Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 846: Virginia Land Conservation Foundation; purposes of foundation, easements.

Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. Allows the Virginia Land Conservation Board of Trustees to waive the requirement for a holder of a conservation easement to have such easement jointly held with a public body whenever such holder acquires any interest in land other than a fee simple interest from a grant or transfer from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, provided that such holder is accredited by the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission or meets a similar set of standards and practices adopted by the Board of Trustees and the easement contains a third party right of enforcement, as defined in relevant law, in favor of the Department of Conservation and Recreation or another public body.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentExempts low-value conservation easements from land trust requirements, facilitating conservation efforts without regulatory barriers.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 383: Invasive plant species installation; written notification to property owners, civil penalty.

Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; invasive plant species installation; written notification to property owners; civil penalty. Provides that the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services may assess a civil penalty in an amount of not more than $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second violation, and $1,000 for each subsequent violation to any tradesperson involved with proposing or installing plants who fails to provide written notification to property owners when such plants are on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's list of invasive plant species. Current law provides that any such tradesperson who fails to provide such written notice is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to HB 710.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentRequires notification for invasive plant installations to prevent environmental harm, with penalties for non-compliance, directly supporting conservation of natural resources.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 598: Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program, zero-carbon electricity, etc.

Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated clean energy buyers. Revises the conditions under which accelerated clean energy buyers, defined in existing law as accelerated renewable energy buyers, may contract with Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia to obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs). The bill exempts an accelerated clean energy buyer obtaining capacity, energy, or RECs from qualifying resources or facilities from the assignment of non-bypassable costs associated with compliance with the renewable portfolio standard program based on the amount and type of renewable energy certificates obtained in proportion to such accelerated clean energy buyer's total electric energy consumption. This bill incorporates SB 470. This bill is identical to HB 369.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyAmends RPS to include zero-carbon electricity, strengthening renewable energy standards for utilities like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentExpands renewable energy portfolio standard to include zero-carbon electricity, requiring utilities to meet higher clean energy standards under RPS.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 710: Invasive plant species installation; written notification to property owners, civil penalty.

Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; invasive plant species installation; written notification to property owners; civil penalty. Provides that the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services may assess a civil penalty in an amount of not more than $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second violation, and $1,000 for each subsequent violation to any tradesperson involved with proposing or installing plants who fails to provide written notification to property owners when such plants are on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's list of invasive plant species. Current law provides that any such tradesperson who fails to provide such written notice is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to SB 383.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentRequires notification for invasive plant installation to prevent ecological harm, strengthening environmental protection measures under conservation regulations.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 1350: Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program; assessment for violations, etc., civil penalties.

Department of Environmental Quality; special orders; Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program; civil penalties. Increases the maximum civil penalty amount that the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality may assess for any special order to a person to comply with certain related laws, regulations, permits, and certifications from $10,000 to $32,500. The bill increases from $1,000 to $32,500 the maximum civil penalty that a locality authorized to administer a Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program is able to collect for any one violation of certain regulations, orders, ordinances, program provisions, conditions of land-disturbance approvals, and provisions of state law. The bill also provides, however, that for a land-disturbing activity that (i) disturbs an area measuring at least 10,000 square feet but less than one acre in an area not designated as a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area and (ii) is not part of a larger common plan of development or sale that disturbs one or more acres of land, the civil penalty shall not exceed $5,000 for each violation, and a series of violations arising from the same set of facts shall not exceed $50,000.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentIncreases civil penalties for violations of erosion/sediment control regulations, strengthening enforcement of environmental compliance standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 89: Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species.

Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species. Allows a service district created within a locality to control the spread of any plant that is identified on the list of invasive plant species established by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. This bill is identical to HB 388.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill authorizes service districts to control invasive plant species, directly protecting ecosystems and biodiversity from environmental harm per conservation mandates.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 390: Habitat Policy Oversight Committee; established, membership, powers and duties, report.

Marine Resources Commission; Habitat Policy Oversight Committee established; powers and duties. Establishes the Habitat Policy Oversight Committee within the Marine Resources Commission to advise the Commission and the Habitat Management Division of the Commission on policies within their jurisdiction and to support the Commission's coastal resilience efforts. The bill establishes the powers and duties of the Committee, establishes how the members of the Committee are appointed, and provides that the Committee shall have 11 voting members and two ex-officio members. This bill incorporates HB 619.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentEstablishes Habitat Policy Oversight Committee to advise on habitat management and coastal resilience, directly supporting environmental conservation efforts.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 109: Noxious weeds; amends definition, commercial viability, phase-out period, report.

Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; noxious weeds; commercial viability; report. Amends the definition of noxious weed to remove the exclusion for living plants or parts thereof that are commercially viable or commercially propagated in Virginia and removes the requirement that the Noxious Weeds Advisory Committee include in its recommendations to the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services an analysis of the current and potential in-state commercial viability of a plant species. The bill requires a plant that is designated by the Board as a noxious weed and commercially propagated in Virginia to be subject to a phase-out period of two years for grasses, forbs, and vines; four years for shrubs; and seven years for trees. The bill directs the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to conduct a review of the legislative and regulatory authority of the Board pertaining to the control of noxious weeds and report his findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources by November 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentRemoves exclusion for commercially viable plants from noxious weed definition, strengthening invasive species control to protect ecosystems and natural resources.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 88: Highway rights-of-way; invasive species.

Highway rights-of-way; invasive species. Prohibits the Commonwealth Transportation Board (the Board) and Commissioner of Highways from planting or causing or suffering to be planted any invasive plant on the list of invasive plants created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation on the right-of-way of any state highway. Current law prohibits the planting of three listed plants if the governing body of the locality declares such weeds or plants to be injurious and requires the Board to remove such plants. The bill removes such requirement for the Board to remove such plants and requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a review of the processes and resources that are necessary and appropriate to (i) determine the prevalence of invasive plants on the list of invasive plant species created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and develop options for establishing and implementing a plan to remove or control such plants and manage such plants on an ongoing basis.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentMandates removal of invasive plants on highways and prohibits their planting, directly protecting native ecosystems and biodiversity from invasive species threats.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationMandates removal of invasive plants on highway rights-of-way, maintaining infrastructure safety and functionality per transportation infrastructure standards.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 388: Powers of service districts; control of invasive plant species.

HB 388 allows service districts within local communities (like water or parks authorities) to manage invasive plant growth on their properties. The bill specifically grants these districts the authority to control invasive plants, without specifying methods or requiring new funding. It directly affects service districts operating in cities or towns, expanding their existing powers to address plant invasions. The bill passed the House unanimously (90-8) and is now pending review by the Local Government Committee.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill enables service districts to control invasive plants, a conservation practice protecting native ecosystems from ecological harm, aligning with environmental protection indicators.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment