environment

The Appalachia America Energy Research Center in Wise is now open. The Center is the first of five energy research centers slated to open.

A partnership between ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA and the Virginia Municipal League has resulted in a contest aimed at promoting greener communities through the development of en

The Virginia Court of Appeals will allow the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to challenge a state permit for construction of a residential and commercial development in Chesapeake. At issue is a Virginia State Water Control Board permit for development at Stumpy Lake.

A Richmond judge had ruled that the group lacked standing to appeal the permit decision because none of its individual members participated in the public comment process. The appeals court said Tuesday that no such showing is required. The case will now be heard by the the lower court.

Homeowners will generally benefit from development, which spurs economic growth. A robust economy translates to a healthy real estate market and rising home values.

Read more from the Associated Press....

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is working with the Reedy Creek Coalition, a grass-roots group in Richmond, to help homeowners in the creek's watershed to reduce polluted runoff from their properties.

Volunteers are performing audits of homes in and around the watershed that feeds Reedy Creek, which is one of the five biggest tributaries of the James in Richmond. Homeowners are given concrete suggestions -- such as breaking up clay or adding strategic beds of plants -- that can help them reduce runoff and keep polluted water out of the waterways.

Reducing runoff helps keep flooding and erosion in check, and can help prevent expensive water damage.

Read more in the Richmond Times-Dispatch....

Hundreds of piles of tires -- totalling millions of tires -- have been slowly disappearing as Virginia officials undertake a state-wide cleanup effort. The cleanup started in 1993, and there are now about 130 piles remaining, containing some two million tires.

Heaped tires pose an environmental hazard and can negatively impact area homeowners. The tires can harbor disease-carrying mosquitoes and are also highly flammable. (In the 1980s, a tire fire in Frederick County burned for nine months and became a 17-year Superfund site.)

Read more in the Lynchburg News & Advance....