Regenerative Farmer | Clean Water Advocate | Climate Change |Politics | Environmental Justice | #dadlife | Opinions my own or something the trees told me
Virginia, USA, The Ether, On the Water
Joined March 2009
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Jay C. Ford retweeted
This year, Virginia became the first state in the South to pass a paid family and medical leave program.
This means hardworking Virginians will have the freedom to take care of their loved ones, recover from illness, and spend time with their newborns — all with the confidence that they will keep their paychecks.
Jay C. Ford retweeted
Virginia’s Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery lost approximately 130,000 trout in an overnight equipment failure — over half of the fish it planned to stock into surrounding waters through the Spring.
cardinalnews.org/2026/10/30/…
🔥🔥🔥
He may be the leader of the Catholic church, but Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV is still a registered voter in Illinois and requested a mail ballot for the midterm elections.
chicago.suntimes.com/pope-le…
Amazing team doing incredible work to improve the lives of Virginians every day.
The Governor and Commonwealth is lucky to have such a dedicated and talented team of public servants charting the path to keep VA the best place to live, start a business, & raise a family:)
I’m proud to have the most talented, hardest-working cabinet in Virginia’s history. They are also the most diverse cabinet Virginia has ever seen.
Every single one of our cabinet secretaries were selected because they’re the best of the best in their respective fields. They also bring invaluable perspectives from across the Commonwealth — from Danville, Hampton Roads, Richmond, NOVA, and more.
I’m grateful to get to work with these incredibly dedicated, hard-working, and talented cabinet officials to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia.
richmond.com/opinion/column/…
Jay C. Ford retweeted
Meet Annautaq, an orphaned Pacific walrus calf whose unexpected discovery during USGS research in Alaska saved his life.
Last month, USGS biologist Tony Fischbach and Violet Anniskett, an Illisavik College intern, were surveying a beach after a storm moved a walrus herd from the area. While sampling carcasses for a study on harmful algal toxin levels in Pacific walruses, Violet discovered a live, orphaned calf hiding between two adult carcasses.
With approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the local Iñupiaq community, the pair cared for the calf for nearly four days. They dispersed the gulls scavenging him, walked a half mile to the nearest shelter (an abandoned building open to the elements), and protected him from polar bears until the storm passed and a local rescue team could boat him across the lagoon. From there, Alaska Sea Life Center (ASLC) vet techs crated him onto a small plane to rehabilitation. Violet joined the journey to ease his transition.
Violet grew up near walrus herds and first joined USGS surveys on a high school class field trip. This September, she joined the USGS team to gain professional experience working with the wildlife central to Iñupiaq culture. Her community agreed to have the orphan saved with the condition that they name him to preserve their connection to him. Violet chose Annautaq, an Iñupiaq word meaning axe, in honor of her father’s Iñupiaq name.
USGS scientists monitor Pacific walrus populations in support of Marine Mammal Protection Act reporting and management requirements. This work depends on partnerships with Alaska Native communities, whose generational knowledge shapes how we understand and protect these animals.
After rehabilitation at the ASFC, Annautaq has moved to his long-term home, where he will serve as a species ambassador, helping people learn about walruses and their connection to Alaska's people and changing marine environments.
All work was conducted under USFWS permit MA3376D.
📷1: Violet and Annautaq.
📷2: Annautaq gazes out the shelter window.
📷3: Tony and Annautaq.
📷4: Violet resting with Annautaq.
Credit: Tony Fischbach, USGS
ALT Young woman smiling next to a close-up of a large walrus with textured skin indoors.
ALT A large walrus sitting indoors, gazing out of a window with natural light illuminating its wrinkled skin.
ALT Person gently holding a young walrus near a window overlooking a grassy coastal landscape under a cloudy sky.
ALT A person in a hooked puffy jacket laying face down on a thin mat on the floor next to a walrus calf.
Since VA joined RGGI dominion has put two massive gas plant proposals on the table. The Cumberland plant would be the second largest in the entire country.
This is not the action of a company taking our RGGI or VCEA policies seriously… & their ability to pass costs along lay at the heart of the matter.
Legislators should shift costs for RGGI carbon allowances back to the company so they are actually incentivized to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
"Dominion asks SCC to recoup RGGI costs from customers, adding up to $13 to bills monthly - A credit from the state is anticipated to offset it." #VALeg Via @ShannonHeckt
virginiamercury.com/2026/10/…
Since we joined RGGI and passed VCEA dominion has put two massive gas proposals on the table… a student of policy would tell you that means the laws are not sufficiently motivating them to decarbonize.
Legislators should start shifting allowance costs to Dominion. Allowing them to pass through the financial impacts of their decisions to disregard clean energy goals needs to stop.
Virginia is back in RGGI. Now Dominion is asking the SCC to add the charge for the carbon allowances to be put back onto bills. While it would add ~$13 a month, the state planned for that with an offset plan. #valeg #vagov
virginiamercury.com/2026/10/…
Jay C. Ford retweeted
🚨FINAL VA US HOUSE PROJECTIONS🚨
District | Margin of Victory | Odds of Winning
VA-8: 🔵 +64.8 |🔵 >99.9%
VA-3: 🔵 +52.0 | 🔵 >99.9%
VA-11: 🔵 +50.6 |🔵 >99.9%
VA-4: 🔵 +45.4 | 🔵 >99.9%
VA-10: 🔵 +26.2 | 🔵 >99.9%
VA-7: 🔵 +19.4 |🔵 >99.9%
VA-2: 🔵 +10.1 |🔵 92.2% - FLIP
VA-1: 🔵+4.3 | 🔵 73.3% - FLIP
VA-5: 🔵 +1.7 |🔵 59.8% - FLIP
VA-6: 🔴 +12.5 | 🔴 96.6%
VA-9: 🔴 +30.8 | 🔴 >99.9%
Statewide US House Vote
🔵Democrats 59.7%
🔴Republicans 39.5%
⚪️3P/Write-Ins 0.8%
“New US Data Centers Projected to Emit More Carbon Than All of Mexico
The boom is set to produce enough greenhouse gases to cancel out 15 years of declines in power-sector emissions”
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Complaining about completely legal voters weighing in on the future of the community they live in is such a bad take.
Do you ask any other group of Virginians if they might move in a couple years before discrediting their voice? Would you ask our men in women in the military that same question since they move every couple years?
Of course not because that would be anti- democratic.
Fun fact: 42% of UVA students are from out-of-state.
I wonder how many will remain here, live, work — contribute to our Commonwealth.
Or, will they go “home,” wherever home may be for them. And leave us with the ramifications of a free slice of pizza one sunny afternoon on the lawn?
But hey, you know, whatever it takes right, Democrats?
Jay C. Ford retweeted
Joined Delegates @DelBetsyCarr and @shelly_simonds today at the Virginia Policy Summit along the James River in Richmond. Fittingly, many of the conversations focused on Virginia’s water resources, Chesapeake Bay restoration, climate resilience, and balancing growth with environmental stewardship. Thank you to the organizers, speakers, and stakeholders for an informative day.
Pictured here with @BlairStLedger, @VirginiaLCV and @jaycford, @chesapeakebay
Huge thank you to @GovernorVA Spanberger’s Chief of Staff, @bonnie_krenz , for kicking off the VA Environmental Policy Summit today.
Really exciting to hear about all the hard work the Administration is putting in to protect & enhance Virginia’s energy infrastructure & natural resources… especially pumped to hear the plans to tackle data center impacts!
Let’s get it done in 2027!!!
Fascinating poll… most striking is the continued erosion of meaning on the concept of “patriotism”
Independents & Democrats identifying foundational values (honesty, equality, fairness, & kindness) over the more amorphous “patriotism” should be a wake up call for government.
New Gallup poll asks "which values the country most needs today?"
Out of a list of 12 values, Republicans put "patriotism" #1, for Dems it ranks dead last - by a lot.
Dems say "equality" is most needed, Republicans rank it 11th out of 12.
