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Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests, Including in Virginia
The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to repeal the 2001 “roadless rule” that had preserved the wild nature of nearly a third of the land in national forests in the United States. Ms. Rollins said the regulation was outdated. ... The unspoiled land in question includes Tongass National Forest in Alaska, North America’s largest temperate rainforest; Reddish Knob in the Shenandoah Mountains, one of the highest points in Virginia; and millions of acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.
FEMA adds 180 Richmond sites to flood zones
Roughly 180 Richmond homes and businesses will soon be in a high-risk flood zone, according to new FEMA flood maps for the city. The additions will likely be required to buy flood insurance for their property when the maps go into effect in two weeks. FEMA updates its Flood Insurance Rate Maps every five years to account for shifts in flood risk due to environmental changes, construction and development impacts, or other factors, per the city.
Supervisors to consider tax incentives for data center projects in western Chesterfield
Following recent EDA-initiated rezonings of sites for two code-named data centers developments in western Chesterfield, incentives are being teed up for the planned projects. Proposed incentive agreements between Chesterfield and two limited liability companies – Skyward Holdings and Aeris Investments – would lock in the county’s personal property tax rate for data centers at its current 24 cents per $100 of assessed value for the future projects at sites near Moseley and Westchester Commons for 30 years.
Yancey: A rewrite of the Clean Economy Act seems increasingly likely. This may pose hard questions for many
This fall, you’re going to hear a lot about the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the 2020 law that mandates a carbon-free electric grid by 2050, and which Democrats say lowers electric bills (because solar is cheaper than other fuels) and which Republicans say is raising them (because utilities have to build new facilities to generate that carbon-free power). Here’s what you may not hear: the conversations behind the scenes about ways to rewrite that law. Republicans, of course, would like to rewrite the whole thing, top to bottom. That’s not happening, not at least for the next two years, while Democrats have control of the state Senate. (Democrats currently control the House, too, but that’s up for election this fall, along with the governorship.)
Connaughton: Senate budget plan would decimate Virginia hospitals
At this moment, the future of our health care delivery system is being decided in Congress. Access to care for millions of Americans, and Virginians, as well as the operation of hospitals is hanging in the balance. That is what’s at stake as part of budget reconciliation negotiations now occurring in Washington, D.C.
Amin: For hoteliers like me, reliable energy isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity
For more than 40 years, my family has operated a business that never sleeps. From the front desk and the guest services to the housekeeping and the kitchen and conference rooms, Shamin Hotels runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And every part of that operation depends on one thing most people take for granted — reliable electricity. ... There are only so many ways to generate and deliver electricity, and each comes with trade-offs. We need to take an honest, practical look at our options and invest in what will keep our lights on, our residents employed and our economy strong.
Virginia delegates reflect on potential federal moratorium on state-level AI regulation
Elected officials in Congress are still considering an amendment in President Doanld Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would limit states’ abilities to regulate artificial intelligence. It’s a controversial move according to several Virginia elected officials, even as the Senate parliamentarian okayed its inclusion over the weekend despite Senate rule concerns. A former tech lawyer, Delegate Michelle Lopes Maldonado spoke at the Forum Global’s inaugural USA Artificial Intelligence Summit earlier this month— just as Congress considered adding the ban on states from putting their own limits on AI. “If we don’t have the ability as a state to regulate that, that’s a problem,” Maldonado said.
Petersburg mayor among prominent names chosen for new Richard Bland College Board of Visitors
Petersburg’s mayor and the general manager of one of the city’s pharmaceutical manufacturers will be among the charter members of Richard Bland College’s Board of Visitors. The list, released June 20 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office, also includes a former state education official and a longtime area business professional. The Board of Visitors creation is the crown jewel in RBC’s yearlong effort to establish its independence from the College of William & Mary ...
New York City’s mayoral election is going like it’s supposed to. Virginia shows why.
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi won Tuesday’s six-way Democratic primary for lieutenant governor with 27.4 percent of the vote, barely edging out former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney, who received 26.6 percent, and state Sen. Aaron Rouse, who garnered 26.3 percent. The bunch-up — along with the three other candidates each pulling more than five percent — means a supermajority of Virginia Democrats preferred someone besides the winner. In contrast, the Democratic primary for attorney general offered just two choices: Jerrauld C. “Jay” Jones beat Shannon Taylor 51 percent to 49 percent, narrowly but cleanly.
Virginia Democrats’ race to replace Rep. Connolly is a weeks-long sprint
Most Virginia voters could be forgiven for thinking they were done with political mailers and ads — at least for a while — following last week’s statewide primary elections. In the suburbs outside D.C., though, some campaigns are just getting started. Both Democrats and Republicans will be holding party-run nominating contests Saturday to select nominees to fill the term of Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died of esophageal cancer in May. With just a few weeks to launch campaigns, raise money and produce TV ads, the race would be a mad dash in any political climate.