HD108 - Third Interim Report of the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment


Executive Summary:
The 1996 Session of the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 221, creating a two-year joint legislative study committee on "the future of Virginia's environment." The resolution directed the joint study committee to examine the history of environmental and natural resources programs and the budgetary trends for resources management in the Commonwealth. In addition, the study committee was directed to develop a long-term vision and plan for the future protection, enhancement, and utilization of Virginia's natural resources. It was also authorized to consider additional issues, as it deemed appropriate, such as innovative approaches used in other states, integrated environmental strategies, and effective environmental negotiation mechanisms.

The study was continued in 1998 by House Joint Resolution 136 and in 1999 by House Joint Resolution 719. The study committee, also known as the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment (henceforth "the commission"), accomplished a great deal in its first three years of existence, the details of which are documented in House Document No. 4 (1999) and House Document No. 15 (2000). This document reports on the study's fourth year, conducted under HJR 719 (1999), which directed the commission to (i) continue the development of a vision and plan for the future of Virginia's environment as called for in HJR No. 221 (1996), (ii) work to identify stable funding source for the state park and open space system, and (iii) continue its deliberations on the issues assigned to it by SJR No. 177 (1998), which directed the commission to study smart growth initiatives for the Commonwealth. The Commission also continued its work on some of the other issues it had studied in prior years, and investigated emerging issues such as "Tulloch ditching" of wetlands.

As in the past, the commission relied heavily upon its subcommittees during its fourth year. The subcommittees that were the most active during this year were the parks and land conservation subcommittee, which met five times; the solid waste subcommittee, which met four times; and the vision and plan subcommittee, which met three times. In addition, four members of the vision and plan subcommittee were asked to serve with members of another study committee to conduct a visit to Maryland to learn more about that state's smart growth initiatives. Each of these subcommittees was assigned a specific set of tasks in a memorandum that was issued in May by the chairman of the commission. (Appendix B.) One new subcommittee was created in 1999, to make recommendations on wetlands issues, and that subcommittee held one meeting.

The subcommittees undertook the bulk of their work in the summer and fall, and the full commission met three times during the fall and winter. The commission spent a large portion of each of its meetings receiving updates from its subcommittees and considering the recommendations that the subcommittees had developed. Virtually all of the subcommittee recommendations were adopted. The commission also heard a presentation from the National Association of Homebuilders on smart growth and a presentation from the Secretary of Natural Resources on the uses of the Water Quality Improvement Fund that were proposed in the Governor's proposed budget.