Virginia Seeks Agencies’ ‘Lasting’ Environmental Justice Policy

Virginia is seeking to build on its effort to weigh environmental justice impacts in virtually every aspect of state operations, from agriculture and housing policies to the siting of roads and landfills—the latest sign states are taking the lead over the federal government.

The state’s Interagency Environmental Justice Working Group, a new task force drawn from 10 representatives from state agencies, is slated to meet Oct. 1. It was launched under 2020 budget language that the Virginia General Assembly adopted in March.

State agencies are to produce reports by November identifying what they’re doing on environmental justice, where the gaps ...