Below you can find links to the white papers of the issues most relevant to Loudoun County’s wildlife as well as Loudoun Wildlife’s mission and values. For each white paper, we’ve summarized the key policy opportunities (potential bills to support). Click on the links for more information about the full list of policy opportunities as well as background on the issues.

Topic: Clean Water and Flood Resilience

• Preventing Polluted Stormwater Runoff
  • Ensure homeowner access to conservation landscaping
• Safeguarding Virginia’s Wetlands
  • Allocate funding for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and local wetland boards
  • Enforce “no net loss” approach to wetlands protection

Topic: Land and Wildlife Conservation

• Preserving Working Farms and Forests
  • Increase the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund
• Connecting Wildlife Habitats for Resilient Communities
  • Incorporate provisions for habitat connectivity into road infrastructure planning
  • Establish a dedicated Wildlife Corridor Fund
• Preventing Harms from Invasive Plants
  • Require vendors to notify consumers before purchasing that a plant in their stock is invasive

Topic: Land Use and Transportation

• Responsible Data Center Development
  • Allow and require localities to consider potential impacts of data center proposals on infrastructure development, energy and resource demand, and interconnection conditions
  • Rework state tax incentives to focus on sustainable mechanisms only, including energy efficiency, clean power, and increased landscape buffering

Topic: Good Governance

• Advancing Environmental Literacy
  • Increase and sustain funding and resources for environmental literacy programs, such as the Virginia Environmental Literacy Network
• Curbing Electrical Utilities’ Political Influence
  • Ban political contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies
  • Prohibit legislators from using campaign funds for personal use

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