From the treasured Chesapeake to the majestic Appalachian Ridge, with the fertile Coastal Plain and Piedmont between, Virginia’s natural resources sustain thriving communities. But these resources — still recovering from decades of pollution — face the extraordinary task of withstanding climate change while meeting the needs of Virginians. Fortunately, many of the actions we take to restore our waterways and revive our natural landscapes will reduce carbon pollution and help mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change: rising temperatures and rising water. Strong, reliable investments to restore our natural resources will ensure that Virginians emerge healthy and whole from the challenges ahead.

After decades of unchecked pollution and chronic underfunding, Virginia’s natural resources are on the road to recovery thanks to our shared commitments to restoring clean air, clean water, and healthy landscapes throughout the Commonwealth. But the urgency of these commitments is only growing. With only four years remaining to meet our 2025 Bay cleanup goals, we must significantly pick up the pace of our progress to reach our required pollution reductions on time. Climate change continues to threaten our work and our well-being, with heavier and more frequent downpours overwhelming stormwater systems, flooding neighborhoods, and sending more pollution downstream. And despite our constitutional duty “to protect [our] atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth,”¹ we know that environmental justice communities have not benefited from our environmental protections. There is much work to be done to ensure that all Virginians ”receive fair treatment and meaningful involvement regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement of any environmental law, regulation, or policy.”²

To meet our natural resource commitments, Virginia lawmakers have developed many effective programs and initiatives to ensure state investments wisely support our natural resources and our communities and people. Notable examples include the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share Program, the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund, the Water Quality Improvement Fund, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, and the Land Preservation Tax Credit program. Thankfully, we know that the natural resources programs we have spent decades developing and implementing will also help us remain resilient in the face of climate change.

Recent studies have shown that each dollar spent on agricultural conservation practices, and each dollar spent on land conservation, leads to a return of $4. Outdoor recreation in Virginia supports 197,000 direct jobs and over $1 billion in state and local tax revenue. Virginia’s state parks and natural areas alone support 10 million annual visits, generating $267 million in positive economic impact and supporting over 3,800 jobs.  And infrastructure projects that protect water quality, like upgrading wastewater treatment plants or installing stormwater management structures, create local jobs.

Clean Water

• $80M per year for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (pg 6).
• $2M per year for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (pg 6).
• Maintain full funding, no less than $256M over the biennium, for the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share Program (pg 8).
• Provide sufficient and stable funding for technical assistance by Soil and Water Conservation Districts (pg 8).
• Support additional financial incentives for long-term agricultural conservation practices like stream exclusion fencing and riparian buffers (pg 8).
• Fully fund state grants for wastewater treatment upgrades to fulfill the requirements of the Enhanced Nutrient Reduction Certainty Program, as identified by the Needs Assessment, and cost-effectively reduce pollution to Virginia’s waterways. (pg 10).
• Maintain state funding to localities remediating aging combined sewer systems (pg 10).
• Fund a comprehensive Albemarle-Pamlico watershed study by DEQ (pg 12).
• $3M for the Virginia Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Prevention and Removal Program (pg 12 & 16).

Plastic & Toxic Waste

• Ban the use of single-use expanded polystyrene by food vendors by 2024 rather than having a 7-year phase-out period (pg 16).
• Fund DEQ and the Virginia Department of Health to identify and eliminate potential pathways for PFAS contamination (pg 20).

Flood & Climate Resiliency

• Identify additional consistent, long-term, and dedicated funding to address flood risk and advance flood resilience (pg 24).
• Increase staff capacity at multiple agencies (including at least 2 outreach and engagement staff at DCR, 2 Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act technical assistance staff at DEQ, and 1 Tidal Wetlands Act technical assistance staff at VMRC) to educate localities and relevant boards on changing regulations and provide direct technical assistance to local and regional governments for flood resilience planning and adaptation (pg 24).

Land Conservation & Outdoor Recreation

• Maintain the Land Preservation Tax Credit (pg 32).
• $20M per year for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation with $2 million set aside for farmland preservation (pg 32, 36, & 38).
• $5M per year for the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund (pg 32, 36, & 38).
• $5M per year for the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund (pg 32).
• $5M per year for the Virginia Black Indigenous and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund (pg 32 & 38).
• $20M per year to extend the Virginia’s Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors Program statewide (pg 32).
• $41M per year to support the Office of Trails for the planning, construction and maintenance of trails (pg 33 & 68).
• $1M in grant match funds through the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for low-income communities, communities of color, and localities with a population less than 25,000 to enhance connectivity to transportation and recreation opportunities (pg 33).
• $57M per year to DCR to support essential staffing, programs, and maintenance backlog at state parks (pg 33).
• $1M in matching funds for federal agricultural and conservation easement programs (pg 36).
• $500,000 per year through the Office of Farmland Preservation to provide assistance for Purchase of Development Rights ordinances and farmland preservation zoning practices for localities (pg 36).
• $10M in federal recovery funding to establish a small meat processing fund (pg 36).
• $250,000 per year for the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund infrastructure program and $250,000 per year for a new Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Science program providing technical and grant assistance to small and underserved farms transitioning to higher value production (pg 36).

Virginia’s Flora & Fauna

• $4M per year to the Virginia Department of Forestry for the Trees for Clean Water program and $3 million per year for Urban and Community Forestry grants, with 25% of funds prioritized for low-income communities (pg 44 & 62).
• One additional full time equivalent position to support the development and advancement of Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan and $5M in fiscal year 2024 to support wildlife crossings and habitat connectivity projects (pg 46).
• Hire at least one FTE to develop and advance the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (pg 46).
• $5M to begin renovation and expansion of the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center at Buller Fish Hatchery (pg 50).
• $2M to increase mussel restoration projects at hatcheries across the Commonwealth (pg 50).
• Fund a 3-year pilot program through VMRC for crab pot tagging (pg 52).
• Provide funding for a comprehensive blue crab stock assessment (pg 52).

Land Use & Transportation Reform

• Increase share of state and regional funding for transit, rail, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to 50% by 2030 (pg 58).
• Prioritize funding for the repair of existing infrastructure, and fully fund the replacement of all roads, bridges, water and sewer infrastructure, schools, and other public buildings in poor condition over 10 years (pg 58 & 60).
• $200M per year for the state Affordable Housing Trust Fund (pg 60).
• $100M per year for financial incentives to expand access to electrified mobility– including electric vehicles, bikes, school and transit buses–until price parity is achieved (pg 62 & 64).

Walking, Biking, Rail, & Public Transit

• $10M per year for the Transit Ridership Incentive Program (pg 70 & 72).
• Increase transit funding to meet the needs identified in DRPT’s 2022 Transit Modernization and Equity Study (pg 70 & 72).

Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency

• Create and fund a new grant program to assist school divisions with achieving net-zero carbon pollution standards on new and substantially renovated school buildings (pg 80).
• Fund a study by the State Corporation Commission and Virginia Energy considering alternatives to the existing electric utility regulatory system, such as those that compensate utility investments based on environmental and social outcomes rather than a project’s price tag (pg 84).
• $35M per year for the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Program (pg 86).

• Fund a study through the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) of ways to incentivize teacher engagement in Virginia-centric environmental education certifications (pg 106).

1 Va. Const. art. XI § 1.

2 Va. Code § 2.2-234.

3 Terance J. Rephann, “Economic Impacts of Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices to Achieve Goals Outlined in Virginia’s Tributary Strategy,” Center for Economic and Policy Studies and Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, (Feb. 23, 2010). https://www.cbf.org/document-library/non-cbf-documents/FINAL-Weldon-Cooper-Center-Ag-BMP-report3958.pdf.

4 “Virginia’s Return on Investment in Land Conservation,” Trust for Public Lands, (August 2016), https://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/VA%20ROI_report.pdf.

5 “Virginia’s Outdoor Recreation Economy,” Virginia Office of Outdoor Recreation, (last visited June 8, 2021). https://www.governor.virginia.gov/outdoor.

6 Vincent P. Magnini, “Virginia State Parks Economic Impact Report 2018,” Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, (January 2019). http://www.virginiaparks.org/document/2018-economic-impact-study.pdf.