A Year in Review: VCN’s 2022 Annual Report
Over the last year, VCN worked with our 150+ Network Partners to maintain momentum around policy gains while continuing to navigate working within the confines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The year was defined by a gubernatorial election and the infusion of federal money into the state budget. It ended with a vastly different political landscape including a new, untested Governor and a change in conservation strategy from offense to defense.
Our Annual Report reviews Virginia Conservation Network’s work from Spring 2021 to Winter 2022. 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,
- our Network Partner engagement events,
- VCN staff updates,
- …and more!
Read more of our recent updates from our blog:
Wetland and Water Protection Resource Guide
The Biden Administration recently released a resource guide, which includes input from several federal agencies, to serve as a resource for Tribes, states, territories, local governments, private land owners, and nongovernmental organizations to advance wetland and water resource protection.
Bay Act Resiliency Guidance
DEQ has updated the Bay Act resiliency guidance along with updated examples. A model ordinance, locality implementation checklist, resiliency assessment template, adaptation measure checklist, and nature-based adaptation measure list are also available.
ARTICLE: $600M provided to US communities for public electric vehicle chargers
The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program provided more than $600 million to US communities for more public chargers for electric vehicles.
Biden Administration Announces Rules Aimed at Phasing Out Gas Cars
The Biden administration on Wednesday issued one of the most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history, a rule designed to ensure that the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States are all-electric or hybrids by 2032.
ROUNDUP: Local Leaders Oppose Gas-Fired Peaker Plant
Virginia Conservation Network Partners applaud the Central Virginia legislators for sharing a letter of opposition to the proposed gas-fired peaker plant in Chesterfield.
Report: Feeding the Plastics Industrial Complex
The Environmental Integrity Project released a report examining the disproportionate impact of 50 plastics plants on nearby vulnerable communities, including Black and Latino communities.