The report describes the work group’s deliberations since August to identify and understand competing uses of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia rivers, and seaside waters and develop legislative and regulatory consensus solutions. Earlier in the week, Governor Northam addressed the environmental conference, highlighting the progress made over the last year in protecting Virginia’s environment and natural resources. The Secretary of Natural Resources advises the Governor on natural resources issues and works to advance the Governor's top environmental priorities. Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler P.O. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/october/headline-833295-en.htmlGovernor Northam Announces Virginia Investment in Electric TransitGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia will invest $14 million, or 15 percent, of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust to fund the deployment of all-electric transit buses across Virginia. Governor Northam has directed the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to identify ways to improve environmental protection in the Commonwealth. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/september/headline-830796-en.htmlGovernor Northam Announces Administration AppointmentsGovernor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration today. /newsroom/all-releases/2019/may/headline-840620-en.htmlGovernor Northam Signs Executive Order Transferring Virginia Museum of Natural History to Secretary of EducationGovernor Ralph Northam today signed Executive Order Thirty-One, transferring responsibility and oversight of the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) from the Secretary of Natural Resources to the Secretary of Education. /newsroom/all-releases/2019/march/headline-839594-en.htmlGovernor Northam Signs Historic Coal Ash Clean Up LegislationGovernor Ralph Northam has signed legislation to clean up more than 27 million cubic yards of coal ash from unlined ponds in Virginia, after a historic bipartisan agreement that was supported by Democratic and Republican members of both the House and Senate. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/february/headline-822662-en.htmlGovernor Northam Announces Administration AppointmentsGovernor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration today. /newsroom/all-releases/2020/february/headline-851769-en.htmlGovernor Northam Celebrates Progress at Midpoint of Historic General Assembly SessionAt the midpoint of the 2020 legislative session, Governor Ralph Northam marked historic progress towards a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive Virginia. The clean-up plan, referred to as the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), will guide local, state, and federal actions through 2025 and is designed to meet the Commonwealth’s commitments to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and restore the health of the Bay and its tributaries. Prior to joining the Northam Administration, she worked to address sea level rise and climate change impact on national security at the regional, national and international level, and chaired the Infrastructure Working Group for the Old Dominion University-convened Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Pilot Planning Project. This initiative comes on the heels of an historic General Assembly session in which the Governor signed legislation that will transform Virginia’s electric grid and create new business opportunities for the clean energy sector. The former officeholder was Molly Ward. Virginia will be the 15th state in the nation to establish an office or task force dedicated to strengthening the outdoor industry, and the third on the East Coast.
/newsroom/all-releases/2019/november/headline-849579-en.htmlGovernor Northam Announces Land Conservation Grants to Protect 17,000 Acres Governor Ralph Northam today announced $5.89 million in Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) grants, which will fund a total of 19 conservation projects and protect more than 17,000 acres of land across the Commonwealth. This historic state contract will ensure that by 2022, 30 percent of the electricity consumed by state agencies and institutions in Virginia comes from renewable sources, meeting an ambitious goal the Governor set forth last month in Executive Order Forty-Three. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/june/headline-825986-en.htmlState Historical Highway Marker Honoring Richard and Mildred Loving to be Dedicated in Caroline CountyA historical marker will be dedicated this weekend in Caroline County in honor of county natives Richard and Mildred Loving whose lawsuit, Loving v. Virginia, challenged Virginia’s 1924 Racial Integrity Act and resulted in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1967 that overturned all state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/april/headline-825493-en.htmlGovernor Northam Urges Virginians to Buy Flood Insurance by May 1Governor Ralph Northam is urging Virginians to purchase flood insurance or renew their policies on or before May 1, a month before the official start of hurricane season. /newsroom/all-releases/2018/august/headline-828389-en.htmlGovernor Northam Announces Selection of EVgo to Develop Statewide Public Electric Vehicle Charging NetworkGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a Notice of Intent to Award a contract to EVgo Services, LLC, to develop a statewide public electric vehicle (EV) charging network. The agreement was ratified this morning by a unanimous vote of the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners.