Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy Caucus Adopts 2016 Legislative Agenda

Great stuff; if this agenda were adopted in full, or even in part, Virginia would be MUCH better off for it! – Lowell

• SUPPORT: Fully funding Agriculture Best Management Practices cost-share program in the State Budget –Robust and reliable funding of Virginia’s agricultural best management practice cost-share program is essential for meeting the Commonwealth’s water quality goals. Practices like fencing cattle out of streams, planting streamside trees and grasses, managing manure effectively, planting cover crops, and many others are the most cost-effective steps Virginia can take to restore the Bay and local steams under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. There is an estimated $65 million backlog in funding for the many farmers who have signed up to install fencing to protect streams from livestock.
• SUPPORT: Increased funding for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund in the State Budget – Virginia localities are working hard to restore our waterways with enhanced runoff control programs, stream restoration initiatives, and other projects. To support localities’ work and meet the Clean Water Blueprint goals, the Commonwealth must substantially increase funding for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF), a program that provides matching grants to localities for effective stormwater management projects.
• SUPPORT: Zero Tolerance for Repeat Polluters Act (HB976 – Lopez) – This bill raises the civil penalty that may be included with a special order from the Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality from $10,000 to $50,000. It also raises the civil penalties for special orders from the State Water Control Board, Air Pollution Control Board, and Waste Management Board to $50,000 per violation with a maximum of $1,000,000 per special order. 
• SUPPORT: Ensuring timely public notification for pollution in local waters (HB479 – Kory) – Residents should know as soon as possible that their local lakes, streams, or rivers have been exposed to pollution. These notices should be clear and visible at all access points outlining potential public health and safety risks.
• SUPPORT: Tightening the window of time for spill notifications (HB977 – Lopez) – This legislation requires any person who unlawfully discharges any harmful substance into state waters to notify the Department of Environmental Quality or the coordinator of emergency services of the affected locality within 12 hours. It also require the State Water Control Board or the Department to provide each report of a discharge to local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations as soon as practicable after receiving it.

• OPPOSE: House Bill 2 – HB 2 infringes on the authority of the Governor to develop a state plan with the state agencies that are experts in protecting our health and environment. Importantly, the bill could obstruct state agencies who must draft a plan that fits the unique needs of Virginia, wasting an opportunity to develop a Clean Power Plan that works best for Virginia’s economy and our communities. The General Assembly should support timely and effective compliance with the final Plan targets and reject efforts to limit the autonomy of the policy experts at Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality from creating and submitting a state plan.
• SUPPORT: Virginia Coastal Protection Act (HB351 – Villanueva / SB571 – McEachin) – Flooding has become one of the most challenging public policy issues facing coastal Virginia. The increased warming and rising of ocean waters due to climate change, combined with the area’s sinking land, will cause as much as 7.5 feet of sea level rise by century’s end, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences. As a win-win solution, Virginia should join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which will provide crucial funds for adaptation measures in Hampton Roads and throughout Virginia while lowering emissions in a way that is proven cost-effective.
• SUPPORT: Increased Energy Efficiency Goals (HB576 – Sullivan) – Energy efficiency programs in Virginia represent an under-utilized tool by which the state can reduce its total energy consumption and also stimulate local economies through in-state job generation. Additionally, under the U.S. EPA’s now-final Clean Power Plan, expanded efficiency programs can aid the state in meeting its greenhouse gas emissions targets. Utility-run efficiency programs will play a dominant role in Virginia’s overall efficiency efforts, and the utilities’ planning documents should properly account for that impact.
• SUPPORT: Community Net-Metering / Reducing Stand-by Charges (SB140 – Edwards) – “Community net metering” allows utility customers to work together to install a renewable energy system that will benefit all members of a group. Customer-generated renewable energy offers significant benefits to the public as well as to individual owners of systems. These systems provide power directly where it is used, reducing line losses and the need for new utility generation. They also contribute to the security and stability of the electric grid, relieve grid congestion, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that pollute the air and water. The General Assembly should increase the availability of options for customers to install renewable energy systems, including through the use of community net metering. 
• SUPPORT: Fixing the Virginia’s definition of Renewable Energy to promote efficient biomass energy generation (HB973 – Lopez / SB647– Favola) – Virginia’s definition of renewable energy is flawed because it includes all forms of biomass generation. We need to ensure that only energy sources with a low carbon footprint are considered renewable by removing the most inefficient and dirty biomass generators from the list of renewable energy sources in the state. By not diluting the meaning of “renewable” we can ensure that efficient biomass, wind, solar and other sustainable technologies are not overshadowed or overlooked as means of achieving Virginia’s clean energy future. 

• OPPOSE: Any additional cuts to the Land Preservation Tax Credit and any attacks on voluntary conservation easements – The Land Preservation Tax Credit is Virginia’s most successful, dependable land conservation funding program and is one of the best land conservation tax incentive programs in the nation. This program is an efficient and effective way to encourage private voluntary land conservation by providing taxpayers who make gifts of land or conservation easements tax credits equal to 40 percent of the value of their donated interest.
• SUPPORT: Increased funding for successful land grant programs in the State Budget – The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) provides state matching grants for the preservation of various categories of special lands in the commonwealth. 
• SUPPORT: $165 Million for public land acquisition in the 2016 General Obligation Bond package – In order to keep pace with public demand for public lands, the land acquisition portion of this should include at least $165M for parks, preserves, and forests.