Increased Natural Gas Supplies Leading Companies to Seek Increased Exports of Liquefied Natural Gas

According to the Baltimore Sun, an oversupply of natural gas in the United States—resulting to a large extent from development in recent years of hundreds of new Marcellus shale formation wells, particularly in Pennsylvania and West Virginia—is leading Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources to pursue export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through its Cove Point terminal in the Chesapeake Bay off Calvert County, Maryland.  As of February 2012, Dominion had received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to export LNG to about 20 nations with which the United States has free-trade agreements, and the company is seeking federal approval for exporting to any nation except those under trade sanctions.  (Eight terminals in the continental United States are seeking such approval; Dominion’s Cove Point terminal is the only mid-Atlantic one doing so.)  If that approval is granted, Dominion would need to seek state and local permits in order to construct a facility at the terminal for liquefying natural gas.

Source:  Marcellus shale fracking: Natural gas exports eyed through Calvert County, Baltimore Sun, 2/10/12

Around the Western Hemisphere in 27-foot Boat

If you haven’t already heard or read about the current voyage of Matt Rutherford, it’s a story you don’t want to miss.

Mr. Rutherford is attempting to sail a 27-foot boat non-stop and by himself some 23,000 nautical miles around North and South America, including navigating through the Northwest Passage.  The 36-year-old Ohio native started from Annapolis, Md., in June 2011, and as of February 21 was about 600 miles east of Brazil.  Mr. Rutherford is seeking through the voyage to raise $250,000 for the Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating (CRAB) program, an Annapolis-based non-profit organization that seeks to provide boating opportunities for physically or developmentally challenged people and for people who cannot afford such opportunities (the program’s Web site is http://crabsailing.org/).

Mr. Rutherford’s blog site is http://www.solotheamericas.org/. 

For an excellent account of Mr. Rutherford’s quest, see Annapolis sailor on unprecedented, around-the-Americas odyssey, Washington Post, 2/6/12.

 

A Shenandoah Valley Look at the Local Aspects of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load

A February 2012 series of articles in the Staunton (Va.) News Leader focused on concerns by Shenandoah Valley farmers and local governments about the local actions and expenditures that may be needed to meet the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load’s (TMDL) required reductions in the sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus generated by agricultural and municipal sources.  The following quote, from the February 6 article, summarizes such concerns: “‘You can basically narrow down the counties’ concerns to three things,’ said Rockingham County Administrator Joe Paxton….  ‘We’re concerned about funding, we’re concerned about the accuracy of the data [being used by the U.S. EPA], and we’re concerned that some of the proposed BMPs [best management practices] we don’t think are attainable.’”

These concerns were raised in the context of Virginia’s work to produce a Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), which will identify actions that localities plan to meet the TMDL’s pollution-reduction goals.  Bay jurisdictions submitted draft Phase II WIPs in December 2011; EPA provided comments on the drafts on February 15, and final versions are due to the EPA by March 30.  (For an overview of EPA’s evaluation of the draft Phase II plans, please see EPA gives mixed grades on Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans, Baltimore Sun, 2/21/2012.  For a news account on submission of local plans in Maryland, see Frederick County bay cleanup plan falls short, Maryland Gazette, 2/10/12.)  When Virginia submitted its draft Phase II plan on December 15, the plan did not include strategies for localities to meet local and regional requirements of the TMDL, and the Commonwealth required localities to submit such proposed strategies or actions by February 1.  (For information from EPA’s Bay TMDL Web site on this process in Virginia, see http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/tmdl/ChesapeakeBay/RestorationUnderway.html?tab2=2&tab1=5).

The recent concerns raised by Shenandoah Valley localities echo similar comments submitted during the public comment period on the final draft of the TMDL, prior to its issuance by the EPA in December 2010.  For a look back at some of the comments by various stakeholders just prior to the release of the TMDL, please see the show notes for Virginia Water Radio Episode 42 (week of 11-15-10) (click the hyperlink, or visit http://www.virginiawaterradio.org where you’ll find an archive of episodes).

Sources: Farmers question EPA on bay data, Staunton News Leader, 2/19/12; Supervisors: Data confusion muddies EPA pollution requirements, Staunton News Leader, 2/9/12; Federal Chesapeake Bay cleanup mandates irk officials in Augusta County, Staunton News Leader, 2/6/2012; Bristling local governments oblige state in Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort, Staunton  News Leader, 2/2/2012; Virginia Department of Conservation Bay TMDL Web site, http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/vabaytmdl/index.shtml, 2/23/12; and U.S. EPA Bay TMDL Web pages on Bay Jurisdictions Phase II WIPs, http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/tmdl/ChesapeakeBay/RestorationUnderway.html, 2/23/12.

Possible Wind-energy Projects Off the Atlantic Coast Moved Forward by February 2 Announcement by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

On February 2, 2012, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that had completed environmental and safety assessments of certain potential offshore wind zones off the Atlantic Coast—including offshore of the states of Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey—and found that offshore wind projects in those zones would have “no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts” on fisheries, military operations, marine traffic, or marine life.  In February 2011 the agency identified the zones as Atlantic Coast areas to receive expedited review of proposed wind-energy projects.  In addition, the agency released drafts of forms that companies can use to submit applications for permits offshore wind-energy projects and started a 45-day period for companies to state their interest in developing projects off Virginia’s and Maryland’s coastlines.  The area off Virginia’s coast covers 112,799 acres 23.5 to 36.5 nautical miles east of Virginia Beach.  According to the 2/3/12 Richmond Times-Dispatch, Dominion Virginia Power, Apex Offshore Wind, and Seawind Renewable Energy Corporation have expressed interest in developing projects off Virginia’s coast. 

Sources: Obama Administration Announces Major Steps toward Leasing for Offshore Wind Projects in Mid-Atlantic, U.S. Department of Interior News Release, 2/2/12 (documents on the assessment and calls for projects off Virginia and Maryland are available at this link); Feds OK offshore wind in Virginia, Newport News Daily Press, 2/2/12; Offshore wind farm farther away, closer to reality, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 2/3/12; Offshore wind energy lease process moves forward, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/3/12; Dominion seeks offshore wind domination, Newport News Daily Press, 2/6/12; and Salazar, Chu Announce Major Offshore Wind Initiatives, U.S. Department of Interior News Release, 2/7/11.

73 Households in Scott County, Va., Communities of Angler’s Way and Sloantown to Receive Public Water Through $750,000 Community Development Block Grant

On February 5, 2012, Va. Gov. Robert McDonnell’s office announced that a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) has been awarded to the Scott County Public Service Authority to help pay for extending public water supply to 73 households in the Angler’s Way and Sloantown communities.  CDBG grants are federally funded, awarded competitively (12 out of 30 proposals received funding in the current cycle), administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and designed to assist primarily low- and moderate-income communities.  Virginia receives up to $17 million annually through the program; click here for information about the Virginia program.

Sources: Governor McDonnell Announces an Additional $3.15 Million in Community Development Block Grant Funding, Virginia Governor’s Office News Release, 2/7/12; and Scott County PSA awarded $750,000 for project in Angler’s Way area, timesnews.net (Kingsport, Tenn., Times-News), 2/12/12

Washington Post on 2/5/12 Gives an Account of Withdrawn Marcellus Shale Gas-drilling Proposal in Rockingham County, Va.

In December 2011, the Carrizo LLC company of Houston, Texas, withdrew its application for a local special-permit to use hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to drill for natural gas in the Bergton area of Rockingham County, Virginia.  The area is underlain by part of the Marcellus shale formation, a 95,000 square-mile, gas-bearing rock formation underlying parts of Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and a small part of Virginia.  By April 2010, Carizzo had met all requirements for the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to issue the company a state permit for drilling a maximum 3,700-foot exploration well.  But the Rockingham County board of Supervisors tabled the company’s special-use permit request on February 24, 2010, in order to gather more information about the exploratory drilling process and its potential environmental impacts.  Carrizo eventually withdrew its application in the face of local opposition and concerns about the potential impacts of the drilling on groundwater and local roads.  The 2/5/12 Washington Post gives an account of the drilling proposal that focuses on Rockingham County board chair Pablo Cuevas’ investigation of, and eventual opposition to, the proposed well.

Sources: With deep concerns over fracking, a Va. county says no to more gas drilling, Washington Post, 2/5/12; and  Proposed Gas Drilling n Bergton, Harrisonburg Daily News-Record, 4/28/10

Virginia State Budget Proposals for 2012-13 Biennium Reported February 19 from House and Senate Committees

On February 19, the Virginia General Assembly’s House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee reported their proposed budget bills (HB 30 and SB 30, respectively) for the 2012-2013 biennium.  Each house must complete work on its own budget bill by February 23, and then complete work on the budget bill of the other house by February 29.  A conference committee will then work to negotiate a final budget bill to present back to both houses, with the scheduled end of the 2012 session set for March 10.

The proposed budgets from each committee includes subcommittee reports of various aspects of the bill, including the Economic/Agriculture/Natural Resources subcommittee report in the House and the Economic Development/Natural Resources subcommittee report in the Senate.  Access to these and other subcommittee reports, as well as to the full budget bills and the budget that was proposed by Gov. Robert McDonnell, is available at http://leg2.state.va.us/MoneyWeb.NSF/sb2012.

Snowfall Estimates in Va. for Feb. 19-20, 2012

According to the National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) “Recent Snow” Web page at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/dly-data.php (as of 2/21/12), preliminary (that is, subject to official verification) snowfall totals for the February 19-20, 2012, storm in Virginia ranged from less than an inch to 8 to 9 inches in several locations.  Here are preliminary values from various locations, alphabetized by county or city:

ALBEMARLE     CHARLOTTESVILLE  5.8
ALLEGHANY     COVINGTON        8.0
AUGUSTA       CRAIGSVILLE      7.8
AUGUSTA       STAUNTON         6.9
BATH          HOT SPRINGS      7.5
BEDFORD       BEDFORD          6.0
BEDFORD       HOLCOMB ROCK     7.5
BOTETOURT     BUCHANAN         5.5
BRUNSWICK     ALBERTA          4.0
BUCKINGHAM    BUCKINGHAM       7.0
CAMPBELL      LYNCHBURG        9.0
CARROLL       GALAX            3.0
CHARLOTTE     KEYSVILLE        5.0
CULPEPER      BOSTON           1.0
DICKENSON     NORA             8.2
FLOYD         COPPER HILL      8.0
FRANKLIN      ROCKY MT         6.5
GILES         STAFFORDSVILLE   5.7
GRAYSON       TROUTDALE        6.0
HALIFAX       SOUTH BOSTON     2.0
HANOVER       ASHLAND          1.0
HENRICO       SANDSTON         4.3
HIGHLAND      MILLGAP          1.6
LOUISA        LOUISA           4.6
MECKLENBURG   CLARKSVILLE      2.0
MONTGOMERY    CHRISTIANSBURG   8.0
PATRICK       WOOLWINE         5.0
PETERSBURG    PETERSBURG       2.0
PITTSYLVANIA  DANVILLE         2.8
PULASKI       PULASKI          6.7
RAPPAHANNOCK  SPERRYVILLE      0.5
ROANOKE       ROANOKE AIRPORT  5.5
ROCKBRIDGE    KERRS CREEK      7.0
ROCKINGHAM    DALE ENTERPRISE  0.5
RUSSELL       LEBANON          3.0
SMYTH         SALTVILLE        1.1
TAZEWELL      BURKES GARDEN    7.0
WASHINGTON    ABINGDON         2.0
WAYNESBORO    WAYNESBORO       7.4
WYTHE         WYTHEVILLE       5.0
YORK          WILLIAMSBURG     2.0

Below is the NCDC’s map of reported snowfall observations in Virginia, accessed at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/recent.php?period=2&region=44 on 2/21/12.

On Virginia Water Radio This Week: George Washington, Walter Johnson, and the Rappahannock River

In commemoration of George Washington’s birthday and Presidents’ Day this week, take a break from serious water issues and travel back in time to February 22, 1936, and join some 8000 people for a nationwide radio broadcast from the banks of the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg.  What happened there that day?  Have a listen and find out!

Virginia Water Radio, online at http://www.virginiawaterradio.org, is the Virginia Water Resources Research Center’s weekly podcast using sounds and music to focus on issues, events, people, and creatures connected to Virginia’s waters.

Endangered Species Listing for Atlantic Sturgeon

In the February 6, 2012, Federal Register, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a “final determination” to list several Atlantic Coast populations of the Atlantic  Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. More information about the species, its population status along the Atlantic Coast, and previous actions related to Endangered Species Act listing is available at the National Marine Fisheries Service Web site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/atlanticsturgeon.htm (this page includes a link to the Federal Register notices) and at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web site at http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/af/sturgeon/.

Here are several news accounts about the determination (which was announced prior to the Federal Register publication): Atlantic sturgeon in Chesapeake Bay to be listed endangered, Newport News (Va.) Daily Press, 2/1/2012; Atlantic sturgeon to get protection, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/2/12; Atlantic sturgeon listed as endangered, could affect habitat near Hopewell, Petersburg (Va.) Progress-Index, 2/3/2012; Atlantic Sturgeon Declared Endangered Species By Federal Officials, Huffington Post, 2/2/2012; It’s official: Atlantic sturgeon ‘endangered’, Baltimore (Md.) Sun, 1/31/2012.