General Assembly Budget Update

On Sunday afternoon, the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia released their proposed budget packages in response to the Governor’s proposal. In the coming weeks, these proposals will be used to formulate the final budget for the Commonwealth of Virginia for the next two years.

Below is a summary of the priority budget items for the James River Association.

Urban Water Quality Initiatives

Virginia has made significant investments in water quality over the last two decades resulting in major pollution reductions and improvements to local water quality. But urban stormwater is the only pollution source that is still growing. In order to stop this upward trend, it is important for Virginia to make investments in the critical water quality need. The Senate included $20 million which is a step in the right direction.

SUPPORT $20 million in bonds for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund

Protecting Virginia’s Vital Lands

Did you know that investments in land conservation, such as state parks and other open spaces, provide significant economic benefits to communities in Virginia? These benefits include increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism, attraction and retention of businesses and skilled workers, improved water quality, enhanced property values, reduced costs of community services, and support for the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries. The House of Delegates included $39 million for land conservation. We need to protect this investment.

SUPPORT $39 million for Land Conservation

Keeping Virginia’s Farms Clean Water Friendly

Agriculture is the largest industry in Virginia. It is important to work with members of the agricultural community to reach solutions that help to restore the James River and support local farming operations. Both the House and the Senate included $61.7 million to help Virginia’s farmers – a remarkable investment.

SUPPORT $61.7 million for agricultural management practices

Support Wastewater Upgrades

Much of Virginia’s water quality progress is due to great work done by wastewater treatment plant upgrades. This year, more upgrades are due. We must keep this impactful state/local partnership strong. Both the House and Senate included $59 million in bonds for wastewater improvements across the state.

SUPPORT wastewater bonds totaling $59 million

General Assembly Update

www.RiverAtRisk.org

We’ve made it halfway through the 2016 General Assembly Session! Thanks to your help, we’ve made our priorities clear to legislators. Below is an update on each of our key priorities:

Priority One: Support Water Quality and Land Conservation Funding

Background: Virginia has made significant investments in water quality and land conservation over the last two decades resulting in major pollution reductions and improvements to local water quality. In order to keep Virginia’s on track with meeting our restoration goals, continued investment is necessary.

Update: The budget debate is heating up on the hill. This week, legislators will vote on funding that could determine whether the Commonwealth continues to make progress towards cleaner rivers and streams — or falls short on its goals. We will be there making the case for the James River!

Priority Two: Support Proper Coal Ash Pond Closure (Senate Bill 537)

Background: The James River watershed is home to coal ash ponds capable of holding five billion gallons of coal ash. Each pond in the watershed is adjacent to the river or one of its tributaries. Coal ash, which is a waste product of the electricity generation process, contains arsenic, lead and mercury among other toxics. Simply capping coal ash ponds in place, as currently proposed, does not stop the potential of groundwater contamination or leaching in to surface waters. Every North Carolina pond that has been tested has been shown to be contaminating the surrounding groundwater. Despite this track record of contamination, Virginia’s code does not require lining, capping and long-term monitoring for these facilities. Passing this critical bill will provide that protection to Virginia’s waterways and will allow power generating companies to recover the costs.

Update: This bill spurred great conversation of the coal ash issue with Virginia legislators. Unfortunately, the coal ash pond closure bill died in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee on a 7-7-1 vote. But do not fear — this conversation will not stop here. A dewatering permit to drain the ponds at Chesterfield Power Station is coming soon, as well as permits for the ultimate closure of the ponds. We still need your help in this fight!


Priority Three: Support Swifter Spill Notification (Senate Bill 581 & House Bill 977)


Background: Current law requires the spill of a dangerous substance be reported within 24 hours to the Department of Environmental Quality. We believe that this timeline leaves our waterways, citizens and economy at risk. Accelerating that timeline to 12 hours and enhancing public notification will better protect us all.

Update: After working with stakeholders to address opposition to this bill, we reached a compromise that removed the 12 hour timeline for notification (leaving it at the current 24 hours) but still increased spill notification from just newspapers to also include radio and television. The bill successfully made it out of the House of Delegates, but did not make it out of the Senate. We will work tirelessly to ensure that we can be successful when the House bill comes before the Senate again.


Priority Four: Support Proper Menhaden Management (Senate Bill 98 & House Bill 150)


Background: Menhaden have been called "the most important fish in the sea." Menhaden are both filter feeders and a primary food source for striped bass, bluefish, sharks, ospreys, brown pelicans, and dolphin. Beyond its ecological importance, the menhaden fishery is very important economically to the Commonwealth, supporting hundreds of jobs. JRA urges legislators to transfer management of the menhaden fishery from the General Assembly to the experienced fishery professionals at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). VMRC currently manages all of the Commonwealth's fisheries except menhaden.

Update: Both bills have been defeated, due to the delicate relationship between menhaden management and jobs. This is a conversation that will continue at the General Assembly level in the future.

Top 40 Romantic Spots in the James River watershed

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the James River Association. To celebrate this anniversary we’ll be releasing Top 40 lists throughout the year celebrating some of the awesome experiences the James River watershed has to offer.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we have surveyed our social media following as well as our staff to bring you the Top 40 Romantic Spots in the James River watershed. So here they are, in no particular order, 40 beautiful places to spend time with your special someone.

1. Anywhere in a tandem canoe or kayak with your special someone
2. Taking a stroll across the Buchanan swinging bridge
3. Dinner at the Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg
4. Sitting around the campfire at James River State Park
5. A weekend stay at the James River Inn
6. Enjoying the waterfall at Roaring Run Creek near Gala
7. Date night at Buchanan Theatre
8. A weekend stay at Natural Bridge
9. Sipping wine at Pippin Hill Vineyard
10. The view from the Appalachian Trail footbridge at Snowden
11. Secluded camping at James River Face Wilderness
12. The view from the top of Crabtree Falls
13. The view from Lynchburg’s Bluff Walk
14. Catching the sunset at Seven Islands in Fluvanna
15. Romantic getaway in Clifton Forge
16. Taking in the view at Blue Ridge Vineyards
17. Catching a concert at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville
18. Attending a wedding at Historic Riverview on the James
19. A bicycle ride at High Bridge State Park
20. Stargazing at Historic Belmead
21. Horseback riding at Powhatan State Park
22. Date night at the Goochland Drive-In
23. Taking a stroll through Tucker Park
24. Picnic at Agecroft Hall
25. The ballroom at Richmond’s Pump House Park
26. Romantic dinner at the Boathouse in Rocketts Landing
27. Marriage proposal at Libby Hill Park
28. Picnic at Riverside Meadow in the James River Park System
29. Swimming at Pony Posture
30. Walking through the gardens at Maymont
31. Catching a concert at the Beacon Theatre in Hopewell
32. Sunset cruise looking for sturgeon on the Lower James
33. Attending a wedding at Westover Plantation
34. Dinner at Smithfield Station
35. Renting a cabin at Chippokes Plantation State Park
36. Enjoying the view from the overlook in the Governor's Land Preservation Area
37. Paddling College Creek off the Colonial Parkway
38. Swimming at Huntington Beach
39. Attending a wedding Kingsmill Resort
40. Waterfront dining at the Chamberlin at Fort Monroe

Court Challenge Planned to Protect the James River

The James River Association has been working with the Southern Environmental Law Center to file a notice of appeal for the permit issued by DEQ to Dominion last month to allow discharge of coal ash wastewater from Bremo Power Station into the James River. Below is the statement released by both organizations today.

We thank you for your support throughout this process. You help us give the James River the voice it deserves.

Conservation Groups Plan Court Challenge to Protect the James River from Coal Ash Pollution

On behalf of the James River Association, Southern Environmental Law Center has filed a notice with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Dominion Power that it will appeal the permit issued by DEQ to Dominion last month to allow the discharge of over 350 million gallons of coal ash wastewater from the Bremo Power Station into the James River. The James River Association is represented in this action by the Southern Environmental Law Center. This notice of appeal is required prior to filing the actual appeal of the permit with a state court judge in Richmond.

In January, the State Water Control Board issued a permit allowing Dominion to discharge millions of gallons per day of coal ash wastewater containing heavy metals at levels exceeding the state’s own standards to protect human and aquatic life.

The conservation groups are challenging the failure of the permit to protect a high quality water body, as required by the Clean Water Act. In violation of the law, the permit does not require Dominion to fully use readily available water treatment technologies to remove enough of the toxic metals from the wastewater to meet state water quality standards before it is released into the river. Rather, it allows higher levels of pollution and relies on dilution within the river to meet water quality standards. The law prohibits this degradation in such a high quality area of the river, which is a popular small mouth bass fishery and home to endangered species of mussels.

“The James River Association is committed to ensuring that the James River is fully protected from the harmful effects of coal ash. The James River near Bremo Power Station is a biologically healthy and diverse section of the river with important resources that must be protected,” said Bill Street, CEO at James River Association. “We are deeply disappointed that the permit approved by the State Water Control Board fell short of fully protecting the James River when the technology to meet stronger water quality protections is readily available and affordable. We are filing notice of an appeal to ensure that ‘America's Founding River’ receives the same level of protection as any other waters.”

Explained Brad McLane, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center: “The law required DEQ to set tough standards based on the availability of proven and affordable technology to treat these wastewaters and protect the high quality waters of the James River. Instead the DEQ permit sets lax standards that fail to protect the James. DEQ and the State Water Control Board clearly broke the law in issuing this permit.”

In addition to the Bremo permit, the State Water Control Board approved a permit allowing Dominion to discharge wastewater from coal ash ponds at Possum Point Power Station on Quantico Creek near the Potomac. On behalf of Potomac Riverkeeper Network, SELC will also be pursuing a permit appeal to protect the Potomac River and Quantico Creek from coal ash wastewaters discharged from the Possum Point Power Plant in Dumfries, VA.

View the full Press Release. Visit our website www.RiveratRisk.org for more information.