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Mountain Valley Pipeline says it’s ready to operate
Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on Monday said that the natural gas project is ready to go and asked federal regulators for authorization to begin operating by Tuesday. The request comes a decade after the project was first announced in 2014 with an anticipated completion date of 2018. It has been delayed for years by legal and permitting challenges and has seen its price tag more than double from $3.5 billion to $7.85 billion. The 42-inch-diameter pipeline is designed to transport up to 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily from West Virginia through six Virginia counties, ending at a Transco compressor station in Pittsylvania County.
Divisive new data center rules clear Fairfax County Planning Commission
New regulations on the construction of data centers in Fairfax County cleared their first major hurdle last week. The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously endorsed zoning amendments on Thursday (June 6) that aim to restrict the size, location, equipment screening and design standards of any new data centers in the county. Proposed by county staff, the new regulations come as data center construction in Northern Virginia intensifies, heightening unease among residents.
Radford University announces expected enrollment increase, tuition rebate
After several years of enrollment decline, Radford University is poised to see a significant increase in new students this fall. University officials announced a 26% increase in incoming freshmen making first tuition deposits for the upcoming school year, as well as a 52% increase in transfer student deposits, adding up to a total 35% increase overall. ... University President Bret Danilowicz attributed much of the enrollment growth to the school’s Tuition Promise, a program launched in 2023 that guarantees free tuition to incoming students with a household annual income under $100,000.
MVP says it’s completed construction, asks federal government for authorization to begin transporting gas
The Mountain Valley Pipeline says it has completed construction and all testing on the 303 mile pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia. In a one-page letter Monday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, MVP requested to go in service and begin running gas, and asked the agency to approve authorization within 24 hours. The company says it has contracts with multiple shippers to begin transporting gas a day after authorization. MVP said market demands heighten the need for, quote, “prompt authorization.”
Richmond fires several finance department employees amid meals tax review
Several people have been fired this spring from Richmond’s finance department, two sources told VPM News. The move comes following the city bringing on government management specialist Anne Seward to consult with the department on policy and to assist in a review of the meals tax. Seward is a subcontractor through Davenport & Co. LLC, according to a memo the city shared with VPM News.
Virginia agencies investigating E. coli hospitalizations connected to Lake Anna visits
The Virginia Department of Health, along with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, is investigating at least 20 confirmed cases of gastrointestinal illnesses connected to visits to Lake Anna in Spotsylvania County over Memorial Day weekend. In a news release last week, the VDH said some of the hospitalized patients have been diagnosed with Escherichia coli, or E. coli, infections. They said a majority of the reports of the gastrointestinal illness have been seen in children.
Ongoing war between GOP factions entering new stage as Va., S.C. reps fight for reelection
The Republican establishment has plowed millions of dollars this year into primaries to produce what it views as a less dysfunctional House GOP conference. It’s still got a long way to go. Major Republican leaders and donors have notched some key victories in their ongoing war against far-right insurgents who threaten the ability to govern as a unified party. But even those successes have come at a cost: the enormous amount of effort, money and time it’s taken to push their candidate over the finish line. That raises the stakes for the upcoming battles over the next few weeks ...
Youngkin calls out Pentagon’s plan for rooftop solar panels, questions link to China
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin penned a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to question the wisdom of the Pentagon’s plan to use $104 million in taxpayer funds to add solar panels to the rooftop of the Pentagon. The Virginia Republican told Austin that he has “serious concerns” about the plan to secure solar panels to the rooftop of the Pentagon and other military installations, most notably that there has been no “stated requirement that such panels be made in America using American technology.”
Mountain Valley Pipeline is ready to go, developers say
After a decade of planning, construction and controversy, developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline say it’s ready to begin operations. The company asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday to grant authorization by Tuesday that would allow the natural gas pipeline to start service in the coming days.
With a week to primaries, money keeps flooding campaigns
If money talks, the volume is getting loud a week before Virginia primaries for the U.S. Senate and a handful of competitive House districts. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has raised more than $14.6 million for his reelection campaign and had $8.6 million in the bank on May 29. Kaine has more money on hand than all five Republicans vying in the June 18 primary have collected.