Comment from Case, Rachel
Rachel CaseOtherIndividual
Summary: The commenter expresses frustration over the lack of enforcement regarding Endangered Species Act violations by Dominion Energy and calls for a new team capable of prosecuting these violations. They also advocate for the listing of the wood turtle as an endangered species, citing its slow reproductive cycle and the threats posed by habitat destruction and water pollution.
Dominion Energy's CVOW is killing endangered northern long-eared bats off the coast of Virginia Beach, but because we don't have a team in the water or operating onshore, the carcasses are not being counted in violation of Dominion Energy's take permit. We need to fix this since Endangered Species Act violations cost the violator 50,000 dollars per occurrence when prosecuted, and that is revenue we are missing out on weekly. The team on the ground does not know how to, and does not want to, prosecute violations under the Endangered Species Act. We need a new team who is capable of bringing ESA violations to court, and gaining revenue for our office.
Next, the wood turtle was supposed to be listed on the Endangered Species List in 2023. There have been constant delays regarding this freshwater turtle, despite petition proof and actions from the Center for Biological Diversity. The wood turtle's range is disturbed by increased construction and roads, making it harder for it to find its mating areas in freshwater streams. Wood turtles do not reach reproductive maturity until the age of 20 years as they can live to the age of 100 but more often live to the age of 60 years old. Due to their long awaited reproductive cycle, any dead wood turtle causes a severe decline in the species. Due to its long age to mature, the wood turtle is not reproductively resilient. There is no redundant wood turtle or subspecies protected. Wood turtles have distinctive orange markings on their bottoms which are different from the shell markings of box turtles, for example. Protecting the wood turtle is also vital to protecting freshwater streams and other habitat which are at risk from battery dumping and open sewage dumping on the Rivanna River of Charlottesville. Charlottesville, for example, does not conduct water testing AT ALL. So to protect its population from E.Coli and other spillages, wood turtle protection is vital. Next, wood turtle protection is representative of protection of Virginia and Maryland watersheds. It has been studied by the Smithsonian Institutes at length and is critical to crop dispersions in rural areas on the eastern United States.