Upcoming Events
January 8th, 2024
Location:
DEQ Piedmont Regional Office
4949-A Cox Road
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Online Registration Link:
Draft Agenda
Public Comment Contact:
Grace Holmes
grace.holmes@deq.virgina.gov
804-914-3510
5636 Southern Boulevard Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462.
Meeting Contact:
Danielle Simms
danielle.simms@deq.virginia.gov
804-914-3508
Virginia Council on Environmental Justice
VCEJ 2020 Annual Report
Membership
Governor Northam announced members of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice on May 3, 2019.
- 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
- Taysha DeVaughan of Big Stone Gap, President, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards
- 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
- Clarence Tong of Alexandria, Director, Environmental Defense Fund
- 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
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.