This is a roundup of some of the Environmental Bills at General Assembly that we're tracking. Overall, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters is tracking 136 Bills at https://valcv.org/2026-bill-tracking/
Links below go to the https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-search
RGGI: HB397 – Direct
DEQ to establish auction program (rejoining RGGI)
Trees: HB549 –
strengthen canopy requirements
Invasive Species: HB88
– remove along highways; HB109 – close
commercial viability loophole; SB89 –
permit local service district to control invasive species;
Data Centers: HB155
– SCC would have to permit facilities > 25 MW; HB507 – limit CO2 emissions from backup generators; HB897 - require renewable energy to get
tax credits; SB339 allocate cost of
transmission infrastructure; HB496 –
disclose water usage; HB589 – water usage;
HB153 – noise assessment; SB94 – restrict data centers to
Industrial Zoning; SB130 noise
assessment; HB641/SB393 – $3/sq. ft. tax to fund Great
Outdoors Act
Renewable Energy: HB628/SB175 – strengthen standards for more
small-scale solar; HB895/SB448 – Energy Storage requirements; HB590 / SB382 – streamline rooftop solar permitting; HB395/SB250 – permit small solar < 1200 W; SB26/HB457 – allow localities to require solar over parking;
Climate Change: HB1356
– adjust precipitation design standards; HB1092
– protection of employees from heat illness
Land Conservation: SB519
– conserve 20% of land in Virginia; HB237
include floodplains in conservation mapping; HB390 – establish Habitat Policy Oversight Committee; HB521 – ensure no net loss of wetlands
while permitting; HB889 –
transmission line construction to use existing ROW first
Housing energy efficiency HB2, HB3, SB5, SB72
Conservation Funding: HB70
– Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund; HB386
– Chesapeake Bay Pay for Outcomes Fund; HB1038
- Virginia Student Environmental Literacy Plan Grant Fund; SB420 – Extreme Weather Taxpayer Protection Fund;
Fisheries: HB389 –
Climate adaption plan; HB1048 –
Menhaden fishery pause; HB1049 – Menhaden
quotas
PFAS: HB938; HB1443; SB138; HB880; HB1047; HB348
Environmental Justice: HB256
– include in Comp Plans; HB1266
public hearing notice
Bicycles: HB661 –
“Idaho Stop” bikes yield at stop signs
Affordable Housing: HB594
- Allows a locality to authorize a zoning administrator to use an administrative
process to approve rezoning applications for affordable housing developments.
Oppose
Rollback renewable energy standards: HB615, HB1031, SB40
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See also the Chesapeake Sustainability Network's Legislative Priorities