Virginia receives $80 million settlement for environmental contamination
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares reached a settlement agreement of $80 million with the Monsanto Company for environmental contamination caused by polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.
The carcinogenic chemical compound was used in industrial and consumer products until they were federally banned in 1979.
Monsanto produced 99% of PCBs in America from the 1930s to 1977.
Over 1,300 river miles, 75,000 lake acres, and over 2,000 square miles of bays and estuaries were impaired by PCBs.
AG Miyares said “PCBs have negatively impacted nearly every living thing in Virginia. They have harmed public health, our land, wildlife, fish and our beloved waterways like the Chesapeake Bay.”
The settlement funds will be used for environmental studies, stream restoration, drinking water improvements, and other environmental causes.
To view the AG’s statement and a video of his remarks, click here.
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VA. launches an aggressive plan to clean the Chesapeake Bay
In an email from Governor Northam it was announced that an aggressive plan to help clean the Chesapeake Bay has been launched.
The plan is for Virginia to release the largest oyster restoration project in the country.
Virginia will put $756 million into a project that will help farmers, localities and wastewater treatment operations that utilize the Chesapeake Bay.
By constructing new reefs and planting young oysters the state can help create new ecosystems to help clean the bay.
An oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day which will act as a natural pollution reducer.
The Shenandoah River watersheds into the Chesapeake Bay which encompasses six states where more 18 million people share the benefits.
According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) everyone who lives in the Northern Shenandoah Valley is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Which means that all rivers and streams will eventually finds it’s way into the Chesapeake Bay.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Chesapeake Bay Program pushes forward
Governor Ralph Northam and the other members of the Chesapeake Executive Council met yesterday to sign a directive for the Chesapeake Bay Program.
The meeting served to address the threat of climate change and how it affects the Bay.
Governor Northam is proud of the actions taken so far.
Over $700 million dollars has already been invested in the Chesapeake Bay which has shown positive impacts.
A clean bay can generate more than $22 billion dollars each year from improved fishing, increased property value, and reduced water filtration costs.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.