The 2007 General Assembly passed SB1403 and HB3113, which would:

1.      Replace the current Air Pollution Control Board, Water Control Board and Waste Management Board with a single Virginia Board of Environmental Quality.  The new Board would be charged with promulgating the regulations that set standards and requirements for air quality, water quality, and waste management. 

2.      Assign the responsibility for issuing permits and enforcing regulations to the Department of Environmental Quality.  

3.      Establish an Environmental Appeals Board is established to hear administrative appeals of permit decisions made by the Department.

The legislation was passed by both the House and the Senate, but it contains a reenactment clause which means that no changes will go into effect unless the General Assembly approves them during the 2008 session.  Delegate Cox and Senator Hawkins, Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, have asked DEQ to meet with stakeholders to discuss the legislation and report back to them on any recommended changes to the legislation, and any areas discussed where we were not able to reach consensus.   DEQ has formed a work group to assist in this process.  Information on the role of citizen boards and the deliberations of this work group can be found at:  http://www.deq.virginia.gov/regulations/citizenboard.html

The Work group will meet on the following dates: Friday, September 7; Monday, October 1 and Monday, October 15

 All of their meetings will begin at 9:30 and will be at DEQ’s Piedmont Regional Office (http://www.deq.virginia.gov/regions/piedmont.html )  and will be open to the public and we will be posting information for this effort via DEQ’s new DEQcast service.  You may sign up for additional notification of these meetings and related information at:  http://www.deq.virginia.gov/lists/?action=show_list&id=18