Environment

Owners of sewage treatment works; land application, marketing, or distribution of sewage sludge; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; testing requirements. Directs any owner of a sewage treatment works land applying, marketing, or distributing sewage sludge in the Commonwealth, beginning January 1, 2027, to collect representative samples of the sewage sludge intended to be land applied, marketed, or distributed and have such samples analyzed by an accredited laboratory for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The bill mandates certain outcomes for the land application of such sewage sludge depending on the concentration of PFAS in such sewage sludge. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to modify all Virginia Pollution Abatement permits for the land application of sewage sludge and Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for sewage treatment works that include sewage sludge prepared for land application, marketing, or distribution as soon as practicable. The bill requires the Department to utilize the PFAS Expert Advisory Committee (PEAC) or convene a work group to study and recommend approaches to reduce the occurrence of PFAS in sewage sludge intended for land application within the Commonwealth. The Department is required to report the recommendations of the PEAC or work group to the Governor and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by November 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 386.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force established; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, and with assistance from the Department of Social Services, the Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force to determine barriers to access and enrollment in the current energy efficiency programs for income-qualified energy customers and to evaluate and develop a plan to address any necessary improvements regarding coordination among state and federal government agencies for utility services and resources to more effectively deliver energy-efficient housing, weatherization resources, and energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Task Force to meet at least six times between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027, and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations no later than September 30, 2027. The bill specifies that such report shall include policy recommendations and a plan to ensure that weatherization-ready repairs and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits are provided to all eligible income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth residing in multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes by December 31, 2034. This bill is identical to HB 3.

Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot programs for energy storage resources and solar generation facilities that utilize surplus interconnection service, as defined in the bill, including a request for proposals. The bill requires such utilities to submit the results of such requests for proposals as part of their 2027 plans and petitions for approval for the development of new solar and onshore wind generation capacity, which plans are required under existing law. This bill is identical to SB 508.

Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot programs for energy storage resources and solar generation facilities that utilize surplus interconnection service, as defined in the bill, including a request for proposals. The bill requires such utilities to submit the results of such requests for proposals as part of their 2027 plans and petitions for approval for the development of new solar and onshore wind generation capacity, which plans are required under existing law. This bill is identical to HB 1065.

Board of Education; instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy; model policies and procedures for selection. Requires the Board of Education to make available to each local school board instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy that are based on and include peer-reviewed scientific sources. The bill requires the Board of Education to develop, adopt, and make available to each local school board model policies and procedures, based on peer-reviewed scientific sources, pertaining to the selection of instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy, including a requirement for any such selected material to accurately portray changes in weather and climate patterns over time, the impacts of human activity on changes in weather and climate patterns, and the effects of climate change on people and resources.

Condemnation of conservation or open-space easement; compensation. Provides that if a person takes by condemnation any land subject to a conservation easement or open-space easement, such person shall compensate the Commonwealth and the locality in which such land is located for certain tax credits and values enumerated in the bill. The bill specifies that any such compensation paid to the Commonwealth shall be in addition to compensation required by other provisions of law.

Local competitive bidding for compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure; civil penalty. Allows the governing body of a locality to give preference to compost or other products containing organic soil amendments produced within such locality in the case of a tie bid when determining the award of any contract for compost or other products containing soil amendments to be purchased for use by such locality. The bill also provides that any locality may by ordinance require that certain generators, as defined in the bill, of large quantities of organic waste separate the organic waste from other solid waste and ensure that the organic waste is diverted from final disposal in a refuse disposal system by any of a variety of specified waste diversion activities. The ordinance may also establish civil penalties for violations of the ordinance, but a locality shall first issue a warning to a generator that violates the ordinance. Finally, the bill expresses that it is the intent of the General Assembly that new public school buildings and facilities and improvements and renovations to existing public school buildings and facilities include waste disposal infrastructure, as defined in the bill, that includes a place for the disposal of trash, recyclables, and food scraps and a sink for liquid waste. This bill is identical to SB 226.

Permit requirements for data centers; emission limits for certain engine-generator sets. Prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from issuing an air permit for any application submitted for a data center on or after July 1, 2026, unless the emission limit for each engine-generator, defined in the bill, established by such permit is equal to or less than the emissions achieved by a Tier 4 equivalent engine-generator.

Conservation and replacement of trees during development process; work group; report. Expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also alters the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance by modifying a provision that requires the granting of an exception when the strict application of the ordinance would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer, and replacing it with a requirement that the locality concur with such a determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period of up to 20 years after the trees are planted. The bill also allows any town within Planning District 8 belonging to an eight-hour nonattainment area for air quality standards to require, by ordinance, that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy or cover 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria. Under current law, the criteria apply to tree canopy coverage 20 years after development. Finally, the bill directs the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the tree canopy laws and regulations and report the work group's findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns and Senate Committee on Local Government by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 549.

Department of Wildlife Resources; fishing tackle recycling and disposal; educational webpage. Directs the Department of Wildlife Resources to (i) develop, publish, and maintain a dedicated webpage on its website to educate the recreational fishing community and the general public about the importance of responsible recycling and disposal of fishing tackle, as defined in the bill, and (ii) periodically update such webpage to ensure that educational materials are current, relevant, and effective in promoting responsible fishing practices. The bill directs the Department to update the webpage at least every three years in consultation with relevant state agencies and stakeholders.