(Virginia Conservation Network)

Virginia Conservation Lobby Day: February 1

Conservation Lobby Day is held annually in Richmond. The traditional in-person meetings with legislators have been modified due to covid-19, but there are still ways to weigh in on issues and legislation that impacts us now and has consequences for Virginia and the planet. 

There are many conservation organizations that provide information and opportunities for action on Lobby Day and year-round on issues impacting the environment. Here are a few of them—just click on the organization names below to find out how to get involved.

• Virginia Conservation Network: An umbrella organization of more than 150 conservation organizations, VCN is scheduling virtual meetings on Tuesday, February 1, and has other activities to get involved in. It also tracks bills and provides information and talking points for messages to legislators.
• Citizens Climate Lobby: Provides resources and training sessions for climate action.
• Sierra Club Virginia Chapter: Provides conservation news and legislative updates, letter-writing workshops and more.

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Changes in State Government

The November election brought changes to Virginia’s state government. Republican Glenn Youngkin was elected governor, and Republicans now hold a majority in the House of Delegates. Democrats have a majority of two in the state Senate, which means in the case of a tie vote, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, would cast the deciding vote.

Governor Youngkin wants to end Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI (see Executive Order 9). The multistate, market-based agreement is aimed at reducing carbon emissions from power generation. It supports the goal of the Virginia Clean Energy Economy Act (VCEEA), passed in 2020, of having all of Virginia’s electricity be derived from carbon-free sources by 2040. A Republican state Senator has initiated the process for a bill to withdraw from the RGGI.

RGGI sets caps on carbon emissions that decrease each year. Carbon credits are purchased by emitters through an auction process. Credits are primarily purchased by electric power companies that can pass costs on to ratepayers. Funds raised by the carbon auctions are distributed among the states participating in RGGI. The VCEEA requires that Virginia’s share of the auction proceeds be used for flood mitigation and programs to improve energy-efficiency in residences of people with low incomes.

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Controversial Appointment

In a move opposed by many conservation organizations, the governor has nominated Andrew Wheeler to serve as Director of Natural and Historic Resources. Wheeler headed the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Trump, and has been described by the Washington Post as “a former coal lobbyist who led a rollback of Obama-era environmental regulations” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/05/youngkin-wheeler-epa-trump-environment/). The nonprofit Brookings Institute has information on environmental deregulation under the Trump administration.

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Make Your Opinions Known

Want to express your concerns and opinions on issues and legislation?

Contact the office of Governor Youngkin here: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office/

Find your state and federal legislators and their contact information by typing your address on this web page: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/