Monday, January 30, 2017

Episode 353 (1-30-17): Voting on Water in the 2017 Virginia General Assembly


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:19)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 1-27-17.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of January 30, 2017.

SOUND – ~12 sec

As of late January, these five men and 135 other members of the Virginia General Assembly were collectively considering over 2000 bills in the Assembly’s 2017 session.  About 160 of those bills concern water resources, either directly or indirectly through energy, transportation, or other land uses.  This week is Virginia Water Radio’s annual episode giving YOU a chance to imagine being an Assembly member, and to consider how you’d vote on four water-related bills.   I’ll give you brief descriptions of the bills, followed by a couple of seconds to decide if you would vote for or against the idea.  Then I’ll use these two sounds [SOUNDS – ~3 sec – bell and buzzer] to indicate the bills’ status as January 27; the bell means the bill was still alive, the buzzer means it had already essentially failed.  Ready?

No. 1: Senate Bill 1349 would create a new cabinet secretary for coastal protection and flooding adaptation. [SOUND – ~4 sec - bell]   The bill had passed two Senate committees.

No. 2: House Bill 1859 would direct the Department of Environmental Quality to publish an inventory of sites that contain hazardous substances, but that are not listed on the federal National Priorities List, also known as the Superfund list. [SOUND – ~5 sec - bell then buzzer]  The bill was still alive in a House committee, but a sub-committee had recommended against it.

No. 3: House Bill 1679 would authorize the Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy to require certain information about chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, otherwise known as “fracking,” and to disclose such information to state or local officials assisting the Department in emergency response. [SOUND – ~4 sec - bell]   The bill was still alive in a House committee.

And No. 4: House Joint Resolution 677 would request the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to study the current and potential impact on Virginia waters of two invasive, non-native species: Zebra Mussels and Quagga Mussels. [SOUND – ~4 sec - buzzer]  The bill failed in committee.

Obviously, this short game can’t capture the scope of the General Assembly’s potential impact on a subject as complicated and important as water.  Any bill involves more information and details than you heard here.   The General Assembly’s Web site, virginiageneralassembly.gov, has tools to help you get the details and to express opinions to Assembly members.  But don’t wait too long: the 2017 session is scheduled to adjourn on February 25.

Thanks to Soundbible.com for making the ticking clock sound available for public use.

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show.   In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The voices at the beginning of the episode were members of the Virginia House of Delegates’ Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee/Natural Resources Subcommittee, recorded by Virginia Water Radio at the subcommittee’s meeting in Richmond on January 18, 2017.  The members you heard introducing themselves were the following:
Del. Richard C. Sullivan (D-48th House District), of Arlington;
Del. Kenneth R. Plum (D-36th House District), of Reston;
Del. Thomas C. Wright, Jr. (R-61st House District), of Victoria;
Del. James E. Edmunds, II (R-60th House District), of Halifax;
Del. Jackson H. Miller (R-50th House District), of Manassas.

The ticking clock sound was recorded by Kevan GC and made available (10/25/10 upload) online at the Soundbible.com Web site, http://soundbible.com/1580-Ticking-Clock.html, for public use under the Creative Commons “Public Domain” dedication.

PHOTOS

House of Delegates Chamber in the Virginia State Capitol Building.  Photo by the Virginia General Assembly, accessed at https://www.flickr.com/photos/virginiageneralassembly/8006920285/, 3/13/17.
Senate Chamber in the Virginia State Capitol Building.  Photo by the Virginia General Assembly, accessed at https://www.flickr.com/photos/virginiageneralassembly/8006763439/, 3/13/17.

EXTRA FACTS ABOUT LEGISLATION MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Following are Virginia Legislative Information System summaries of the bills mentioned in this episode, as of 1/27/17, accessed at http://lis.virginia.gov/ (edited in some cases for space or clarity).

Senate Bill 1349 (and companion House Bill 1964), Coastal Protection and Flooding Adaptation Secretary: Would.create the position of Secretary for Coastal Protection and Flooding Adaptation (the Secretary).  The Secretary would be responsible for consolidating into a single office the resources for coastal flooding threats and adaptation; would be the lead in providing direction, ensuring accountability, and developing a statewide coastal flooding adaptation strategy; and would, in cooperation with the Secretary of Natural Resources, identify sources of funding for needed implementation of strategies for coastal protection and flooding adaptation.

Senate Bill 820 (and companion House Bill 1577), Management of menhaden: Would require the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to adopt regulations to implement the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden and would authorize the VMRC to adopt regulations for managing the Commonwealth's Menhaden fishery; currently that authority rests with the General Assembly.  The bill also would require that any moratorium on the fishery remain subject to legislative review.  Several existing codified provisions relating to quotas, allocation of allowable landings, and administrative procedures would be repealed and would be included in a regulatory framework for managing the fishery.

House Bill 1859, Non-federally managed hazardous sites: Would direct the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to publish and update annually a Virginia Non-federally Managed Hazardous Site Inventory, consisting of a list of sites of which DEQ is aware that meet certain criteria regarding the presence of hazardous wastes or other hazardous substances, but that are not listed on the federal National Priorities List.  The bill would also require any owner of an inactive non-federally managed hazardous waste site to notify DEQ of its existence.

House Bill 1679 (and companion Senate Bill 1291) Well permit applications; disclosure of trade secrets: As introduced, would authorize the Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME) to require disclosure of chemical ingredient names, chemical abstracts numbers, or the amount or concentration of chemicals or ingredients used to stimulate a well notwithstanding exclusion from mandatory disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as a trade secret.  The bill would authorize the DMME director to disclose such information to additional DMME staff or state or local officials to assist the DMME in responding to an emergency, but would prohibit such individuals from disseminating the information further.

House Joint Resolution 677, Study of impacts of zebra and quagga mussels in Virginia waters: Would request the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to study the current and potential impact of Zebra Mussels and Quagga Mussels in Virginia waters and propose strategies, campaigns, and necessary state actions to protect Virginia waters from infestation by these non-native species.

SOURCES USED IN AUDIO AND FOR MORE INFORMATION

Travis Fain, Fracking bills draw concern from environmentalists, McAuliffe, [Newport News] Daily Press, 1/25/17. This article is regarding HB 1679, Senate Bill 1291, and related bills.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Learn About Superfund,” online at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/learn-about-superfund.

Virginia General Assembly Web site, http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/. This site offers several useful features, including member lists, session calendars, links to the video of floor sessions, and information on legislative processes).  To learn about Virginia’s legislative process: see the “Capitol Classroom” link at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/capitolClassroom.php?secid=23&activesec=5To express an opinion on legislation: citizens can find their representatives and their contact information by using the online “Who’s My Legislator” service, available at http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/; or find members’ contact information at these links:
House: http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php;
Senate: http://apps.lis.virginia.gov/sfb1/Senate/TelephoneList.aspx.

Virginia Legislative Information System, at http://lis.virginia.gov/.  This is the online location for following the legislation of General Assembly sessions.

Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Virginia Water Central News Grouper” posts on the Virginia General Assembly, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/?s=General+Assembly.

Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Virginia Water Legislation” page, online at http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/virginia-water-legislation/.   This site has inventories of water-related bills in the current and previous sessions of the General Assembly.

Robert Zullo, Legislation to create Virginia coastal office gaining ground, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/23/17.  This article is regarding HB 1964 and SB 1349.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).

Previous episodes on the Virginia General Assembly are the following:
Episode143, 1/7/13
– Music for the Past and Present of the Virginia General Assembly;
Episode 147, 2/4/13
– Committees Guide the Flow of Bills in the Virginia General Assembly;
Episode 196, 1/13/14
– The Virginia Legislature on its 396th Opening Day, January 8, 2014;
Episode 247, 1/5/15
– January Means State Budget Time in the Virginia General Assembly;
Episode 252, 2/9/15
– Voting on Water in the 2015 Virginia General Assembly;
Episode 297, 1/4/16 – Water’s on the Agenda—along with a Whole Lot Else—When the Virginia General Assembly Convenes;
Episode 302, 2/8/16 – Voting on Water in the 2016 Virginia General Assembly;
Episode 350, 1/9/17 – Old English Music Helps Preview the Old Dominion’s 2017 General Assembly.

STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS
This episode may help with the following 2010 Science SOLs:

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
6.9 – public policy decisions regarding the environment.

Life Science Course
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.6 – renewable vs. non-renewable resources (including energy resources).
ES.10 – oceans, including economic and policy decisions affecting oceans, the coastal zone, and the Chesapeake Bay.
ES.11 – the atmosphere, including human influences on climate.

Biology Course
BIO.8 – dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including effects of natural events and human activities.

The episode may also help with the following 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Virginia Studies Course
VS.10 – knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia.

Civics and Economics Course
CE.1 – social studies skills that responsible citizenship requires.
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.10 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.

Government Course
GOVT.1 – social studies skills that responsible citizenship requires.
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.16 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.

The episode may also help with the following 2015 Social Studies SOLs, which become effective in the 2017-18 school year:

Virginia Studies Course
VS.10 – knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia.

Civics and Economics Course
CE.1 – social studies skills that responsible citizenship requires.
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.10 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.18 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.

Government Course
GOVT.1 – social studies skills that responsible citizenship requires.
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.15 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.