Governor's NewsGovernor Kaine Signs Executive Order Establishing Commission on Climate Change and Announces AppointmentsDecember 21, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today issued Executive Order 59 establishing the Commission on Climate Change. In establishing this Commission, Governor Kaine is fulfilling one of the recommendations of the Virginia Energy Plan, which was completed in September of this year. Governor Kaine Announces Progress in Bay Cleanup EffortsDecember 3, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced Virginia’s largest wastewater treatment facilities and industries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed expect to meet their nutrient reduction goals by the end of 2010. Facilities will reduce the amount of nutrients in wastewater by participating in Virginia’s nutrient trading program and installing pollution control technology. Governor Kaine Announces $3.5 Million in Water Quality Improvement GrantsOctober 25, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced an award of $3.5 million in 2007 Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) grants to fund 38 projects statewide that reduce nonpoint source, or runoff, pollution. The grants are administered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Governor Kaine Announces Acquisition of State's 50th Natural Area PreserveSeptember 14, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that a 244-acre site in Floyd County has become the Commonwealth’s fiftieth Virginia Natural Area Preserve. Chestnut Creek Wetland Natural Area Preserve, acquired by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, increases the preserve system to 42,295 acres protecting 317 different rare species and natural communities. Governor Kaine Announces Troop Transport Vessel State To Leave James River Reserve Fleet On WednesdayJuly 17, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that the vessel State is scheduled to be removed from the James River Reserve Fleet tomorrow, Wednesday, July 18th. The State will be the 59th ship that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has removed from the reserve fleet off Fort Eustis since January 1, 2001. Governor Kaine and Philip Morris USA Announce Unique Virginia Environmental ProjectJuly 17, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine joined executives from Philip Morris USA today to announce an innovative, $6 million project aimed at further reducing nutrient levels in wastewater discharged into the James River from the company’s Park 500 tobacco processing facility in Chesterfield County. Over the next year, PM USA, in partnership with CH2M Hill, a Denver-based construction and engineering firm, will design, build and activate the Park 500 Natural Treatment System, 48-acres of man-made wetlands consisting of ponds and native vegetation. The system will supplement an existing on-site treatment plant, providing an additional, natural filter for treated wastewater before it returns to the river. Governor Kaine Highlights Virginia's Second Consecutive #2 Rank in Historic PreservationMay 31, 2007 - In recognition of May as National Preservation Month, Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that the National Park Service has ranked Virginia #2 among the 50 states for a second consecutive year in the use of federal tax incentives to rehabilitate historic buildings. The National Park Service's annual report on fiscal year 2006 lists Virginia with 114 proposed federal tax-credit projects, second only to Missouri, and 109 completed projects, behind Ohio. Governor Kaine Announces Clean Energy Collaboration with IndiaApr. 23, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that Virginia Tech will seek partnerships with the research and development community in India to support Corning Incorporated, a world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, in the development of clean, sustainable energy solutions. Representatives of Corning and Virginia Tech are among the Virginia delegation currently in India. Governors Kaine, Manchin, O'Malley, and Rendell Sign 'Highlands Action Program' CharterApr. 12, 2007 - Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III, Maryland Governor Martin J. O’Malley, and Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the signing of the Highlands Action Program (HAP) Charter, a regional partnership that seeks to preserve the ecological and cultural resources of the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Highlands. Governor Kaine Unveils First Interactive Kiosks for State ParksApr. 9, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine demonstrated how Virginians will soon be the first in the nation to take virtual tours of their state parks. Governor Kaine unveiled the outdoor interactive kiosk at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. When all information stations are installed in state parks by mid-May, Virginia will be the first state in the country to use the technology statewide. Governor Kaine Helps Launch John Smith Replica WorkboatMar. 30, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine helped launch the John Smith Shallop, a replica of the boat Captain John Smith sailed in the exploration of the Chesapeake Bay between 1607 and 1609. The shallop will serve as the centerpiece for educational events in 28 cities and towns in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., and the vessel will be seen by an estimated one million people during the course of its 121-day voyage. Governor Kaine Highlights Historic Restoration, Preservation Easements at Shirley PlantationFeb. 22, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine highlighted the role of preservation easements during a ceremony that celebrated recent restoration work at Shirley Plantation, established in 1613 along the James River as Virginia’s first plantation. The event marked completion of a historically accurate “facelift” of the two-story porticos of the 18th-century Great House at Shirley – the first work completed since the owner’s family donated to the Commonwealth a preservation easement on 121 acres last fall. Governor Kaine Announces Mercury StudyFeb. 19, 2007 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that Virginia has launched its first-ever comprehensive study of mercury's effects on the Commonwealth's environment. The $256,000 study, funded at Governor Kaine's direction with an appropriation from the Virginia Environmental Emergency Response Fund, is expected to draw on existing data and research to evaluate possible methods to reduce the presence of mercury in the environment. Governor Kaine Announces $250 Million Clean Water Bond InitiativeDec. 13, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine
announced that he will introduce legislation authorizing $250 million
in bonds to upgrade sewage treatment plants throughout the Chesapeake
Bay watershed. The bonds, to be issued by the Virginia Public Building Authority,
will provide critical funds to share the costs with localities
for installing technologies that will slash nutrient pollution discharged
into Virginia waters. Governor Kaine Announces $5 Million in Land Conservation GrantsDec. 7, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine
announced that $5 million in grants are available to localities,
public bodies, and nonprofit organizations across Virginia for
land conservation and acquisition. The Board of Trustees for the
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) approved the grant round and
is accepting applications until 5 p.m., Tuesday, January 16, 2007. Earlier
this year Governor Kaine set a goal of protecting 400,000 acres by the end
of his administration. Governor Kaine Announces Expanded Use of Ethanol-Based Fuel in State-Owned VehiclesOct. 16, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine
announced an initiative that will enable 1,300 state-owned vehicles
to use an environmentally sensitive alternative to gasoline, designed
to improve air quality and help the state reduce petroleum consumption. Partnerships
established by the Virginia Department of General Services and
the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy with the federal government
and General Motors Corporation will make alternative fuel available
to state and local governments and the citizens of Virginia. Governor Kaine Highlights Virginia's #1 Ranking for Historic Districts Listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesOct. 10, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine
announced that the National Park Service has ranked Virginia first
among the 50 states for a second year in a row for the number of
historic districts the state has listed on the National Register
of Historic Places during the federal fiscal year ending September
30th. Virginia ranked second in the nation overall for the combined number
of historic districts and individual properties listed on the National
Register. Governor Kaine Marks 40th Anniversary of Conservation, Preservation Easement ProgramsSept. 22, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine
announced easement donations on two historic Virginia properties
during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the state’s
preservation and conservation easement programs. Governor Kaine Releases Poll Showing Widespread Support for Land Conservation EffortsAug. 23, 2006 - Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced results
of a statewide survey showing widespread support for using government
resources to protect open space. The survey also shows that many
Virginians consider outdoor recreation and access to open space
to be important to their families. |
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