Press Releases
Virginia Should Focus on Offshore Wind, Not Oil
The Obama Administration today released the final environmental assessment clearing the way for leasing of federal offshore tracts for site assessment and location of commercial wind farms off the coast of Virginia and other mid-Atlantic...
Federal transportation bill would drive fiscal accountability and environmental protections into a ditch
The House of Representatives majority leadership released a sweeping transportation bill yesterday that would upend long-accepted practices for how the nation's highways, bridges are planned and built, gutting basic environmental safeguards for air and water...
General Assembly Support Needed to Continue Virginia’s Successful Regional Trains
Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce jointly released a report outlining the importance...
National Park Service Finally Issues Rules for Responsible Beach Driving in Cape Hatteras
The National Park Service today announced new rules to manage off-road vehicle traffic on beaches so nesting and baby sea turtles and birds as well as pedestrians are protected in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, according...
SELC and Former DEQ Director Bob Burnley Respond to Gov. McDonnell’s Announcement on Uranium Mining
Today, Governor McDonnell announced that he will ask the General Assembly not to take any action this legislative session on uranium mining.
Agreement Cuts Pollution by Retiring Dirty, Old Coal Plants in Carolinas
Conservation groups today announced a settlement with Duke Energy that will cut pollution by phasing out over 1600 mega watts of dirty, old coal-fired power while still meeting customers’ energy needs.
Case Filed to Protect Wateree River from Coal Waste Contamination
On behalf of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, the Southern Environmental Law Center today filed suit to stop contamination of the Wateree River, nearby groundwater, and wetlands by coal ash lagoons of South Carolina Electric and...
First air standards slash levels of mercury and other toxins
EPA today provided long overdue and vitally important health protections for American families and children by issuing standards for toxic air pollution from power plants, said the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Plant Washington air permit doesn’t meet public health standards
The state air quality permit for Plant Washington, a proposed 850 mega-watt coal-fired power plant in Sandersville, GA, does not meet national public health standards that even 50 year old coal-fired power plants already meet,...
NAS Report Validates Major Environmental, Health Concerns Raised by Uranium Mining Opponents
The long-awaited report issued by the National Academy of Sciences today echoes numerous pitfalls with potential uranium mining, milling and waste disposal in the Commonwealth that many concerned Virginians have expressed in past months.