Virginia advances bipartisan environmental solutions this hurricane season

JULY 1, 2026 – Today, Virginia demonstrated leadership and dedication to combating the climate crisis as a series of new environmental laws went into effect. These solutions address a range of climate-driven issues and were passed with robust bipartisan legislative support.

As we enter the 2026 hurricane season, climate solutions are imperative to equip communities with the resources and information they need to manage extreme weather impacts, which are only continuing to worsen in severity and become more frequent.

Why is it so important to prepare for hurricane season?

Preparing before a hurricane strikes is key to reducing loss of life, property and livelihood in a community, along with widespread economic impact. In fact, current research shows that every dollar spent on climate resilience and preparedness saves communities $13 in damages, cleanup costs and economic impact after a disaster.

And Virginia needs to prepare; its communities are prone to hurricanes, unnamed nor’easters and flooding events compounded with the fact that the Commonwealth has the highest rate of sea level rise on the Atlantic seaboard. Not to mention, 73 percent of Virginia residents live in coastal areas.

Reducing flooding in at-risk communities

One of the new bills signed into law will help communities prepare for hurricanes and other flood events by specifying how resources are prioritized through the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund.

The Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund, established in 2022, is a financing option that allows localities to access flood resilience and mitigation grant and loan funding for use on private property. The new law directs Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation to give additional weight to resilience projects in low-income communities when distributing funds, as well as prioritizing projects that incorporate nature-based solutions.

The fund has been used to support projects for homeowners in the Middle Peninsula, among others, and is currently being coupled with other recovery funds for property owners impacted by Hurricane Helene to build back better and reduce future risk.

Laying the policy groundwork for investment in nature-based solutions

Other solutions that have gone into effect will help lay the policy groundwork needed to secure future investment of nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions use natural processes to protect, restore and manage ecosystems that can reduce risks and promote resilience and other benefits.

The new laws ensure marsh mitigation pathways in the face of sea level rise will be included in Virginia’s Coastal Master Plan and data portals as well as clarify Virginia’s no net loss policy for tidal wetlands. Furthermore, Virginia will now establish a Habitat Policy Oversight Committee at Virginia Marine Resources Commission, designed to support holistic and scientific approaches to large scale restoration. All these solutions passed with bipartisan support, and some passed unanimously.

Environmental Defense Fund celebrates this incredible step forward and congratulates lawmakers, from both sides of the aisle, for putting Virginia’s people and nature first. Such solutions demonstrate leadership and dedication to reducing climate impacts and helping communities prepare for hurricane season.