Updates on VCN Priorities

VCN budget memo now available. Investing in our natural resources is essential to ensure every Virginian has access to clean air, clean water, and our natural landscapes. Our 202-22 budget priorities include a commitment to meet our Chesapeake Bay clean up goals, investments in land conservation programs, and ensuring funding for our natural resources agencies, specifically the Department of Environmental Quality.
 
Check out VCN’s comments in response to the Virginia House and Senate 2021-2022 biennial budget here.
 
Governor Northam invested $733 million in natural resources in his landmark budget introduced in December. The House & Senate bills both reduce the overall funding level for natural resources, set forward by the Northam Administration, however, we are pleased to see some much-needed increased investments in critical environmental programs.

Virginia Clean Economy Act (HB1526/SB851). Neither of the VCEA bills have been docketed for the House or Senate Labor and Commerce committee meetings at the beginning of next week. If you’re looking for a thorough description of where the bills currently stand, the Virginia Mercury published a great piece yesterday. VCN’s Legislative Committee co-chair, Harrison Wallace, also wrote a great blog about the challenges of working this year’s session with two massive pieces of clean energy legislation (VCEA and Green New Deal). 

ACTION: Reach out to the committees in the House and Senate and ask them to make the bills the strongest possible action on climate. 

We’re so close to preventing offshore drilling (SB795/HB706). Both bills to ban offshore drilling infrastructure are in great shape and are now aligned with identical language. The bills do three important things to protect Virginia’s amazing coastal ecosystems and economies: 1) repeal current law stating that it’s the policy of the Commonwealth to support drilling offshore, 2) repeal current law related to offshore drilling revenues and royalties, and 3) ban offshore drilling infrastructure from being allowed in Virginia’s three miles of coastal waters. The last point is important because it prevents oil and gas developers from running pipelines and other infrastructure from their offshore rigs through Virginia’s coastal waters.

Bill Positions

Virginia Conservation Network publishes bill positions every week. These positions have been voted on by our Legislative Committee, comprised of leading environmental organizations in the state, and our board of directors. They are intended to reflect the positions of the broader conservation community and are updated every Friday.

To view this table online with talking points, visit vcnva.org/bill-tracker.