2026 General Assembly Conservation Priorities

This week, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust was back in Richmond as the General Assembly convened for its 2026 session. On January 28, we joined partners from across the Commonwealth for Virginia Outdoor Recreation Day, a lobby day championing the Virginia Great Outdoors Act! Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act would provide $230 million annually to protect critical natural, agricultural, historic, and water resources, expand public access, and invest in trails, parks, and outdoor recreation infrastructure statewide. Despite the snow and ice, many supporters turned out to meet with legislators to discuss VGOA.

NVCT also works alongside its partners within Virginia’s United Land Trusts (VaULT) and Virginia Conservation Network, and is a proud member of the VIRGINIAforever and Our Virginia Outdoors coalitions. Together, we are creating large-scale bipartisan efforts to advance legislation that strengthens land conservation, responsible land use, and sustainable outdoor recreation. 

Below is a summary of the bills we are following this session closely—legislation we are engaged in with partners and our coalition allies. These bills represent the opportunities and challenges we see every day with land conservation funding, wildlife connectivity, historic and cultural resources, public access, invasive species management, and responsible approaches to energy, data centers, and local land-use authority.

Land Conservation/Easements/Grants/Funding:

• HB134, Virginia Conservation Easement Act; definitions; federally recognized tribes.

• HB237, DCR; ConserveVirginia to map lands adjacent to existing wetlands and lands suitable for wetland migration to occur.

• HB239, HB500, SB157, DCR; acceptance of property to establish a state park; Loudoun County.

• HB252, Relocation or modification of easement by owner of servient estate.

• HB344, Property under common ownership; creation of easements.

• HB543, Office of Working Lands Preservation; powers and duties; Forest Sustainability Fund.

• HB596, Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; interagency implementation group; report.

• HB597, Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund established; voluntary contributions; report.

• HB641, Virginia's Great Outdoors Act established; data center land conservation tax; land preservation distributions and appropriations. 

• HB805, Land preservation tax credit. Increases from $75 million to $100 million the amount that may be issued in a calendar year.

• HB846, Conservation easements; co-holders.

• HB1081, Requires the Office of Working Lands Preservation to serve as a trustee to administer the in-lieu fees in trust for small renewable energy projects. The bill requires such fees to be used to acquire conservation easements and cover any expenses associated with acquiring such easements. 

Historic & Cultural Resources: 

• HB140, Commission on Federally Recognized Tribes; purpose; powers; sunset extended. 

• HB367, Consultation with federally recognized tribes; permits and reviews with potential impacts on environmental, cultural, and historic resources.

• HB368, Definitions; American Indians; Virginia recognized tribes; federally recognized tribes; sovereignty. 

• HB858, Legal holidays; Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Wildlife, Wetlands, Trees, Native & Invasive Species:

• HB45, DWR; free or partially discounted fees to hunt, fish, and trap; reimbursement.

• HB386, Chesapeake Bay Pay for Outcomes Fund established.

• HB549, Conservation and replacement of trees during development process.

• HB995, Conservation of trees during land development process; Planning District 8.

• HB88, Highway rights-of-way; invasive species.

• HB109, Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; noxious weeds; commercial viability.

• HB388, SB89, Powers of service districts; control of invasive plants.

• HB710, Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; invasive plant species installation; written notification to property owners; civil penalty.

• HB152, Designates little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) as the official state grass.

• HB415, Designates the pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) as the official state fruit.

• SB155, Designate the Brown Belted Bumblebee as the state Native Pollinator.  

 Energy/Solar/Data Centers/Local Land Use Authority:

Virginia lawmakers propose a bevy of data center reform bills

• HB153, Siting of data centers; site assessment; high energy use facility.

• HB370, Local authority on requiring water consumption in zoning ordinance; industrial and commercial facilities. 

• HB496, Siting of data centers; site assessment; water use disclosures. 

• HB501, Study; Department of Environmental Quality; groundwater supply in western Loudoun and Fauquier Counties; report. 

• HB589, Certain data from water users; water use consumption of data centers. 

• HB591, Policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources. 

• HB457, HB1234, SB26, Land development; solar canopies in parking areas. 

• HB899, Small renewable energy projects; agrivoltaics definition; advisory panel. 

• HB1091, Right to farm; solar panels. 

• HB1122, Alters the criteria for determining when a landowner's rights shall be deemed vested in a land use. 

• SB94, Siting of data centers; property zoned for industrial use.

  
  

NVCT will return to Richmond on February 4, 5, and 12 for additional lobby days and meetings with partners as the General Assembly session continues. We’ll share a session wrap-up later this winter highlighting our advocacy efforts, coalition wins, and updates on key legislation we supported. Thank you for standing with us as we work to protect Northern Virginia’s lands, waters, and communities—together, our voices help shape conservation outcomes across the Commonwealth.