Free Speech Wall in Charlottesville, VA. Photo by Emily Little.

Environmental justice ensures equity, access, and accountability. It protects residents by ensuring equitable treatment and accessible participation in public policy decisions. In recent years, Virginia has codified steps to incorporate environmental justice into regulatory procedures and state law. 

In 2017, Virginia established its first Advisory Council on Environmental Justice under Executive Order 73, and the council was reestablished under Executive Order 29 in 2019. 

The General Assembly established the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice (VCEJ) as a permanent advisory body in the executive branch in 2020. That year, it also passed the Virginia Environmental Justice Act, which determined that it is “the policy of the Commonwealth to promote environmental justice and ensure that it is carried out throughout the Commonwealth. The law defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, faith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement of any environmental law, regulation, or policy.” Establishing the Council as a permanent body and codifying the Environmental Justice Act were critical steps to ensuring environmental justice is at the forefront in Virginia.

The Virginia Council on Environmental Justice is composed of members appointed by the governor who advise on environmental justice issues and provide recommendations to protect vulnerable communities from the disproportionate impacts of pollution. The council includes 27 members appointed by the governor and 6 ex officio members from state agencies. 

The Virginia Council on Environmental Justice is pivotal in keeping the administration abreast of issues across Virginia and making recommendations on advancing environmental justice through agency actions. The council is often the state entity most accessible to grassroots community members.

The council typically holds six meetings per year with dedicated time for public comments, with both in-person or online participation available. Meetings are held during daytime hours, and locations change throughout the year, with multiple sessions held in Richmond. During the public comment periods, community members voice their concerns and share their experiences with issues impacting Virginians across the state. Community members can also submit written comments to highlight pressing issues across communities. In addition to verbal or written comments, accessibility accommodations are available upon request. Presentations are given by agencies, academics, and community groups. The Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Justice provides updates. Time is also dedicated for work sessions on annual report chapters.

The Virginia Council on Environmental Justice publishes an annual report that outlines its findings, priorities, and recommendations for advancing environmental justice across Virginia. The report documents community stories, site visits, public testimony, and collaborative work sessions, ensuring that the lived experiences of impacted residents shape the narrative.

It centers the concerns raised by environmental justice communities and evaluates how state actions affect public health, socioeconomic conditions, and overall quality of life. Throughout the year, relevant state agencies provide updates that help the Council identify and address disparities across Virginia.

Broadly, the Council hears from communities across Virginia about the importance of a healthy environment for everyone and the need for individuals to live, learn, and work without facing disproportionate risks from pollution or environmental degradation. 

Presentations in 2026 have focused on coal dust pollution, methane gas compressor stations, and data centers.

Residents in the Lambert’s Point neighborhood in Norfolk, for instance, witness hundreds of coal cars moving through the neighborhood daily. State regulators play a significant role in addressing fugitive coal dust issues in communities like Lambert’s Point. Coal, water, and dust from cars enter the local waterways and endanger public health. Residents have consistently been outspoken about the need for help. A clear approach to regulating discharges from coal trains protects water and ecosystems.

The appropriation and allocation of funds to support local efforts to address environmental challenges in overburdened communities is also vital. For example, Virginia could ensure that the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Innovations in Energy Efficiency (HIEE) program’s funding is invested in technological solutions to address the problem of fugitive coal dust escaping coal terminals.

Virginia is home to a large network of fracked gas pipelines, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) which accrued over 350 violations of water quality protections during construction. The pipeline, which extends from Giles County to Pittsylvania County continues to pose significant harm and risks to communities. Now, developers want to expand the pipeline’s gas capacity with an overall project called “MVP Boost” and build one of the largest fracked-gas compressor stations on the East Coast, called “Swann Compressor Station,” in Elliston, VA. The station would be sited within an environmental justice community, making it wholly unsuited given Virginia’s existing laws. The 2022 Lafayette Area Household Study from Virginia Tech confirmed that the area qualifies as an “environmental justice” community under the Virginia Environmental Justice Act.

Conceptual pathways linking data center operations to human health outcomes. Graph by Frontiers in Climate.

As the demand for energy from data centers grows, communities are increasingly concerned about data center pollution, noise, energy demand, and water use. Growth is increasingly concentrated in lower-income and historically marginalized communities. Data centers consume a disproportionate amount of water compared with individual consumers. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, large-scale data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day. The average individual only consumes 80 to 100 gallons a day. The rapid expansion of data centers compounds already existing inequalities in communities across Virginia, while residents bear the costs. The Council’s September 21, 2026 meeting includes a tour of data centers in Northern Virginia.

You can advocate for environmental justice in Virginia by attending the Council’s scheduled meetings. The next meeting will be held on December 9th in Richmond. See all upcoming meeting details and their recently released 2025 Annual Report on their website.