NEWS CLIPS April 2007 to Present in Chronological Order
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EPA Makes It Harder to Protect Wetlands
Associated Press; June 5 2007
The Bush administration made it harder Tuesday for non-permanent streams and nearby wetlands to be protected under the federal Clean Water Act. The new guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers requires that for such waters to be protected there must be a "significant nexus" shown between the intermittent stream or wetland and a traditional waterway. And the guidance says a determination will be made on a case-by-case basis, analyzing flow and other issues. Environmentalist argued that would negate the broader regional importance of many such waterways in the aggregate on water bodies downstream.

U.S. adopts limits on clean water law enforcement
Reuters; June 5 2007
The landmark U.S. law to fight water pollution will now apply only to bodies of water large enough for boats to use, and their adjacent wetlands, and will not automatically protect streams, the U.S. government said on Tuesday. ... The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers wrote the new guidelines after the Supreme Court split a year ago in a case about which waters fall under the Clean Water Act. Because of the split decision, lower courts must decide on a case-by-case basis if the law applies to smaller water areas.

EPA eliminates Clean Water Act protection for many non-navigable waters and wetlands
Environmental Chemistry; June 7 2007
... As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling and the EPA's subsequent rule changes, it is estimated that around 60% of streams and 20% of wetlands could be in jeopardy of not being protected under the Clean Water Act. To rectify this problem, there is a bill ( H.R. 2421 ) working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, which has 157 cosponsors. This bill would essentially eliminate the word "navigable" from the Clean Water Act, thereby ensuring that virtually all U.S. waters are protected.

Virginia isn't prepared for rising sea, study warns
Virginian Pilot; June 7 2007
Virginia stands to lose more from rising sea levels than almost any other state on the East Coast but is doing the least to understand and combat the problem, a new study concludes. In a report released Wednesday, the Norfolk-based environmental group Wetlands Watch cites existing scientific estimates that between 50 and 80 percent of the state's tidal wetlands, coastal dunes and beaches could disappear under rising waters over the next 100 years. ... The assessment of Virginia's plight is not much different from what several environmental agencies and universities have been noting for years. The U.S. Geological Survey, for example, in 1999 published research that ranked Virginia's risks from sea level rise as "very high."

Algae bloom worries experts; Limiting nitrogen in bay could help
Baitimore Sun; June 10 2007
To the tourists pushing strollers around the Inner Harbor, the water looks fine -- a little green and murky, but nothing like a few days before, when thousands of dead fish floated on the surface after a huge algae bloom. Allen R. Place knows better. A biochemist who spends much of his time studying the waters that flow in front of Baltimore's premier tourist attractions, Place paces the dock, looking nervous.

Why are Chesapeake rockfish sick? Scientists tagging stripers to learn more about 'myco' Associated Press; June 10 2007
Biologist Larry Pieper is wearing waterproof overalls and giving dozens of bass from the Chesapeake Bay a tabletop inspection. He's not surprised by what he sees -- many of them look sick. Pieper is part of Maryland's first effort this year to take a new look at a chronic wasting disease in striped bass, commonly called rockfish or stripers.

A Livelihood Ebbs; One of the Potomac's Last Commercial Watermen Retires This Summer
Washintgon Post; June 10 2007
... Harley, 76, is a waterman, and through seven decades on the Potomac, he has watched the river's wildlife rebound and his own livelihood gradually go extinct. His business, M.L. Harley & Sons Live Fish Co., is the only commercial fishing operation left on his bend of the river. And when Harley retires this summer, part of a long, rich tradition will leave the water with him. "I know I'm the last of them around here," he said. "We're the last that's ever going to be."

Plastic might get the sack Baltimore, Annapolis will consider legislation on bags
Baltimore Sun; June 8 2007
That standard checkout-line question, "Plastic or paper?" could be rendered moot in the state capital and Baltimore under ordinances being proposed to reduce litter and protect the environment. The Baltimore and Annapolis city councils are scheduled to hear legislation that would outlaw common plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing shops and other retailers. ... Boston; Santa Cruz, Calif.; and Portland, Ore., are also considering bans. In April, San Francisco became the first city to enact a partial ban on certain types of plastic bags.

Future Commission plans for 2030
Potomac News; June 1 2007
...The commission, which is made up of 16 people who were appointed by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in July 2006, will finish gathering ideas from residents at the end of this month and then will begin writing the report, Principi said. In December they will present the final report to the board and in February 2008, it will be adopted into the county's strategic plan.

In Lakeside Montclair, Life Happens Outdoors; Beaches, Boats, Trails Help Large Planned Community Feel Cozy
Washington Post; June 2, 2007
On a map, sprawling Montclair can seem overwhelming. However, a drive through this Prince William County neighborhood shows that even with 4,000 houses and more than 15,000 residents -- a population larger than Williamsburg or Falls Church -- a cozy atmosphere is still possible. ... Joe Bengier says his friends can hardly believe the setting he and his wife found in 1985 for $33,000. To the left of the two-story house they subsequently built on the lot is the 14th hole of the Montclair Country Club's golf course -- a private club now for sale.

New FBI building to aid Prince William County growth
Washington Examiner; June 8 2007
...The FBI Northern Virginia Resident Offices relocation from Tysons Corner will bring 300 to 350 employees to a 1,500-acre office park considered critical for the region's growth. The construction is expected to be completed in November. ... Innovation@Prince William launched 15 years ago as a base for the George Mason University Life Sciences Campus and a magnet for high-tech employers. While commercial tenants arrived more than a decade ago, the park has developed a strong law-enforcement presence, including the Northern Virginia Forensic Lab and a Prince William County Police Department branch.

Supervisors Reject Some Higher Building Fees
Washington Post; June 7, 2007
One by one, they lined up to speak. Contractors, builders, members of the clergy, Chamber of Commerce representatives, a bank vice president, and they all had the same message for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors : Don't raise the proffer rate for residential, business and church construction. It would increase the price of homes, drive small and large businesses away and make the cost of building churches prohibitive. …. The county charges proffers on new construction to help pay for public services. After hearing the objections, the board voted unanimously Tuesday to deny the increase for commercial and church construction and to defer indefinitely a vote on increasing proffers for residential construction.

Dominion to hold hearings on power line
Potomac News; June 5 2007
The State Corporation Commission will begin the hearing at the middle school at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9. The hearing will reconvene at 7 p.m. and continue at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 10, according to a recent commission press release. Dominion Virginia Power wants to build a 240-mile, 500-kilovolt power line from West Virginia to Loudoun County.

Warner chief of staff to lobby for Dominion
Rappahannock Times; June 6 2007
... Ann Loomis, who became Warner's chief of staff last year after 18 year as his legislative director, has joined Dominion as its director of federal government relations. Loomis had been the senator's principal staffer on the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. Loomis reached retirement age this year, and decided to enter the private sector. ... Loomis' decision to join Dominion comes at a critical juncture, as the giant utility plans to string transmission lines across the Piedmont's placid and historic landscape. Critics of the line have recently lobbied federal regulators with impassioned narratives of how their lives would be impacted by the crackling, potentially harmful 500-kV power lines.

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Comprehensive State Energy Profiles - Virginia

A Mountain Divide Over a Road Tax; Upper Bull Run Paved; Group Peeved
Washington Post; May 24, 2007
The newly paved roads of Bull Run Mountain were supposed to bring some refinement to this rugged community with sweeping views of Prince William County 's farms and battlefields. Instead, they're likely to bring a lawsuit. A group of disgruntled property owners is moving to sue the county after it raised their taxes to help pay for last summer's $1.5 million paving operation on the community's roads. The project coated 7.4 miles of steep, badly eroded gravel roads with a tar-and-chip surface designed to reduce maintenance costs and improve safety.

U.S. 15 named a Virginia Byway
Culpeper Star Exponent; May 31 2007
The approximate 66-mile route begins at the Potomac River in Loudon County, traversing the suburban landscape of Prince William County and into Fauquier before passing the Civil War sites at Brandy Station and the commercial/industrial corridor of eastern Culpeper, easing past the rolling farmland of southern Culpeper and into Madison and Orange counties. The newly named byway is part of the four-state, 175-mile Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor that starts in Gettysburg, Pa., and ends at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

County Won't Sue Virginia
Potomac News; May 19 2007
Without the threat of the suit, Stewart doesn't think the impact fee provision in the transportation plan would have survived General Assembly muster. Impact fees are definitely a deal breaker, he said. "If they strip that out, the transportation bill they passed this year is dead," he said, adding that without that provision, Prince William won't sign onto the transportation plan, which is predicted to raise $400 million a year for the region's road and mass transit systems.

Roads bill does much, but not all
Gainesgville Times; May 29 2007
Beware thinking of the state's shiny new transportation bill as a catch-all fix. That was the message Northern Virginia residents gave to members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) at a public hearing for the new six-year transportation funding plan. ... [Zimmerman] pointed out, though, that an estimated $700 million annually would be required to adequately address the region's transportation issues. However, only around $300 million will be raised through new taxes and fees.

Toll lanes project clears hurdle in regional board
Associated Press; May 16 2007
A project to expand carpool lanes in northern Virginia and allow solo drivers to use them for a fee cleared its latest hurdle Wednesday when a regional transportation board approved the project. The converted lanes on Interstates 95 and 395 will still be free to vehicles with three or more people. But vehicles with one or two occupants will also be able to use the lanes if they pay a toll. The price of the high-occupancy/toll lanes, or HOT lanes, will vary based on the degree of congestion.

PW Board approves Brentsville trailers
Gainesville Times; June 6 2007
According to Maureen Hannan, the school system's representative, the high school's capacity is 1,110, but there are 1,426 students currently enrolled. Next year, the school expects 1,580. Parents and students have complained that the school is already seriously overcrowded, noting that hallways are dangerously jammed, some students don't have lockers and many can't get a seat in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Adding the trailers, they say, won't alleviate the problem because hallways, the library, gym, cafeteria, bathrooms and other community facilities will still be overcrowded.

Supervisors agree to Brentsville trailers
Potomac News; June 7 2007
... Tuesday's Board of County Supervisors vote did not answer the School Board's questions about the planning commission's authority, according to Beauchamp. "It did not address the necessity of whether the School Board has to send their plans asking for permission from the planning commission to either put trailers at schools or to do site improvements at our schools," she said. "We're asking the court to clarify whether a School Board has to ask the Planning Commission for permission to do things." ... There are 205 trailers at schools throughout the county. Six of those trailers are at Brentsville. The extra trailers at Brentsville are a temporary fix until Kettle Run High School opens in 2011.

School Board Seeks More Autonomy With Suit; Involvement of County Supervisors, Planning Commission in Decision Making Seen as Intrusive
Washington Post; June 10 2007
... Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville) said the school system is seeking special status from the court, arguing that like the state and federal governments, it is not subject to local review because it is a separate entity with elected officials. "I guess they are saying they are above the process," Covington said. "It is one thing to be above the process if you are the Quantico Marine Base, but it's another when you are building athletic fields and want to put lights in that impact surrounding residential neighborhoods."

Despite some progress, bay is still far from goal; Farm and sewage pollution better, but urban, suburban runoff is worse, report finds
Richmond Times Dispatch; April 19 2007
Cities and their suburbs contribute about a quarter of the nitrogen and phosphorus affecting the bay and represent the fastest-growing use of land in the bay's 64,000-square-mile watershed. Growth is kind of like the gorilla in the corner," said Frank Dawson of Maryland Department of Natural Resources, who discussed cleanup efforts with reporters in a conference call.

Bay is still hurting, 2 reports say
Baltimore Sun; April 19 2007
"I think this report really prompts us to ask some hard questions." said Jeff Lape, who became director of the Chesapeake Bay Program office this month. "We have to energize the 16 million residents of this bay. It is really a call to action for us."

Read the Chesapeake Bay Program analysis: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/assess/index.htm
Read the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science report card: http://www.umces.edu

Volunteers give Heights stream 'extreme makeover;' James River Association is guiding effort to reduce Oldtown Creek pollution
Richmond Times Dispatch; April 11 2007
Oldtown Creek is the watery equivalent of a fixer-upper. It is dirty, trashy and ugly. The solution: An "extreme stream makeover," as volunteers are calling a series of restoration projects along the creek. The makeover, which gets its name from a popular TV home-renovation show, began Monday and will continue through Saturday. The work includes collecting trash, planting streamside trees and other efforts to reduce pollution that washes into the stream when it rains.

A Plan to Curb Farm-to-Watershed Pollution of Chesapeake Bay
New York Times; April 13 2007
The dairy farms here in Lancaster County, among the top milk-producing counties in the nation, send more manure into the waterways that drain into Chesapeake Bay than any other part of the bay's 64,000-square-mile watershed. Now the state of Pennsylvania is trying to get farmers like Mr. Young to reduce the damaging runoff by letting them apply for pollution credits that can be sold to developers needing to build sewage treatment plants. ... In March, the Chesapeake Bay Program, a federal-state partnership, reported a 25 percent decline from 2005 to 2006 in the underwater grasses that are the anchor of the bay's ecosystem.

Md. to review enforcement in environmental cases
Baltmore Sun; April 13 2007
Maryland's environment agency is reviewing hundreds of past wetlands and pollution complaints after discovering that officials waited nearly a year to make an Eastern Shore businessman correct a wetlands violation.

Visitors admire bluebells at farm
Potomac News; April 16 2007
... Those on the tour found the farm and the bluebells to be dazzling. Ralph Stephenson of Bristow said he found the bluebells to be so beautiful "I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden by Cedar Run." He said he was glad to hear that efforts were being made by so many people to preserve the site, which connects Quantico Marine Corps base forests and wetlands with the Cedar Run mitigation bank, for future use by everyone. Carol May said she drove from Falls Church to view the bluebells. "It was certainly worth the drive," she said "The bluebells were beautiful … a special kind of glow."

Environmentalists prevail in Blackwater deal
Washington Examiner; April 19 2007
Environmentalists applauded the state's approval of a 720-acre purchase of environmentally sensitive land slated for development in Dorchester County's Cambridge. The three-member Board of Public Works on Wednesday signed off on the $10.3 million acquisition near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for several endangered animals. The move saves more than two-thirds of a 1,000-acre parcel where a developer proposed a 3,200-home resort and retail community.

Neighborly relations erode
Potomac News; April 15 2007
The new house under construction looms at least 30 feet above Possum Point Road, perched at the top of a bluff. The three-story, more than 3,000-square-foot house dwarfs its neighbors in size and grandeur. Most of the homes in this section of Possum Point, just outside the Dumfries town limits, were built in the 1980s and are about half the size of the one being built by William Harry Ervin, former Occoquan town engineer and town councilman.

EPA Proposes to Grant NYC a New and Extended Waiver from Filtering Drinking Water from its Catskill/Delaware Water System; City has invested more than $1 billion in watershed protection programs
Media Newswire; April 16 2007
After an extensive review of New York City's current and future plans to protect the source of drinking water serving most of New York City, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to continue allowing the city not to filter drinking water from the Catskill/Delaware system for a ten year period, provided it continues to ensure the excellent quality of the water from this system. Toward that end, EPA is proposing to require a number of watershed protection enhancements to the city's plan.

Projects awaiting wetland delineation; Attempt to interpret high court decisions stalling development
Star News Journal; April 5 2007
In the two decades before the Clean Water Act was adopted, an average of 458,000 acres of wetlands were lost nationwide each year, compared with just 70,714 acres from 1998 to 2004. Scaling back Clean Water Act protection could see that loss grow again. ... In a pair of cases last summer, the nation's top court split on whether some wetlands and headwaters were deserving of the strict protection offered under the federal legislation. Those water bodies in question include intermittent streams, ditches and wetlands adjacent or abutting those waters. Four justices argued that only wetlands that have a permanent surface connection to rivers and streams would qualify. But four other justices said the current rules should apply to all wetlands. Justice Anthony Kennedy, however, took a position somewhere in the middle, further muddying the waters.

Is the Endangered Species Act in Danger? An environmental battle royal before the high court
U.S. News & World Report; April 15 2007
For eight days in 2005, the San Pedro River went bone dry for the first time on record. Home to such endangered species as the southwestern willow flycatcher, the Arizona river is vital habitat. But environmentalists argue that housing developments in southeast Arizona are sucking dry the aquifer that feeds the river, imperiling plants and animals and violating the Endangered Species Act. Arizona's growing pains come before the Supreme Court this week in consolidated cases that pit against each other two of the country's most powerful environmental protections: the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Earthquake - The land use reforms embedded in the 2007 transportation bill will send seismic shocks through Virginia's local governments and development industry.
Bacon's Rebellion; April 7 2007
For all the ink dedicated to The Comprehensive Transportation Funding and Reform Act of 2007, most journalists and commentators have missed significance of the landmark legislation. Articles have  focused overwhelmingly on the "funding" aspects of the act and treated the "reform" measures as an after-thought. But the bill will unleash some of the most profound changes in land use planning seen in the Commonwealth of Virginia in a half century.

Groundbreaking set for affordable housing
Potomac News; April 15 2007
...Catholics for Housing will host a groundbreaking ceremony at Linton Hall Manor on Wednesday at noon. The event will kick off NV Homes agreement with the Catholics for Housing to construct 19 town homes that will be employed by workers with medium incomes. It is expected that the homes will all be occupied by the fall of this year. By proffer agreement with Prince William County, Catholics for Housing marketed the affordable units solely to County employees, teachers in the county public school system and teachers at Linton Hall School.

ProLogis Plans New 629,000-SF Park for Thriving Northern Virginia Industrial Market
Commercial Property News; April 12 2007
... ProLogis Park Manassas will sit off I-66, about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. and 70 miles from Baltimore, Md. Manassas, an independent city and the seat of Prince William County, is a leading location for those seeking large industrial spaces. As per a report by Wright Realty, the bulk industrial market in Manassas has boasted vacancy rates under 5 percent for the last few years, and last year, that number dipped down to around 2.5 percent. "What's created demand is Manassas's proximity to the Virginia Inland Port and Interstate 81, a main distribution thoroughfare for the Northeast, and a growing labor workforce," Mark Levy, vice president and market officer for ProLogis in Washington DC and Baltimore, told CPN.

Some Budget Cuts To Be Restored; Pool Closings Among Plans Revisited
Washington Post; April 12 2007
After weeks of looking for ways to save money by cutting programs, eliminating jobs and even closing community pools one day a week in the summer, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors will reverse course and spend the next 10 days looking to restore some funding after additional revenue was discovered from state and local sources.

Supervisors to plan for budget markup
Potomac News; Aprl 11 2007
It would take $18 million to restore everything that was left unfunded in the fiscal 2008 budget. There will be $9 million available if the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approves a real estate tax rate of 78.7 cents per $100 of assessed value. ... The supervisors will have to decide what to save and what to cut when they make budget adjustments next week during the budget mark-up session.

Much of N.Va. to Raise Tax Rates; Housing Slump Causing Election-Year Dilemma
Washington Post; April 16, 2007
After seven fat years, elected officials in Northern Virginia are grappling with their first lean one, and tax increases are looming almost everywhere. Swollen by surging real estate assessments, area budgets have ballooned, rising sharply from a cumulative total of more than $3.7 billion in 2000 to more than $6.3 billion for the coming fiscal year.

Park Center construction to begin
Potomac News; Aprl 9 2007
An aborted project several years ago, Park Center will be a large residential, retail and commercial development on the west side of Park Center Court and Manassas Drive intersection near current City Hall and the Virginia Railway Express commuter train station. The hope is that it will serve as Manassas Park's hub of activity, allowing residents to walk to the VRE Station while bringing much needed capital growth to the city's small commercial tax base.

Golf growth moves beyond America and Britain; From China to Mexico to Ukraine to Dubai, most fairways still are part of residential projects
International Herald Tribune; April 12 2007
... Of the courses being developed around the world, 70 percent are tied to real estate developments, a much larger proportion than ever before, according to Keith Carter, managing editor of Golf Inc., a U.S.-based industry magazine. And a well-known course architect can add more than 20 percent to the value of a development's houses and jump-start a project, industry executives say. ... "Golf courses are not money makers," he said. "They're the sizzle on the steak" of residential developments.

Dominion Virginia asks for 300-MW plant expansion
Reuters; April 19 2007
Dominion Virginia Power said on Thursday it had asked state regulators to approve an expansion of a natural gas-fired plant and construction of a high-voltage transmission line to serve fast-growing northern Virginia. Plans were submitted with the Virginia State Corporation Commission for a $135 million power plant expansion at the Ladysmith Power Station near Fredericksburg to open by August 2008, Dominion said. It calls for construction of two 150-MW units, which would double the power output of Ladysmith. Also, Dominion wants to build a 65-mile, $243 million 500-kilovolt power line between Meadow Brook and Loudoun substations in Frederick and Loudoun counties, respectively, to come on line by summer 2011.

Virginia Leads Region in Emissions Increase
WTOP; April 13, 2007
Virginia's carbon dioxide emissions rose from 1990 to 2004 at a rate that was nearly twice the national average, in part because of urban sprawl, a report by an advocacy group found. Emissions of the key greenhouse gas rose 34 percent in Virginia during the 15-year period, while Maryland's levels increased by 16 percent, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said in the report released Thursday. The District of Columbia's levels decreased slightly. Nationally, the average increase was 18 percent.

Increased Greenhouse Emissions Decried; VA Leads Region In Growth Rate
Washington Post; April 13, 2007
... Virginia's growth rate ranked 13th among those for the states. Environmentalists blamed the increase in part on the state's development patterns, which have produced far-flung suburbs and long commutes. Overall, climate activists said, the report paints a troubling picture of the region's appetite for fossil-fuel energy. Even as climate change became an urgent political issue, the region, especially Virginia, was producing steadily more of the pollutants believed to cause it.

Dominion power's North Anna plant reviewed by NRC; North Anna nuclear plant performed well duringthe last quarter
Fredericksburg Free Lance Star; April 16 2007
... The NRC concluded that North Anna operated safely with all inspection findings in the green category. That means there was very low safety significance, and at levels requiring no additional NRC oversight. As a result, the NRC plans to conduct only routine baseline inspections at the plant for the rest of this year. Safety is an issue at North Anna because Dominion has applied for an NRC permit that could lead to the construction of up to two more reactors at the site.

Fish kill again observed in river Public asked to report deaths in north, south forks of Shenandoah
Richmond Times Dispatch; April 27 2007
A mysterious affliction is killing fish once again in the Shenandoah River region. Anglers and state scientists are reporting hundreds of dead and sick fish in the Shenandoah River and its north and south forks. ... The DEQ yesterday asked the public to report fish deaths so scientists can document the affected area and collect specimens to study. "We want to get on top of this as quickly as we can," Hayden said. The deaths have become a grim spring ritual since they began in 2003. No one knows what's killing the fish.

Slow but sure, bike trail nears completion
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; April 27 2007
John Surma, the chairman of U.S. Steel, first heard of the Great Allegheny Passage trail plan when he was biking along the Potomac River in 1983. Mr. Surma, a Pittsburgh native, asked a bicyclist how far the trail ran. He was told the path covered about 20 miles, and then the stranger said the words Mr. Surma recalled yesterday: "Some day it's going to go all the way to Pittsburgh." Now, 24 years later, the trail runs from Washington, D.C., to McKeesport.

Where history and hikers collide
Rappahannock News; April 18 2007
... Hikers can still travel the same route to the Heights that thousands of soldiers walked during the Civil War. ... Harpers Ferry is located at the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine (and passes through Rappahannock County on the way). The 2,175-mile footpath passes through Harpers Ferry, with wooden posts directing hikers on the town's brick sidewalks. Another long-distance trail that passes by Harpers Ferry is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath, which follows alongside the Potomac River for 184 miles from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md.

Making the World Brighter; Friends of Little Rocky Run help with annual stream clean-up.
Fairfax Connection; April 18 2007
...However, early morning on Saturday, March 31, some 15 volunteers came out to the Little Rocky Run bridge in Clifton to pick up more than 50 bags of trash as part of the 19th Annual Potomac River Watershed Clean-up. NED AND LYNN FOSTER, who founded the group, Friends of Little Rocky Run, helped to recruit the volunteers. For the Fosters, the mission for the weekend's project and their group is the same — to ensure that the stream and surrounding area is free of trash and is kept as healthy as possible.

Budget Includes Property Tax Break, Some Fee Increases
Washington Post; April 25 2007
... The budget, along with a real estate tax rate of 78.7 cents per $100 of assessed value, was approved unanimously and without debate. ... Supervisor Maureen S. Caddigan (R- Dumfries) expressed some concern about funding levels for the school system, which is expected to add about 1,700 students next year, and for the increase in fees that residents will have to pay to use the county's parks. "The Park Authority cuts were $900,000," she said. The budget will eliminate winter golf, some mowing and lining of fields, stocking a county fishing spot, and 23 jobs while raising park fees, she noted.

Higher Builder Fee Sought; Home Price Increase Feared
Washington Post; April 28 2007
Prince William County officials yesterday proposed a 36 percent increase in the amount that developers pay the county for permission to build houses, which industry officials warned would probably drive up home prices. County officials said they need the additional money -- $51,113 for each house, up from $37,719 now -- to build the roads, schools, parks, libraries and police and fire stations that are needed because of growth.

A world-class education in a third-world environment
Gainesville Times; May 9 2007
Citing a serious overcrowding problem, the Prince William Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to turn down the School Board's request for seven more trailers at Brentsville District High School. ... "There's too many children in these buildings," she said. "You cannot keep adding trailers without adding gymnasium space, without adding cafeteria space, without adding library space."

Crowded Schools Regain Supervisors' Attention
Washington Post; May 10, 2007
The end of the school year may be just around the corner, but debate about crowding in Prince William County schools and the use of overflow trailers is just beginning. Again. Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville) proposed Tuesday that the Board of County Supervisors conduct a public hearing on the school system's use of trailers to handle crowding in some schools. Although no decision was made on whether to have the hearing, his proposal ignited a long and spirited debate on school crowding and whether the board should address the problem or leave it to the school board. ...

HOT Lanes' Allure; Mitigating growth's impact -- and paying for it
Washington Post Editorial; May 10, 2007
... Carpoolers, emergency vehicles, drivers badly pressed for time and, yes, the cost-is-no-object crowd would cruise. Everybody else would continue suffering what they suffer now -- stop-and-go rush hours. ... The private developers that would build and operate the toll lanes say that a trip from the Pentagon to Prince William Parkway, a distance of 28 miles, might cost $10 or $11 at rush hour; other estimates run twice as high, closer to $1 per mile.

Officials Seek to Halt Plan For Roads; N.Va. Panel's Power Over Taxes at Issue
Washington Post; May 4 2007
State and local lawmakers from Northern Virginia are challenging the legality of Virginia 's recently inked transportation plan in a late effort to halt a deal that is expected to raise about $400 million a year for new projects in the region. Opponents of the plan argue that allowing the appointed members of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to decide on tax and fee increases violates the state's constitution. ... A lawsuit could delay, or possibly destroy, the state's first transportation funding agreement in a generation. The action is also further evidence of local discontent with a plan that puts the onus on area leaders to raise taxes and fees.

More Jobs Than People In Fairfax; Study Predicts Future Shortage of Workers
Washington Post; April 30 2007
In 2005, Fairfax accounted for 24.2 percent of the area's economic production, Fuller said. By 2030, the George Mason study predicts, that share will rise to 32.3 percent, as the county produces $251.9 billion in goods and services. About $41.5 billion of that will leave the county because workers will be living in other jurisdictions, Fuller said. In addition, companies based in the county will largely bear the local tax burden, rather than residents. Although incomes are expected to rise faster in Fairfax than in other parts of the region, average housing prices will also continue to soar, "making it harder and harder to both live and work in Fairfax," he said. "The balance has tipped between being a place to live to now being a place to work."

Brentsville Courthouse Looks Like a Million Bucks; Restoration Returns Luster to Historic Gem
Washington Post; May 6 2007
... The building is one of several on the Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre site, which preservation officials plan to continue developing as a tourism attraction and educational center. The 25-acre site on Bristow Road includes an 1822 jail, an 1870s church and a one-room schoolhouse built in 1928. About a dozen people live in a scattering of homes nearby. Restoration of the church is complete, but work is only beginning on the jail and other facilities.

A Private Auditing Of County Auditors; Firm to Determine Needs of Internal Unit
Washington Post; May 3 2007
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors agreed Tuesday to hire a private accounting firm to review the county's internal auditing unit to determine whether it has enough staff members and resources to perform its duties. ... In addition to studying whether the county should use outside accountants to conduct internal audits or keep its current system, McGladrey & Pullen may also make recommendations about whether the auditors, be they county employees or outside accountants, should continue to report to the county executive or, instead, report to the Board of County Supervisors or its audit subcommittee, which is made up of three members.

Federal Loans for Coal Plants Clash With Carbon Cuts
Washington Post, May 14, 2007
A Depression-era program to bring electricity to rural areas is using taxpayer money to provide billions of dollars in low-interest loans to build coal plants even as Congress seeks ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions. That government support is a major force behind the rush to coal plants, which spew carbon dioxide that scientists blame for global warming. The beneficiaries of the government's largesse -- the nation's rural electric cooperatives -- plan to spend $35 billion to build conventional coal plants over the next 10 years, enough to offset all state and federal efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions over that time.

Projects on hold due to debt ceiling
Potomac News; May 11 2007
Improvements to roads, parks and libraries approved by voters in last November's bond referendum will fall short of expectations in the fiscal 2008 budget. Prince William County annually sets a debt ceiling at 10 percent of expected revenues. When revenues fall short, the county can't borrow as much as it planned. And projects get cancelled or delayed.