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General Assembly Update - Governor's Actions

The Governor has now taking actions - signing or vetoing bills passed by the General Assembly. Here are some of the environmental related bills of local interest.

Governor Approved

SB 1416 - Passed Senate 40-0, Passed Housed 75-20
  • Amends Virginia Code § 46.2-924 to establish stricter penalties for drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. 
HB 1941 - Passed Senate as amended 27-9, passed House as amended 67-28
SB 1166 - Passed House as amended 62-44, Passed Senate as amended 33-7
  • Mandates that retailers must post conspicuous signage near each invasive plant display that identifies the plant as invasive, educates consumers about invasive plant species, and encourages them to ask about alternative plant options.
HB 2630 - Passed House 63-35, Passed Senate 27-9
  • Enables localities to establish tree canopy banks or funds to facilitate tree preservation and planting efforts

Governor provided Substitute Language:

HB2034 - Passed House 80-18, Passed Senate 36-0
  • Directs the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to establish a policy task force focused on protecting, restoring, and creating tidal and nontidal wetlands in Virginia. The task force will develop strategies to address wetland losses caused by human activities and climate change and recommend policy changes to accelerate wetland identification and protection. The task force's work will specifically aim to integrate wetland protection strategies into existing plans like the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan.
  • Governor's substitute removes language related to Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan

HB 1883 - Passed Senate as amended 23-17, Passed House as amended 58-39
SB 1040 - Passed House as amended 97-0, Passed Senate as amended 23-17

  • Modifies the renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) program for electric utilities, specifically expanding the definition of "behind-the-meter solar" to include solar electric generation and battery storage systems connected on the customer's side of the utility meter. The bill increases the requirement for Phase II utilities to meet a portion of their RPS program requirements with behind-the-meter solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of three megawatts or less, starting at 3% in 2026 and increasing to 5% in 2028. It also removes the previous 50-kilowatt minimum requirement for solar or wind generation facilities to qualify for third-party power purchase agreements. 
  • Governor's substitute makes significant changes and pushes compliance to 2028
Governor Vetoed

HB 2638 - Passed House 63-35, Passed Senate 22-18
  • Expands local government authority to conserve and replace trees during the development process, increasing tree canopy percentage requirement particularly for low density developments.  Allows hardship exceptions.  Allows localities to monitor tree canopy conditions for up to 20 years after planting. Provides detailed provisions for how tree canopy can be preserved, replaced, or credited, including allowances for off-site tree planting, preservation of existing trees, and bonus credits for planting trees that provide environmental benefits like pollution reduction or wildlife habitat. Additionally, the bill enables localities to establish tree canopy banks or funds to facilitate tree preservation and planting efforts

HB 2037 - Passed Senate as amended 21-18, Passed House as amended 62-34
  • Allows local governments in Virginia to create land development ordinances that require solar canopies in large nonresidential parking lots. Specifically, these ordinances can mandate solar canopies over surface parking areas with 100 or more spaces, potentially covering up to 50 percent of the parking area. 
HB 2090 - Passed Senate as amended 21-18, Passed House as amended 51-44
  • Amends Virginia's multi-family shared solar program by expanding the definition of shared solar facilities to include rooftop installations on commercial buildings that share a common or adjacent substation with the subscriber, and introduces a new concept of a "minimum bill" for program participants.
SB 823 - Passed Senate 21-19; Passed House 51-46
  • Requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power to develop comprehensive plans for renewable energy facility construction that prioritize local economic development and workforce opportunities. Specifically, when constructing renewable energy facilities, these utilities must submit a plan to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) that addresses (1) utilizing local workers, (2) demonstrating economic development benefits for Virginia including capital investments and job creation, (3) advancing workforce development goals through apprenticeship and training programs, and (4) prioritizing hiring and training of local workers, workers from historically economically disadvantaged communities, and veterans.
SB1313 - Passed Senate 20-19, Passed House 50-47
  • Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to adopt an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance to promote construction of moderately priced housing by providing optional increases in density and other measures to boost housing supply.  In addition to optional increases in density, the program may also include any combination of the following implementation measures and tools:
    1. Lot size reductions
    2. Contribution to a local housing trust fund in lieu of construction of affordable housing units;
    3. Accessory housing unit allowances;
    4. Housing inspection programs designed to ensure the quality and safety of affordable housing constructed in accordance with the locality's comprehensive plan;
    5. Allowance of duplexes, triplexes, and quadruplexes in areas with primarily single-family detached homes
    6. Allowance of conversion of office, light industrial, and commercial space to multifamily use;
    7. Encouragement of transit-oriented development;
    8. Provision of financial incentives or removal of financial disincentives to promote development of new affordable housing
    9. Allowance of lower-cost home construction alternatives, including manufactured homes and duplex manufactured homes; and
    10. Other policies, measures, or tools that have a positive impact on the production and maintenance of affordable housing units.
SB1254 - Passed Senate 20-19, Passed House 50-47
  • This bill requires cities with populations over 20,000 and counties with populations over 100,000 to consider adopting an environmental justice strategy during their next and subsequent comprehensive plan reviews, beginning July 1, 2025.
Not Passed by GA

HB 1950 - Failed, Left in Appropriations
  • Establishes a new Living Shoreline Grant Fund to be administered by the Marine Resources Commission, with the purpose of providing grants to local governments or federally recognized tribes in Virginia to match federal or other funding sources.
See what happened with other environmental bills and details at Virginia Conservation Network Bill Tracker

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