The General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8 for a planned “short session” that runs through Feb. 22. PEC has co-authored several white papers that form the framework of the Virginia Conservation Network’s legislative priorities. Below, we break down some of the key issues we are tracking in the upcoming session.
Conservation
What we expect to see
Reintroduction of last year’s ambitious Virginia Great Outdoors Bill, to build on the success of the Land Preservation Tax Credit and Virginia Land Conservation Foundation
Why it matters
- lands and waters are vital to Virginia’s environmental and social health
- agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation and tourism are key economies
- Virginia loses 26,000 acres of forestland and 99,000 acres of farmland each year
- at least 70% of Virginians support public spending to preserve these spaces, but Virginia lacks dedicated funding
What we support
- a sustained funding stream for Virginia’s varied conservation goals and programs
- funding reliability so localities can better plan for outdoor recreation projects and underserved communities
- investment in expanded public lands with safe, easy access for all
- full funding of the new Office of Working Lands and Preservation
Data Center Reform
What we expect to see
With the legislative data center study coming out soon, we are pushing for legislation around the impacts of the data center industry across the state
Why it matters
- Virginia holds the largest concentration of data centers in the world, with a power load three times that of the next closest market in Beijing, China
- hyperscale data centers require huge amounts of energy, land and water
- energy infrastructure to serve data centers is being subsidized by residents and small businesses; energy bills are expected to more than double over the next 15 years
- no aggregate information about water consumption, energy use and air pollution exists to assess impacts on communities and resources
What we support
- legislation that ensures ratepayers aren’t subsidizing the world’s richest industry
- strong sustainability incentives before data centers can qualify for tax breaks
- requirements that data centers publicly disclose energy usage, water consumption, emissions, etc. and clarity that localities can consider this information when reviewing proposals
- a state-level certification process for large energy users, assessing regional energy and environmental impacts outside locality purview
Energy & Climate
What we expect to see
A push for more energy generation of all kinds to serve skyrocketing energy demand from data centers; more support for distributed generation solutions, energy efficiency, and battery storage
Why it matters
- expansive growth of utility-scale solar risks tens of thousands of acres of farms, forests and habitat
- big utilities have blocked widespread adoption of more efficient distributed solar
- residential batteries and long duration energy storage can improve effectiveness of renewables
- fossil fuel generation and nuclear power place heavy environmental and cost burdens on communities and ratepayers
What we support
- strong environmental reviews on new power generation facilities
- legislation incentivizing storage, as well as solar on rooftops, parking lots, brownfields and reclaimed lands
- a framework for integrating small-scale agrivoltaics to allow farmers to diversify their income stream and connect clean energy more quickly to the grid
- mitigation of the negative impacts of large-scale solar
- programs incentivizing consumer and grid-scale batteries to reduce the need for new transmission and gas generation
Land Use & Local Authority
What we expect to see
Attempts to remove local-level decision making in utility-scale solar siting and residential zoning regulations
Why it matters
- county land use planning is done with input from residents based on the unique needs and desires of that community
- Virginia suffers a shortage of affordable homes near jobs and services
- rural lands will be key to the build-out of utility-scale solar to meet Virginia’s energy goals
- bad residential and utility-scale solar development projects have led to bans or severe restrictions at the local level
What we support
- legislative guidance and technical assistance for localities that do not strip local land use authority
- more targeted siting of renewables, with protections for important natural resources and mitigation where impacts cannot be avoided
- incentivization of infill housing in areas near public transit, services and jobs
This article appeared in the 2024 winter edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.