After a federal appeals court this week denied a request from a group of Virginia landowners to stop construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on their land under eminent domain, communities near the pipeline say the project s scale raises serious concerns about safety and landslide risk. The more than 300-mile natural gas pipeline would run through several Virginia and West Virginia counties. Activist and Roanoke County resident Ben James said he s already witnessed forests destroyed and spoken with residents who say their water has been contaminated. .
Next week, elected officials in Minnesota, along with Latino and environmental organizations, will gather to discuss a recent delegation trip to Puerto Rico. Participants said climate solutions they observed underscore the strength of grassroots work. The weeklong visit in the first half of August was led by Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action. .
More than 300 ranchers, tribal members, conservationists, researchers, federal and state agency officials gathered in Cheyenne last week to find ways to safeguard and restore the nation s grasslands. Aviva Glaser, senior director of agriculture policy for the National Wildlife Federation, said grasslands are critical for rural economies and wildlife. However, in just the past few decades, millions of acres have been severely degraded or lost altogether. .
Experts across the West have met to discuss the potential impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act as the one-year anniversary of the piece of legislation approaches. Michael Cravens, advocacy and conservation director for the Arizona Wildlife Federation, said the bill makes the largest investment in the nation s history to combat climate change, by incentivizing responsible clean-energy projects. In Arizona, he pointed out climate change has made lack of water the biggest concern, despite good rainfall this past winter and now during monsoon season. .