ADVOCACY

Friends of the Rappahannock works at the local, state, and federal level to ensure the maximum protections for the Rappahannock River.

This includes a wide range of programs, issues, and campaigns that takes us across the watershed and beyond.

Review and comment of local ordinances, comprehensive plans, general development plans, permits, and more.
Active presence at the Virginia General Assembly fighting for continued funding for clean water programs, agricultural and stormwater best management practice funding, living shoreline program development, fishery protection, and a variety of other issues.
Federal advocacy to maintain a strong Chesapeake Bay Program and associated agency funding at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and more. Federal advocacy to protect the Clean Water Act and other federal regulations that impact the Rappahannock River.
Membership and participation in regional advocacy partnerships with the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) and Choose Clean Water Coalition (CCWC).
Annual leader at Virginia Conservation Lobby Day and Bay Day on the Hill.

Click Here for the full 2018 Environmental Policy Briefing Book published by our partners at the Virginia Conservation Network.

Fracking

Rappahannock Report Card

Healthy Rivers Initiative

Federal Water Policy

Rappahannock Advocacy Blog

Caroline County Water Withdrawal Open Comment

UPDATE: SEPT. 12, 2024 The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced a public hearing for the water withdrawal draft permit (VWPP No. 20-0514) in Caroline County, VA. The hearing will be held on September 25, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m...

General Assembly 2024

Join us as a strong voice for the Rappahannock River at the state level. The 2024 General Assembly session starts January 10th. While we will be supporting and opposing many issues we are prioritizing the following issues and will regularly update this page. We will...

General Assembly 2023

Join us as a strong voice for the Rappahannock River at the state level. The 2023 General Assembly session starts January 11th. We are prioritizing these issues and will regularly update this page. We will include info on bill progress and how you can make a...

General Assembly 2022

Join us as a strong voice for the Rappahannock River at the state level. The 2021 General Assembly session starts January 13th. We are prioritizing these issues and will regularly update this page. We will include info on bill progress and how you can make a...

So You Forgot Your Reusable Bag….

SO YOU FORGOT YOUR REUSABLE BAG... Starting on January 1, the City of Fredericksburg levied a 5-cent tax on each disposable bag sold at all grocery stores, drugstores and convenience stores within the 22401 zip code. This new tax has encouraged many residents to...

Community Efforts for Mountain Run

Mountain Run is a stream that flows through downtown Culpeper. It begins in agricultural fields before it feeds two drinking water reservoirs, flows through several popular park spaces, under bridges and highways, through backyards, and into the Rappahannock River. In...

Advocating for Coastal Resilience

In the last few years coastal flood resilience and climate change adaptation has become an advocacy priority of Friends of the Rappahannock. In Virginia flooding resilience has become a topic of great debate and modest positive action. Coastal areas, both urban and...

General Assembly 2021

Pursuing Scenic River Designation for the Lower Rappahannock River

UPDATE 4/1/2021 - Governor Northam has signed bill HB1819 into law designating 79-miles of the lower Rappahannock River as a component of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System. Thank you to Delegate Josh Cole for introducing this bill and his copatrons Delegates Betsy B....

Fracking Ban Passes General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly banned hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, in the eastern part of the state. This legislation received extensive support and now protects the communities and natural resources of the lower Rappahannock River region from water...