Northam signs executive order to strengthen protection of natural resources
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Virginia Governor Ralph Northam today signed an executive order instructing the Department of Environmental Quality to update regulations, strengthen enforcement of Virginia’s environmental standards, identify the causes of permitting delays and improve transparency.
“I am proud to take executive action to safeguard Virginia’s environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians,” Northam said. “DEQ has protected our air, water, and land for 25 years, and we must ensure that the agency has the resources it needs to continue to protect our natural resources from pollution. This executive order will strengthen DEQ and give the public servants who work there greater ability to protect public health and our natural resources while empowering Virginia’s good corporate stewards and promoting a vibrant economy.”
The order requires DEQ, in consultation with the Secretary of Natural Resources, to perform a comprehensive review of DEQ’s permitting, monitoring, and enforcement activities across all program areas and provide a full report to Northam by April 30, 2019.
The executive action also requires DEQ to ensure that any proposed federal actions do not affect DEQ’s existing authority to protect public health, drinking water supplies, and the environment.
“After making progress in many areas during DEQ’s first 25 years, it is very timely to ensure that DEQ has the authority, programs and resources it needs to address all of the challenges facing Virginia’s natural resources today and in the future,” said Bill Street, CEO of the James River Association. “Governor Northam has committed to making the environment a top tier priority, and the James River Association supports him in undertaking this important assessment to ensure the future of Virginia's air, water and land resources.”
Among its many core duties, DEQ is responsible for improving air quality, upholding water quality standards, protecting vital wetlands, reducing nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, and requiring proper treatment of solid waste and hazardous waste across the Commonwealth.
Sierra Club Virginia Chapter officials praised Northam's intent but questioned whether his action actually would lead to the desired results.
"The Administration’s initiative to evaluate, clarify and improve our environmental agency’s effectiveness and transparency is welcome," Sierra Club Virginia Chapter President Kate Addleson said. But, she added, "For years, Virginia residents have expressed concerns about lax permitting and enforcement at DEQ under the leadership of Director David Paylor. The recent approval of inadequate plans for the Mountain Valley Pipeline and Governor Northam’s reappointment of Paylor as the director of the DEQ directly undercut the governor’s expressed intention to create the substantive change Virginians need.
"Asking for reviews of DEQ activities is not the same as presenting concrete solutions or guaranteeing changes that will better protect our air, water and public health."
