Environment

Balancing act drives N.C. beach-driving plan

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:45:37 -0400

The much-anticipated Cape Hatteras National Seashore off-road vehicle management plan proposal includes closing large sections of beach - including the most popular recreational areas - to humans in order to preserve birds, turtles and beach plants.

Public can comment on N.C. wind project plans

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:41:52 -0400

MANTEO If wind turbines were built in the Pamlico Sound, this is what Duke Energy thinks people in Frisco and Buxton would see: sky and water - and barely discerni ble stick shapes. That visualization was on display at a meeting Thursday that offered the first opportunity to provide feedback about a proposed wind demonstration project in Pamlico Sound.

Results of N.C. beach-erosion study are inconclusive

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:38:02 -0400

Terminal groins have caused sand to build in some places, erode at some places. They've expanded habitat for shorebirds and turtles in some places, and diminished it at some places. And when beaches are widened and channels are dredged in the vicinity, it's difficult to determine what's going on.

McDonnell wants offshore leasing map redrawn to expand

Mark.Edelen — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:08:27 -0400

By STEVE SZKOTAK

RICHMOND Intent on making Virginia a national energy power, Gov. Bob McDonnell is lobbying for an expansion of the 2.9 million offshore acres the government has designated for possible oil and gas exploration.

Beach says mow wetlands; state says no

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:01:07 -0400

VIRGINIA BEACH Regulating wetlands is hardly an easy task in marshy Hampton Roads. Take, for example, the case against developer Glenwood South LLC, which involves the city, the state and the construction of 19 homes near Stumpy Lake.

Va. Beach's Back Bay continues surprising rebound

Carl.Fincke — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:51:11 -0400

VIRGINIA BEACH Back Bay continued its remarkable recovery last year, according to research presented Wednesday, with more underwater grasses growing, fish stocks expanding, and ducks and other waterfowl returning in greater numbers.

Sparring continues over Va. air quality control bills

Carl.Fincke — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:47:11 -0400

Environmentalists have described it as "the Virginia dirty air bill" - a measure that would limit the authority of the State Air Pollution Board and could increase smog problems in Hampton Roads, Richmond and other regions.

SPSA makes fixes at Suffolk landfill, denying smell source

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:20:51 -0400

SUFFOLK On the chilly night of Feb. 12, two inspectors from the state Department of Environmental Quality rode the back roads of Suffolk in search of the mysterious, nasty smell that has drifted over parts of the city for months. It didn't take long.

Experts urge caution over uranium mine

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:06:38 -0500

NORFOLK Experts from Canada, the Netherlands and New Mexico came to Hampton Roads on Friday to deliver a warning about a proposed uranium mine 140 miles away in Pittsylvania County: Be careful, be vigilant.

Experts at Va. symposium see risks in uranium mining

Cindy.Clayton — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:14:43 -0500

By Rex Springston, Richmond Times-Dispatch | MCT Regional News Mining uranium can create health and economic problems, experts said yesterday.

A company called Virginia Uranium Inc. wants to mine uranium in Pittsylvania County in south-central Virginia. The radioactive material fuels nuclear power plants.