Environmental Justice

Upcoming Events

Date & Time:
January 28, 2025
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Physical Location:
Patrick Henry Building, East Reading Room
1111 E Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
You will need a photo ID to enter the building

Virtual Location:
This is a hybrid meeting. If you are interested in attending virtually, please use this link to register for the meeting.
The meeting will be conducted using WebEx, which can be accessed in a web browser, desktop app, mobile app, or telephone.

Meeting Agenda

Virginia Council on Environmental Justice

VCEJ 2020 Annual Report

View Document

Membership

Governor Younkin appointed nine new members to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice in 2024.

Lillian “Ebonie” Alexander of Mecklenburg, Executive Director, Black Family Land Trust, Inc.
Tom Benevento of Harrisonburg, Social Ecologist and Community Organizer, New Community Project
Theresa L. Burriss, PhD of Bristol, Assistant Vice President of Community Engagement & Economic Development, Emory & Henry University
Karen T. Campblin, AICP of Fairfax, Founder, ktcPLAN, LLC
Kendyl Crawford of Richmond, Program Officer, The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund
Aliya Farooq of Chester, Environmental Advocate, Vice Chair, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, and Board Member, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
Reverend Dr. Faith B. Harris of Henrico, Assistant Professor, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University and Chair, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light
Ronald Howell, Jr. of Spring Grove, Faculty Administrator, Virginia State University
Dr. Janet Phoenix of Herndon, Assistant Research Professor, Milken School of Public Health, George Washington University
Harrison Wallace of Richmond, Program Officer, Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund
Lydia Lawrence of Fairfax, Director of Conservation, Nature Forward
John Wesley Boyd, Jr. of Baskerville, President, National Black Farmers Association
Meryem Karad of Richmond
Hope Cupit of Bedford, CEO, SERCAP, Inc.
Honorable Eurika Tyree, MEd of Cumberland County, Vice Chair, Cumberland County Board of Supervisors; Lead Teacher, Career and Technical Teacher, and Night School Administrator, Hopewell City Schools
Lisa Kardell of Alexandria, Director of Public Affairs, Waste Management
Courtney Malveaux, Esq. of Richmond, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
Eddie Ramirez of Abingdon, Managing Member, Ramirez Contracting, LLC
Morgan Whayland of Norfolk, Director of Government Affairs, Virginia Natural Gas
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Ronald Olswyn White of Midlothian, Vice President, Southside Electric Cooperative
Elizabeth Cherokee Williamson of Richmond, Partner, Balch & Bingham LLP
Kerry McAvoy of Midlothian, Principal, ONE Environmental Mid Atlantic, LLC

Staff

Danielle Simms

Establishment of the Council

Apply here for the Council on Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, faith, national origin, or income, in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

No population, especially minority, low-income, or historically-underserved communities, should face higher levels or greater impacts of pollution than other populations. Some of these communities face more severe environmental degradation, which disproportionally affects public health and quality of life.

Addressing environmental injustice has been and continues to be a focal point of Governor Northam’s administration. Establishing a state advisory council on environmental justice was part of his campaign platform in 2017. Because this issue is so important, Governor Northam continued Governor McAuliffe’s Council through his first term. Governor Northam issued EO-29 establishing the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice (VCEJ) on January 22, 2019.

Recommendations to ensure that environmental justice concerns are understood, and that a framework is in place to address these concerns, are extremely valuable to the Commonwealth. While some state agencies incorporate environmental justice into their review process, there is currently no consistency in how these issues are evaluated. The VCEJ will help generate proposals for consistent approaches to evaluate environmental justice.