WV Rivers News: New Tees; Best of WV; Pipeline Update; WQS Update
WV Rivers Tees and Stickers: Order by Dec. 17 for Christmas Delivery
New WV Rivers t-shirts and stickers are in stock just in time for the holidays! Designed by West Virginia artist Liz Pavlovic, our new t-shirts and stickers feature a trio of benthic macroinvertebrates – AKA stream bugs. The little guys pictured – a caddisfly, a mayfly and a stonefly – need clean water to survive. Their presence in a stream can help scientists determine water quality.
Our t-shirts are manufactured by the sustainable brand Allmade and are printed in Greenbrier County. They come in both unisex and feminine fit.
Looking for more WV Rivers gear? We have limited stock of t-shirts designed by WV artist Rosalie Haizlett featuring another West Virginia creek icon, the candy darter.
Your purchase of WV Rivers’ gear supports clean water and wild public lands in West Virginia, so you can feel good about your purchase.
All t-shirts and stickers will ship on December 20. Order yours by December 17.
WV Rivers Voted Best Environmental Organization in WV
Did you hear the news? WV Rivers was voted the “Best Environmental Organization” as part of WV Living’s annual “Best of” publication!
We already knew we had the BEST supporters, but this just confirms how dedicated you are to West Virginia’s exceptional rivers and streams. Thank you!
Revision to Water Quality Standards Top Priority for 2022
In early December, one of WV Rivers top legislative priorities, the WVDEP’s proposed water quality standards rule, was considered by its first committee, the WV Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee. This special joint committee reviews agency rules before the start of the regular session.
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the policy discussion, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the efforts of Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Senator Glenn Jeffries, and Senator Richard Lindsay who all advocated for strong water protections.
Hannah King, a lobbyist for the WV Environmental Council and campaign support staff for WV Rivers, was in the room, with our executive director Angie Rosser, during the meeting. She shared the following update from the Capitol.
“There were lengthy discussions on the five toxins that would see increases to their allowable amount in West Virginia’s waters. Under questioning, the WVDEP confirmed that the toxins are known carcinogens and pesticides that are dangerous to human health. The WVDEP further confirmed that the current limits for these toxins would be safer for our health.
Amendments to the rule were offered by Delegate Fleischauer and Senator Lindsay. Their amendments were aimed at keeping toxin limits at current levels, unless their allowable limits were reduced; and closing a loophole that would bypass legislative review for future limit modifications. Both amendments failed.”
There will be more opportunities to amend the rule before it completes the legislative process. In the meantime, make sure you are signed-up for WV Rivers Water Policy News, our weekly digest on news and actions related to water quality during the legislative session.
Decisions on Mountain Valley Pipeline Announced
Mountain Valley Pipeline construction in Virginia.
Big decisions on the fate of the Mountain Valley Pipeline are beginning to be announced as 2021 winds down.
So far, Virginia has made two big permit decisions this month. First, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board denied the air quality permit for a proposed compressor station. Then, earlier this week the State Water Control Board announced that they have approved the pipeline’s 401 stream crossing permit. With this approval, Virginia is giving the MVP the greenlight to cross 150 streams and wetlands.
The MVP must also receive a 401 certification from the WVDEP to begin in stream construction in West Virginia. The agency has until the end of December to make a decision.
In addition to the state issued stream crossing certifications, the pipeline is also waiting on a federal 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. We’ll let you know as the permit decisions are announced and will share our analysis. While we await further decisions make sure you check out our short videos on the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
New Blog Post: Reflections on Grassroots Activism
Get to know WV Rivers newest team member, Morgan King a little bit better through a new blog posted to our website. Morgan leads WV Rivers’ educational and advocacy programming around climate change.
In her blog, Morgan reflects on her first three months as our Climate Campaign Coordinator and shares what inspires her passion for environmental advocacy.
New and Gift Memberships to WV Rivers will be Matched Through the End of the Year
If you have been thinking about making a first time donation to WV Rivers or giving a loved one the gift of WV Rivers, there is no better time than now! Thanks to a generous donor, up to $5,000 in donations from new donors and gift donation will be matched! That means your $25 donation will actually contribute $50 toward clean water in West Virginia!
But, we have to raise $5,000 in eligible donations to receive the match. So far, we’ve raised $2,433. That means we still need to raise $2,567 before the end of the year in new and gift donations.
T-shirt and sticker purchases are eligible for the match! Don’t wait, make a tax-deductible donation today!
