A Year in Review: VCN’s 2023 Annual Report
Thanks to highly coordinated efforts and despite political headwinds, VCN — in our role as the strategic facilitator of our 150+ Network Partners — was successful in holding onto major environmental and climate policy successes from the last few years while celebrating historic investments in conservation funding through the budget.
Our Annual Report reviews Virginia Conservation Network’s work from Spring 2022 to Winter 2023. While it feels almost impossible to cover everything we worked on last year in only a few pages, we did our best to squeeze in the highlights, including:
- our strategy to advance conservation initiatives year-round,
- our policy gains and challenges through the General Assembly session and beyond,
- our Network Partner engagement events,
- and more.
As we sent this annual report to the printer, we learned of the tragic loss of our Clean Energy & Climate Justice Policy Manager, Shawn Soares, on May 4th, 2023. Shawn was committed to devoting his career to bettering the Commonwealth and was a rising star in the climate movement. We are dedicating this annual report to him and are committed to working in his honor moving forward.
Read more of our recent updates from our blog:
Report: A Case for Utility Disconnection Protections in Virginia
PSE Healthy Energy released an issue brief discussing the extent of energy cost burdens in Virginia and how they affect the state's most vulnerable residents.
Bill of the Day: RGGI Budget Battle
Virginia must rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and is poised to do so through a proposed budget amendment.
Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program
The Federal Highway Administration recently updated their information portal on the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, a grant program aiming to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions and enhance habitat connectivity.
Bill of the Day: Paying for Small-Scale Nuclear Reactors
Small-scale nuclear reactors aka "SMRs" are one of the most expensive power projects to build, and several bills this session would allow utilities to push cost risk onto ratepayers.
Bill of the Day: Better Bus Stops
Virginia must continue to invest in transportation infrastructure to provide Virginians with a comfortable, convenient, and safe access to public transit.
Bill of the Day: Statewide Flood Planning
Virginia needs additional capacity to successfully leverage and distribute flood resilience funds to reduce flood risk throughout the state.