Legislators focus on the protection of Virginians from flooding and extreme time – CHESAPIK BAY Foundation Foundation

During the Virginia’s legislative session this month, legislators will look at the measures that relate to the increasing challenges of climate change and increase Virginia’s protection against extreme weather. These include the return of Virginia to the regional greenhouse gases initiative, enhance the readiness of Virginia’s floods and expanding natural protection against erosion and storm.

Last year, he brought record summer temperatures, deadly storms such as Hurricane Helen and floods that dominate the calendars of coastal communities. The coastal Virginia monitors the highest rate of relative sea level on the Atlantic coast while residents fought with flood warnings 80 days last year, about quarter 2024.

Legislators will also look at Virginia Return Proposals to the Carbon Reducing Program known as the Regional Green Gases Initiative (RGGI), as well as expanding resources for flooding.

“We cannot afford to normalize what is extreme. The increasing threats to Virginians and their homes and businesses show the need for emergencies by state leaders. These accounts and budget changes are based on our progress and make Virginia’s communities stronger in the conditions of an unprecedented challenge ” said the delegate Phil Hernandezwhich introduced bills to improve the funding of the live coastline and the risk studies of the coastal storm.

Risk studies of coastal storm ensure that communities have the necessary resources to protect their homes and business.

“No Virginia community is immunized against the growing challenges caused by the climate crisis. We need to prepare now to avoid more damage and disasters in the future. These measures bring together resources to deal with this problem across the country, which is paramount to protecting the Virginia economy, protecting public health and preserving our natural resources, “” Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Virginia’s Policy Jay Ford saidS

In order to build resilience across the country, CBF calls on legislators to support:

Virginia’s return to the Regional Gas Initiative (RGGI)

• Amendment of the budget requiring Virginia to join immediately with RGGI and to acquire existing revenue and any future revenue from the low -income energy efficiency Fund and the Community Flood Fund, as stated by law through the Law on Flooding Act The community.

Strengthening the readiness to flood the community

• HB 2077 introduced by DELEGATE PAUL KRIZEK and SB 1335 introduced by Senator David Marsden: These bills allow federally recognized tribal governments to have access to funding in community;
• $ 50 million in the budget for the Local Rain Water Aid Fund (SLAF): The outflow of roofs, sidewalks and road sails is a major source of harmful pollutants reaching our waterways. SLAF provides matching grants for projects for projects that reduce polluted outflow, such as stream restoration, rain gardens and other modernists.

Expand the natural protection against erosion and storm

• HB 1950 introduced by Delegate Phil Hernandez: This bill creates a fund to help pay large -scale live coastlines with a $ 5 million budget amendment to provide the Fund;
• HB 1949 introduced by Delegate Phil Hernandez, HJ 434, introduced by Delegate Michael Feggans, and SB 1337 introduced by Senator David Marsden: These bills direct studies on how state and localities will fund the risk management plans of a coastal storm (CSRM);
• HJ 437 introduced by Delegate Convirs-Fowler: This bill restores the joint subcommittee of the recurring flood;
• HB 2034 introduced by Delegate Shelly Simonds: This establishes a working group for the development of strategies to protect the existing tidal and non -title wetlands of the state plus the development of plans for the restoration, creation and migration of wetlands.