Press Statement: Virginia House and Senate Adopt Budget Proposals

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 7, 2025

CONTACT:

Virginia House and Senate Adopt Budget Proposals

RICHMOND, VA – On Thursday, February 6, the Virginia House and Senate advanced proposals from their respective chambers to the budget amendments proposed by Governor Youngkin in December. These amendments largely build on the $94 million set aside in the Governor’s proposal for cleaner water and healthier rivers.

Both the House and Senate make significant contributions to the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund, proposing $50 million in the House and $40 million in the Senate. If adopted, the House proposal would bring funding for projects to reduce stormwater pollution up to levels necessary to meet the nutrient reduction requirements goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. This would mark the first time that wastewater, stormwater, and agricultural best management practices were funded at levels recommended by needs assessments conducted as part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Improvement Plan. It would also provide critical stormwater management funding for cities and localities.

The House and Senate propose $750,000 to support local school districts in the creation of district-wide environmental literacy programs, as well as providing professional development to teachers seeking to provide experiential educational opportunities to students throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

Additionally, from now until the adjournment of the legislative session on February 22nd the House and Senate will enter negotiations to determine if the following budget proposals will be included in the final budget sent to Governor Youngkin by the General Assembly.

HOUSE AMENDMENTS

• $20 million to Virginia State Parks to conduct long-overdue deferred maintenance. Virginia State Parks contribute to the 1,539,194.88 acres of protected land conserved within the James River watershed. State parks help provide public river access and outdoor recreation opportunities to the 7.3 million annual visitors who frequent riverside parks in our watershed.
• $500,000 in Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) funds to support our Soil and Water Conservation Districts with a critical best management practice program to reduce pollutants contained in runoff from roads, parking lots, sidewalks, homes, and offices.
• $250,000 in additional funding for the Blue Catfish Infrastructure Grant Fund to support a commercial fishery for these invasive species. These blue catfish threaten native shad, herring, striped bass, menhaden, clam, and blue crab populations in the James and in the greater Chesapeake Bay.

SENATE AMENDMENTS

• $880,000 to support a study of the impact of surface water intakes on Virginia’s tidal rivers by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. This study will help the Commonwealth evaluate the collective effect of existing surface water withdrawals on fish eggs and wildlife, and their influence on salinity in our tidal waters.
• $450,000 to the Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund to support projects that connect fragmented habitats separated by human activities or infrastructure. These projects may include aquatic organism passage, connecting riverine habitats while also making infrastructure more resilient. 

While we are grateful for the work the House and Senate have done to continue to invest in water conservation priorities, key programs to promote the overall health of the James remain unaddressed. We will continue to advocate for the policies and program funding required to protect migratory fish, enhance community flood resilience, and provide adequate funding to complete the final stage of Richmond’s Combined Sewer Overflow projects by the mandated deadline.

####