Upcoming Events
May 13-14, 2024
Public Comment Contact:
Meeting Contact:
Virginia Council on Environmental Justice
Membership
Governor Younkin appointed six new members to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice in March 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
- Karen T. Campblin, AICP of Fairfax, Founder, ktcPLAN, LLC
- Kendyl Crawford of Richmond, Director, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light
- 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, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Chair, Potomac Riverkeeper Network JEDI Chair
- John Wesley Boyd, Jr. of Baskerville, President, National Black Farmers Association
- Meryem Karad of Richmond
- Fernando Mercado Violand of Charlottesville
- Lisa Kardell of Alexandria, Director of Public Affairs, Waste Management
- Courtney Malveaux, Esq. of Richmond, Principal, Jackson Lewis PC
- 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
Staff
EO-29
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.
Environmental Justice Interagency Report
2021 Environmental Justice Interagency Report
