General Assembly 2021

River Issue: Virginia is losing 16,000 acres of trees every year to development and disease according to the VA Dept of Forestry. When we lose trees in our community, we lose the health, economic, resiliency, and environmental benefits they provide.

Trees intercept millions of gallons of stormwater and serve as effective buffers to rising sea levels, preventing pollutants from entering streams, buffering eroding shorelines and guarding against the increasing effects of recurrent flooding. Trees also absorb the excess nutrients that cause dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay.

Trees help us fight climate change. Not only do they sequester tons of carbon annually, which can help communities achieve their carbon reduction goals, but well-placed trees can reduce residential heating and cooling costs by up to 30%.

Trees can improve the health of our citizens. Trees close to highways remove up to 60% of street-level particulates that cause respiratory problems. Trees cool our city streets, reducing the heat-related emergency room visits that are higher in formerl y redlined communities.

Currently Virginia law limits how localities can maintain and increase tree planting and preservation when sites are being developed.

Legislation:  This legislation would give cities and counties more flexibility to expand tree cover in specific cases: remedying ongoing injustices as a result of redlining, addressing recurrent flooding and meeting permit requirements to reduce pollution to waterways.  It would also let localities establish a tree canopy fund, which developers would pay into when they cannot achieve replacement canopy on the developed parcel. This fund would let localities purchase trees and supplies to plant on municipal property and work with non-profit organizations to give trees away to homeowner

FOR’s Position: We support bills that give localities more flexibility to expand tree cover in specific cases, such as remedying ongoing injustices as a result of redlining, addressing recurrent flooding and meeting permit requirements to reduce pollution to waterways. We currently support:

• HB2042 – Chief Patron is Delegate Nancy Guy and co-patron is Delegate Joshua Cole and is currently on the House floor
• Contact your local representatives to let them know you support HB2042

Photo by Piedmont Environmental Council

River Issue: The ability of FOR to work for improved health of the Rappahannock River partially relies on the proper funding of clean water programs through Virginia’s state budget. These clean water programs include funding for agricultural best management practices, assistance for stormwater projects for localities, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, and environmental education.

• Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) to provide much needed funding for stormwater management and flood mitigation in our urban and suburban communities.
  • FOR supports a budget amendment to add $50.9 million to the FY21-22 Proposed Budget. The current budget has zero funding set aside for SLAF.
• Wastewater treatment plant upgrades to protect water quality and public health in our communities
  • FOR supports a budget amendment to add $390 million to the FY21-22 Proposed Budget. The current budget has zero funding set aside for wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
• $95 million for the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share Program to help farmers protect their land with conservation practices and restore their local streams
  • FOR supports a budget amendment to add $60.6 million in addition to the current $35 million in the FY21-22 Proposed Budget.
• $250,000 for Environmental Education to help fund environmental literacy programs across the state
  • FOR supports a budget amendment to add $170,000 in addition to the current $80,000 in the FY21-22 Proposed Budget.
    • HB1800 Item 373 #2h provide additional funding for environmental literacy.
      • Comment here to show support of this budget amendment. Select HB1800 and submit a comment in support of Item 373 #2h
    • SB1100 Senator Hanger – Item 373 #3s and SB1100 Senator Lewis – Item 373 #6s provide additional funding for environmental literacy.
      • Contact members of the Senate Finance Committee to show your support for these budget amendments.
        • Senator Emmett Hanger and Senator Jill Vogel represent districts included in the Rappahannock River watershed.

Legislation: The Administration’s proposed budget provides some funding for clean water programs but statewide needs assessments show more ambitious funding is needed to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.  

FOR’s Position: We will advocate for the proposed funding levels to be included in any final budget bill the General Assembly approves.