VOF staff will provide an overview of the VOF policies that currently allow landowners to donate conservation easements while retaining limited oil and gas rights. The forum will feature presentations by Kate Wofford of the Shenandoah Valley Network, Reneé Carey of the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Gary Eide of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, and Michael Ward of the Virginia Petroleum Council. Following the presentations, the public will be invited to provide comments or ask questions about these policies.
This event is free and open to the public. It will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Headquarters Theater, 1201 Caroline St., Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
The library is located at the corner of Caroline and Lewis streets. Limited parking is available in the library lot along Sophia Street. Most street parking is limited to two hours. For a list of additional public parking in the vicinity, please visit http://www.fredericksburgva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1817.
There will be a one-hour break for lunch from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Attendees may bring their lunch or eat at one of the local restaurants.
This event will be broadcast live on our website at https://www.vof.org/livecast.
9:00 a.m. – Doors open
10:00 a.m. – Welcome, overview of VOF’s policies, and introductions – Brett Glymph, VOF Executive Director
10:15 a.m. – Panelist #1: Michael Ward, Executive Director, Virginia Petroleum Council
10:45 a.m. – Q&A for Panelist #1
11:00 a.m. – Panelist #2: Gary Eide, Inspector, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals & Energy
11:30 a.m. – Q&A for Panelist #2
11:45 a.m. – Panelist #3: Kate Wofford, Executive Director, Shenandoah Valley Network
12:15 p.m. – Q&A for Panelist #3
12:30 p.m. – Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. – Panelist #4: Reneé Carey, Executive Director, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
2:00 p.m. – Open comment and question period
3:00 p.m. – Forum ends
Kate G. Wofford is executive director of Shenandoah Valley Network, a nonprofit that links local community groups working on land protection, land use and transportation issues in six Virginia counties. The network works to maintain healthy and productive rural landscapes and communities, to protect and restore natural resources, and to strengthen and sustain the region’s agricultural economy. As director of Shenandoah Valley Network since 2009, Kate leads the Shenandoah Valley’s shale natural gas campaign and testified before a Congressional joint subcommittee hearing in 2011 on a proposed ban on horizontal drilling for natural gas in the George Washington National Forest. Kate is former director of conservation at the Wood River Land Trust in Idaho. She has an undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, and a master’s from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Reneé Carey has been with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy since 1994, working as the land protection specialist before becoming the executive director. She serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association. Additionally, she is involved with the Pine Creek Watershed Council, Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s forest stewardship advisory committee. She holds a degree in General Arts and Sciences from Penn State University.
Gary Eide is an inspector with the Division of Gas and Oil at the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy. DMME is the state’s regulatory agency overseeing energy development in the state. Based in the Lebanon office, Gary has worked with DGO since 1990, and his duties include permit review, inspections, complaint investigations, regulatory review, and policy development. Occasionally, he has approved permits for the director of DGO and acted on his behalf during the Gas and Oil Board hearings. He has a degree in Forestry from Virginia Tech.
Mike Ward is the executive director of the Richmond-based Virginia Petroleum Council, a position he has held since 1992. The council is one of 22 state affiliates of the American Petroleum Institute, which is a national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Prior to joining the council, Mike was a staff attorney for the Virginia Division of Legislative Services. He holds a degree in Government from Hampden-Sydney College and a law degree from the University of Richmond.