Environment

passed · Virginia · Senate Feb 25, 2026

SB 461: Commercial electrofishing; MRC to temporarily prohibit in portions of Rappahannock River, report.

Marine Resources Commission; prohibition of commercial electrofishing in the Rappahannock River; report. Directs the Marine Resources Commission to temporarily prohibit commercial electrofishing in the portion of the Rappahannock River north of the Downing Bridge in Tappahannock until January 1, 2027, and to examine the practice of commercial electrofishing in the waters of the Commonwealth and submit a report of its 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 no later than January 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentProhibits commercial electrofishing in Rappahannock River to protect aquatic ecosystems and fish populations, aligning with conservation goals.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 17, 2026

SB 157: Loudoun County; DCR to accept property to establish a state park.

Department of Conservation and Recreation; acceptance of property to establish a state park; Loudoun County. Authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to accept from The Conservation Fund approximately 1,240 acres of real property and any buildings or structures thereon between Little River Turnpike, James Monroe Highway, and Tail Race Road in Loudoun County, known as Oak Hill Farm, for the purpose of establishing and operating a state park on such property.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill authorizes DCR to accept land for a state park, directly conserving natural resources and protecting habitat through land preservation.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 11, 2026

SB 415: Va. Brownfield & Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund; increases kilowatt of nameplate capacity.

Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund. Increases from $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields to $200 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields the grant amount a project developer can receive from the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyIncreases grant funding for renewable energy projects on brownfields from $100 to $200 per kW, directly advancing clean energy infrastructure development.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentIncreases renewable energy grants on brownfields/coal mines, promoting clean energy development on contaminated sites per Commission recommendation.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 10, 2026

SB 684: Va. Recycling Development Center & Va. Recycling Infrastructure Fund; established & created, report.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of a chapter numbered 14.4, consisting of sections numbered 10.1-1465.1 through 10.1-1465.15, relating to establishing the Virginia Recycling Development Center and the Virginia Recycling Infrastructure Fund; supporting statewide recycling infrastructure; incentivizing voluntary stewardship programs; authorizing public-private partnerships; and addressing priority materials including waste tires, mattresses, and bulky waste.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentEstablishes recycling infrastructure fund, addresses waste materials (tires/mattresses), and incentivizes stewardship programs to enhance environmental protection and waste reduction.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 10, 2026

SB 473: Occoquan Reservoir; low-flow protections for drinking water safe yield.

Occoquan Reservoir; low-flow protections for drinking water safe yield. Requires any Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit issued after July 1, 2026, authorizing the diversion of sewage or reclaimed water from a publicly owned treatment works for reuse that would otherwise discharge into the Occoquan Reservoir, the Occoquan River, Bull Run, or any of their tributaries above the Occoquan Reservoir to incorporate certain low-flow protection requirements for drinking water safe yield if the total diversion amount allowed by the permit exceeds 500,000 gallons per day. The bill also prohibits the issuance of any Virginia Water Protection Permit after July 1, 2026, authorizing the withdrawal of water for consumptive uses from the Occoquan Reservoir, the Occoquan River, Bull Run, or any of their tributaries above the Occoquan Reservoir for any purpose other than agricultural or irrigation purposes or for continued operation, expansion, or relocation of existing public water supply withdrawals.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentRequires low-flow protections in permits for water reuse to maintain drinking water safe yield, preventing pollution and ensuring reservoir sustainability for environmental protection.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 10, 2026

SB 417: Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; reclaimed water usage, definitions.

Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund; reclaimed water usage. Requires data center operators applying for grant payments from the Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund to utilize reclaimed water, defined in the bill, for water-dependent cooling processes at data center and cloud computing cluster operations facilities. The bill gradually increases the reclaimed water utilization requirement at such facilities from 60 percent of all water-dependent cooling processes beginning on July 1, 2027, to 100 percent on and after July 1, 2031.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentMandates reclaimed water use for data center cooling, conserving freshwater resources and reducing strain on natural water supplies per bill requirements.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 10, 2026

SB 393: Virginia's Great Outdoors Act; established, creates data center land conservation tax.

Virginia's Great Outdoors Act established; land preservation distributions and appropriations. Creates a data center land preservation tax on and after January 1, 2027, in an amount equal to $3 per square foot of each data center facility footprint, as defined in the bill, and directs no less than $250 million of revenues from the tax to be distributed for various land protection and preservation purposes, including into the Virginia Tribal Commitment Fund, as created in the bill. The bill also repeals provisions requiring the Governor to include in the budget bill or in his amendments to the general appropriation act a recommended appropriation from the general fund, up to $20 million, for land preservation as follows: (i) 80 percent of the unissued credits to the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, of which at least 50 percent must be used for acquisitions with public access; (ii) 10 percent to the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund; and (iii) 10 percent to the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates $3/sq ft data center tax to fund land preservation with $250M minimum allocation, directly advancing fiscal management for conservation programs.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentCreates $3/sq ft tax on data centers to fund land preservation with $250M+ revenue, directly advancing conservation goals per bill language.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 3, 2026

SB 562: Electric utilities; RPS requirements, Air Pollution Control Board regulations.

Electric utilities; RPS requirements; Air Pollution Control Board; regulations. Delays for 20 years the timeline by which Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to produce 100 percent of their electric energy from 100 percent renewable resources. Under the bill, the annual percentage requirements are paused after the 2023 compliance year and do not resume until 2044. The bill provides that Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to meet the 100 percent requirement by 2070 and 2065, respectively. Additionally, the bill provides that the Air Pollution Control Board is required to adopt regulations for the period of 2051 to 2070 to reduce carbon emissions from electric power generating facilities. Under current law, the Board is required to adopt regulations to reduce emissions for the period of 2031 through 2050.

Topics ✗ EnergyOpposes EnergyBill delays RPS requirements for two major utilities by 20 years, weakening renewable energy transition timeline and delaying 100% renewable mandate until 2044.95% confidence ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentDelays renewable energy timeline by 20 years, weakening environmental progress toward emissions reduction goals.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Environment

Track

in committee · Virginia · Senate Feb 3, 2026

SB 829: Real property tax bills; disclosure, resource protection area.

SB 829 is a legislative bill that addresses real property tax bill disclosure requirements and resource protection areas. The bill directly affects property owners and local governments by mandating specific information be included in property tax statements. Key provisions require clearer disclosure of tax assessments and establish guidelines for protecting designated resource areas. The legislation aims to improve transparency in property tax billing while maintaining protections for environmentally significant lands. This bill is currently under review by the Finance and Appropriations Committee.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill establishes guidelines for protecting designated resource areas and improves transparency in property tax billing related to environmental protections.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track