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In April, Governor Spanberger signed into law House Bill (HB) 1266, which directs DEQ to publish an updated version of the 2023 draft Environmental Justice in the Permitting Process Guidance Memo for public comment, and issue the final guidance no later than Dec. 31, 2026. The law requires the updated guidance to consider how to assess the cumulative impacts of certain DEQ permits and to consider outreach strategies to engage communities impacted by any such permit.
The purpose of this new draft guidance is to inform the public, permit applicants, and DEQ staff of:
- DEQ’s tools and resources for identifying environmental justice communities and whether Projects of Concern, which are defined in the guidance, are located within an environmental justice community.
- Ways to assess the cumulative impacts of certain Projects of Concern and mitigate them, if needed.
- Outreach strategies to engage communities that may be impacted by Projects of Concern.
“The public's feedback on this draft guidance will help DEQ and permit applicants better understand—and implement—practices to more effectively involve communities in environmental decision-making,” said DEQ Director Mike Rolband. “We want to make sure everyone who wants to be involved in agency processes will be heard.”
The public is invited to share feedback on DEQ’s draft guidance by submitting comments:
DEQ will carefully review and consider all comments received before finalizing the guidance later this year. Additional information, including the draft guidance, is available on DEQ’s website.
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