GA 2022 Resources
All faith traditions, in some way, call us to care for our neighbors and honor our interdependence with the natural world. Our global extractive economies, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, as well as the food production sectors are all pouring heat-trapping climate pollution into our atmosphere, damaging our climate, and hurting our most vulnerable neighbors. In addition, these polluting industries often have a cumulative impact, creating environmental justice concerns for the frontline communities targeted for these projects.
In 2022, we will keep pushing for environmental justice. It is helpful to remember that after the 2021 General Assembly session, Virginia emerged as a leader in the region by passing several bills focused on water and energy justice. In the 2022 General Assembly, we will continue to prioritize environmental justice and support common-sense just legislation to strengthen laws protecting the health of all Virginia’s residents and the environment to maintain our quality of life. To that end, we support the following policy goals:
- Protect all Virginians’ access to energy, water, and gas utility services in times of crisis
- Strengthen environmental justice statewide by considering environmental justice in our localities’ and municipalities’ comprehensive planning
- Protect Virginia’s water resources, increase funding towards water infrastructure,
- Support the reduction of greenhouse gases in the transportation sector and advocate for increased autonomy of transit riders
