Investments in Clean Water, Parks, Trails & Energy Security during Special Session
In August, legislators met to allocate funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. VCN and our partners tracked funding allocated for energy, water, and land conservation. Here’s an overview of the top conservation funding:
Energy
As we continue to advocate for policy that ensures access to essential utility services, we’re happy to share that funds were allocated for overdue utility bills as Virginian residents struggle to pay due to job loss during the pandemic. In addition, funding was secured for upgrading out-of-date, inefficient HVAC systems in schools, ensuring cleaner air for our students, reduced energy usage, and lower electricity bills for our schools.
- $120M for residential utility bills that are 60 days overdue.
- $250M to improve HVAC systems and energy efficiency in schools.
Water
The budget infuses $411 million for clean water infrastructure for septic, wastewater, and sewage upgrades. Here’s the breakdown of this funding:
For Fiscal Year 2022:
- $5.75M to the Department of Health for the onsite septic indemnification fund. This will help low-income houses with outhouses or failing septic systems get adequate septic treatment.
- $75M to the Department of Environmental Quality for septic, straight pipe, and sewer collection system repair, replacement, and upgrades.
- $100M to the Department of Environmental Quality for wastewater plant upgrades
- $125M to the Department of Environmental Quality for combined sewer overflow control projects: Alexandria is to receive $50M; Lynchburg is to receive $25M; and Richmond is to receive $50M. The cities must match these funds 100 percent. Note: Richmond’s system will cost an estimated $883 million to fully address by 2035, the deadline given to the City by the General Assembly, so we will continue to advocate for wastewater upgrades and funding.
- $50M to the Department of Health for qualifying municipal and private drinking water projects.
For Fiscal Year 2023-2024
- $5.75M to the Department of Health for the onsite septic indemnification fund.
- $50M to the Department of Health for qualifying municipal and private drinking water projects.
Land Conservation
Virginia’s parks and trails received a down-payment for much-needed funding, as Virginia has seen a sharp increase in outdoor recreation throughout the pandemic.
- $25 million to the Department of Conservation & Recreation for outdoor recreation area maintenance & construction.
- $1 million to the Department of Conservation & Recreation for trail system connections at Lake Royal Park in Fairfax.
Governor Announces Historic Surplus
This week, Governor Northam shared in his Annual Revenue speech that, “thanks to fiscally responsible stewardship, Virginia ended fiscal year 2021 with an historic $2.6 billion surplus—the largest in the Commonwealth’s history.”
According to Secretary Flores, nearly the entirety of this surplus has already been allocated, including $310M to the Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF).
Looking Ahead to Governor Northam’s Final Budget
In December, Governor Northam will release his final budget. We will continue to advocate for increased conservation funding to clean our land and water, protect human health, and mitigate the consequences of climate change. These budget asks are laid out in Our 2022 Common Agenda.
If you would like to take a deeper dive into these topics, and our policy recommendations, make sure to read the environmental policy briefing book we just released: Our 2022 Common Agenda.
VCN will continue to track how funding from the budget surplus is allocated throughout the year. Don’t miss our updates – make sure to subscribe for conservation policy news throughout the year.