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:
Bill of the Day: Expanding Solar Energy
Installing solar reduces energy burdens and costs for Virginians while making our buildings more energy efficient and clean. It's also critical to hit our 100% clean energy targets outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).
Conservation Policy Updates: Week 5 of General Assembly
See conservation policy updates on Crossover, Expanding Solar Energy, and Transit Infrastructure/Electrification Funding from week 5 of the General Assembly session.
Bill of the Day: Data Centers’ Impact on the Environment
Data centers consume massive amounts of resources, and we don’t fully know just how bad the consequences will be. Support SJ240!
Crossover Update from Virginia’s General Assembly
As of this Tuesday, we have reached “crossover” – the day that bills introduced and passed in one chamber of the General Assembly must “cross over” to be voted on by the other. VCN provides an update on the remaining conservation bills in this short session.
Conservation Policy Updates: Week 4 of General Assembly
See conservation policy updates on Data Centers, Banning Cyanide in Metals Mining, and Curbing Invasive Plants from week 4 of the General Assembly session.
Back in Action for Conservation Lobby Day
For our first Lobby Day back in person since 2020, over 200 conservation advocates joined over 75 meetings held with our state legislators. With guidance from VCN's Bill Tracker, attendees lobbied their state representatives to support strong conservation policies.