May 13 7 PM Meeting @Virginia Wesleyan, Greer Environmental Science Center Room 155
Voices for a Greener Future:
The Coastal Virginia Group of the Sierra Club presents its First Annual Virginia’s Legislative Forum on the Environment
This program is offered with the recognition that Virginia (and other states) must step in to fill the void of environmental protection left following the Trump Administration’s gutting of the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other institutions. We recognize that effective advocacy requires collaboration, planning, and proposals well before the next General Assembly convenes. That collaboration requires that environmental justice applies not just to Black, Brown, and White constituents, but also to urban, rural, and suburban communities, and to Red and Blue voters.
The Sierra Club is honored to have Jackie Glass, Delegate for the 93 rd District of Virginia, share her legislative experiences and ideas about how legislation can serve to protect the world we share. Eddie Seay of our local group’s Executive Committee will moderate the discussion. The goals are collaborative problem-solving and tips for how citizens can better exert their influence in shaping our environmental policies.
Possible Environmental Issues for Discussion
For the legislature shaping our environmental efforts in private and public policy, how much do we use a carrot vs. stick approach (i.e., incentives vs. regulations)? Pro’s and Con’s of each approach (e.g., loss of state revenue with promoting incentives, and resistance to “bureaucratic red tape” with regulations).
In the face of federal cutbacks in environmental protections and promotion of fossil fuels, how can the state governments step in to promote environmental concerns?
How might urban and rural constituencies work together to promote conservation agendas? What are areas of common concern, and where else might they work together, perhaps in a bipartisan effort?
What strategies might be used to promote efforts to fight climate change and to encourage mitigation and resilience, and not just disaster relief, after the fact?
For solar, which locations should we emphasize (e.g., large rural solar “farms,” possibly coordinating with other productive use, vs. large business/governmental rooftops vs. private residences [with sale of excess back to public utilities])?
Where do we need further study on environmental issues (e.g., menhaden and other fish populations, PFA’s, etc.)?
How might Virginia incentivize local communities to expand recycling, particularly of plastics, and to use decomposable substitutes?
Do we need to strengthen the review process for projects with potential environmental hazards, so that NIMBY (i.e., “not in my back yard”) doesn’t cause extra hardship for underrepresented communities, whether rural or urban?
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