Va. governor candidates weigh in on Chesapeake Bay Foundation conservation goals

An aerial view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. (Photo courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel)

As the countdown to this fall’s high-stakes elections continues, advocates are calling on the next governor of Virginia and state lawmakers to continue efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay from pollution and to work to fight climate change impacts for Virginians and wildlife.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), an independent conservation organization, held a press conference last week to discuss ways they hope the next governor will ramp up efforts to protect the bay and continue programs that are already in place. The agency said this election comes at a pivotal time for Virginia, where federal shifts have led to major shakeups including lost flood mitigation and clean energy funding, as House of Delegates and gubernatorial candidates’ priorities take shape. 

“It’s also about making sure that we have drinking water that is clean and ensuring that clean streams and rivers are available for our kids to enjoy for years to come,” said CBF Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore. “It’s also important that we make sure through these efforts, that our homes and our businesses are protected from damaging floods and extreme weather events that are becoming more common here in the Chesapeake Bay region.”

They have put together a five-point action plan to preserve the natural resource that so many in the commonwealth depend on.

Restoring and protecting waterways

The state of Virginia has been a part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed agreement for a decade. That agreement between states surrounding the bay aims to reduce the amount of pollution and sediment runoff in the bay, restore habitats for key species, adapt communities to be more climate resilient, and expand education around bay conservation.

One of the Bay Foundation’s recommendations is to make the pilot Pay-For-Outcomes Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction grant program permanent. Businesses, nonprofits, individuals, or local governments could apply for grants to reduce the amount of nitrogen or phosphorus flowing into the watershed. An initial $20 million had been put toward the one-year program.

CBF also urges the protection and restoration of Virginia’s wetlands that have been steadily shrinking. Recent studies have shown that the state could lose up to 78% of its wetlands by the end of the century due to rising sea levels. Wetlands can be the first line of defense when it comes to storm surge and protecting habitats within the bay.

“That is an unsustainable path, and we have got to turn that trend around, so we are calling on the next administration to take bold action, both legislatively and in the budget to expand the restoration and creation of wetlands, living shorelines, and green spaces,” said Jay Ford, CBF Virginia policy manager.

Becoming more climate resilient

Virginia faces serious threats from climate change ranging from extreme heat, flooding, powerful storms, and disease. Hampton Roads is especially susceptible to flooding dangers as sea levels rise and rain amounts increase. The next governor’s administration will undoubtedly need to address these issues when she takes office.

In a sit-down interview with the Mercury in August, Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger said she would return Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that had been bringing in funds to help with flooding mitigation and other resiliency projects. 

Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears had agreed to an interview but canceled it less than an hour before it was scheduled to start, and has not responded to questions about her climate resilience plans or any queries for this story. She has publicly stated her support for the state’s removal from the RGGI program, saying it was an unjust tax on Virginians.

CBF states there should be more resources in place for homeowners to access to make their homes more resilient against flooding and heat. There are also existing agricultural programs to help farmers get grants to plant cover crops and other methods to aid in reducing land erosion that the organization would like to see continue.

“Virginia is simply not prepared for climate change, and the federal government is pulling back at a time we need to be leaning in. Our next governor will need to help us catch up and make Virginia a national leader on climate adaptation,” Ford said.

Earle-Sears has not clearly laid out an agenda for climate resiliency or flood mitigation, but she has remarked on her “all of the above” energy policy, which does include building out fossil fuel infrastructure as part of the plan.

Safeguarding Virginia’s diverse landscape

Virginia boasts forestland, mountains, and coastal elements to its rich landscape. CBF would like the next governor and General Assembly to modernize the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. The law gives the Department of Environmental Quality the authority to review state and federal projects to ensure they are built in a manner that preserves water quality. The law was last amended in 2022.

“We’d like to see it include more stringent conditions for allowing building in or removal of the CBPA buffers in the future,” Ford said. “This is just a recognition of the changes that are coming with climate change as these waters continue to move further up the shoreline.”

As forestland and wetlands are impacted by climate change, the CBF also wants to see an expansion of programs to protect tree canopies while respecting local authority under the Dillon rule. 

Invest in farmers

The General Assembly has continued to increase the amount of funding for a grant program that allows farmers to opt in to sustainable farming measures to cut down on pollutants. This year, $223 million was put into the program. Farmers can apply for up to $300,000 in cost-share funds to select from 60 different projects all aimed at protecting water quality in the bay.

“The Commonwealth should work with the farmers and a research community to identify and target pollution hotspots that are prone to discharging excess nutrients,” Ford said. “The water runs off the land differently, all over the place, and we have the great tools available to us now to know how we can best deploy these limited tax dollars and make sure Virginia’s getting the most bang for our buck.”

Spanberger served in the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and chaired the Conservation and Forestry subcommittee and is keen to continue that type of work in the commonwealth. 

“Abigail brought Virginia producers, business owners, and community leaders together to strengthen voluntary conservation programs. Abigail supports strengthening voluntary, state-level programs to help Virginia farmers and producers reduce runoff and improve water quality,” a spokesperson for the Spanberger campaign said.

Hold polluters accountable

CBF said the next administration must take a serious step towards managing PFAS, or forever chemicals, and microplastics that pose a serious threat to the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways in the state. Amid federal rollbacks of policies aimed at reducing pollution and emissions, CBF said it is time for the state to step in and ramp up. 

A Spanberger spokesperson said she has met with the CBF and others about this and will “make sure conservation efforts are working as intended, and that businesses are following the law,” if she is elected. 

Ford said there has been wide support for clean water initiatives, however, many lawmakers and local governments have differing ideas on what they feel is the best way to manage water quality. He said their organization has struggled the most in making headway in the General Assembly around the management of PFAS.

“The longer answer is the devils in the details, and we need to make sure we get everyone swimming in the same direction on these items, and that’s why we’re trying to jump out early before we’ve had an election, before we know who our new governor (and) a new general assembly is, and really set a roadmap for them to follow over the next couple of years,” Ford said.

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