Environmental laws are meaningless without community input, basic funding, and adequate enforcement measures to back them up. Greater civic participation builds greater transparency, independence, public engagement, and representation from environmental justice and fenceline communities in our conservation efforts.

Pat Calvert

Narissa Turner

ENSURING ROBUST CITIZEN REPRESENTATION THROUGH VIRGINIA’S CITIZEN BOARDS
MODERNIZING PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKING AND ENSURING ROBUST PARTICIPATION
ENSURING DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION AT COOPERATIVE AND MUNICIPAL UTILITIES

• Fund key water quality programs at levels consistent with achieving the goals of the Watershed Implementation Plan (see chapter Meeting Our Chesapeake Bay Clean-Up Goals, p. 1).
• Fund land conservation programs (see Healthy, Resilient Communities and Landscapes, p. 88).
• Increase funding for key state environmental agencies to levels adequate with programmatic needs, including programs to address resiliency and climate change needs.
• Fund and ensure rapid and thorough integration of environmental justice mandates. See additional recommendations in Working Towards Environmental Justice (p. 118).
• Ensure Virginia’s natural resources programs are adequately and reliably funded going forward by adopting dedicated funding mechanisms, such as application of the full statewide recordation fee revenue (see Exploring Dedicated Funding for Conservation, p. 94).

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Check back in January for talking points for the 2022 General Assembly Session.