Youngkin Admin After RGGI, CBPA Draft Guidance, & New Staff Member

Commonwealth Resilience Brief

Youngkin Admin Outlines Plan to Remove VA from RGGI

On August 31st, acting Secretary of Natural and Historical Resources, Travis Voyles, announced the Youngkin administration’s intent to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Removing Virginia from RGGI would cut off the only current funding source for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund, which has received over $170 million from RGGI that will go to communities across the state for flood resilience initiatives.

The graphic on the left outlines the timeline the Youngkin administration will be following to attempt to remove Virginia from RGGI. Wetlands Watch will be providing public comments against this action during the appropriate periods, and will continue to send updates via this newsletter and our CFPF tracking webpage.

CFPF TRACKING WEBPAGE

CBPA Draft Guidance Open for Public Comment

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released the draft CBPA guidance for public comment until October 6th. The guidance is meant to help local decision makers implement the new CBPA regulations that were finalized in June of 2021. In addition to the guidance, DEQ is working with VIMS to provide a virtual training on conducting and writing resiliency impact assessments and will develop model ordinance language for localities.

Comments may be submitted to Stephanie Bellotti, Senior Guidance and Regulation Coordinator, via email at Stephanie.Bellotti@deq.virginia.gov

DRAFT CBPA GUIDANCE

Welcome our new Outreach Manager, Gabi Kinney!

Gabi joined Wetlands Watch staff as our new Outreach Manager in July. In 2020, she graduated from UNC Wilmington with a degree in Marine Biology and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Global Sustainability and Natural Resources through Virginia Tech. Gabi’s initial focus will be helping us provide outreach to localities on the Community Flood Preparedness Fund and manage our Sea Level Rise App.

You can read more about Gabi here. Please help us in welcoming her to our team!

CBLP Training Opportunities

The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Program has a number of upcoming workshops that provide continuing education credits for the CBLP certification - topics include Managing Open Space, BMP Inspection & Maintenance, and more!

CBLP WORKSHOP CALENDAR

High Water Watch

The fall high tide events are upon us, and Wetlands Watch wants to be sure you’re prepared! Sign up for our new High Water Watch e-newsletter, which will alert folks living in coastal Virginia when flooding events are predicted.

What We’re Reading

As seas rise, U.S. coastal landowners urged to let the water in (Thomson Reuters Foundation News)
‘We have to figure out how to deal with the water in a better way’ (Cardinal News)
Study: Virginia could lose 42 percent of tidal wetlands to sea level rise by 2100 (Virginia Mercury)
The Wetlands Are Drowning (Wired)
Greenland ice sheet set to raise sea levels by nearly a foot, study finds (The Washington Post)

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