/0308202...

Layoffs, Votes of No Confidence and a Leader on Leave at One of the Nation’s Oldest Environmental Groups insideclimatenews.org/news/2507202...

Journalism, Propaganda and Climate Change insideclimatenews.org/news/2307202...

Governor Youngkin was among the group of nine bipartisan governors who wrote PJM to have more of a say on the grid operator's governance and address issues of getting energy sources, mostly clean ones, onto the electric grid. insideclimatenews.org/news/2307202...

Want To Fight Climate Change? Give Afro-Descendant Communities Land Rights, New Report Says insideclimatenews.org/news/2207202...

Within the past week, Youngkin has announced moves to use artificial intelligence skills to land jobs and use AI to cut regulations. AI runs through data centers, the facilities popping up near Virginians' homes and straining power, water resources. insideclimatenews.org/news/1607202...

The U.S. Department of Energy released a grid reliability report. Critics say it's unreliable given the flaws in its methodology, and worry about a continued use of Dominion Energy's costly, polluting Mount Storm coal plant. insideclimatenews.org/news/1607202...

Ian spoke with many different people for this - community members, advocacy groups, government officials and people who know the history of the island and bridge. His years of radio reporting experience came through clearly for me. Check it out!

Cumberland County residents who are opposed to the Green Ridge landfill proposal are pushing for tourism around the area's African American history as an alternative to draw in economic development. cardinalnews.org/2025/07/10/r...

In Cumberland County, where GFL Environmental is proposing a landfill, residents are concerned about language in a host agreement, property assurance program, that prevents dissent against the project, including from elected officials. @cardinalnews.org cardinalnews.org/2025/07/07/c...

On Senate Floor, Tillis Offered Inside Look Into the Lobbying Against Clean Energy: "People that haven’t worked a day in business are setting policy in the White House" insideclimatenews.org/news/0207202...

Amid Trump's changes to the federal government, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced his agency would move into National Science Foundation offices, with no indication of where the latter would be going. insideclimatenews.org/news/0107202...

Senate Republicans have quietly inserted provisions in President Trump’s domestic policy bill that would not only end federal support for wind and solar energy but would impose an entirely new tax on future projects, a move that industry groups say could devastate the renewable power industry.

From Friday: @shamaan.bsky.social details a decision to not let tribal nations in Virginia be signatories to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which aims to clean up the nation's largest estuary. insideclimatenews.org/news/2706202...

ICYMI: @subletteweather.com broke down the atmospheric river that hit Virginia earlier this year. An analysis found that projecting on current path of planetary warming by 2100, the chance of similar flooding rain doubles, intensity increases by another 7% insideclimatenews.org/news/1605202...

Trump has been pushing to dismantle FEMA as hurricane season is now underway. Youngkin thinks Virginia's ready to take that on. @markwarner.bsky.social warns of the financial toll that could have on states. insideclimatenews.org/news/1106202...

INBOX: The @EIAgov states: "In 2024, the United States produced more energy than ever before" www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...

UVa's Board of Visitors voted to dismantle its DEI office in response to President Trump's order. Some cheered the move. Some touted community programs housed under the office, and say it's now on individual people to uphold those values. virginiabusiness.com/uva-dei-offi...

Trump's budget bill would effectively kill the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits. Some 70 projects in Virginia's Republican congressional districts—worth $18.2 billion in investments and creating almost 11,000 jobs— have relied on them. insideclimatenews.org/news/0206202...

The paper mill industry uses decades old boilers, the Environmental Integrity Project found. In Virginia, one plant emitted 970,084 metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, but the number should be 2.49 million metric tons—because of a loophole in EPA's regs. insideclimatenews.org/news/3005202...

Breaking News: A woman sued oil and gas companies over her mother’s death in a heat wave. It's the first wrongful death case targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming, experts said.

UPDATE: The Senate parliamentarian advised lawmakers that they couldn't use the Congressional Review Act to revoke California's right to set vehicle standards. But they did it anyway. Expect a legal fight.

All of the 14 GOP House members who said they cared about preserving aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act ended up caving. The talk of whether there would be three or four holdouts turned out to be off base. There were zero. My story this AM: insideclimatenews.org/news/2205202...

Data center development is continuing, but communities are pushing back. In Virginia, there have been $900 million in projects getting blocked, and $45.8 billion getting delayed. This year, Virginia lawmakers did little to put in requested safeguards. insideclimatenews.org/news/1905202...

Amid Trump's slashing of federal government employees and funding, Natural Resources Conservation Service employees have been reduced from 178 over the past several months to 137 as of May 1. insideclimatenews.org/news/1405202...