Friends,

Last month, we kicked off our special session of the Virginia General Assembly, and can I tell you, this has been one whirlwind of a session. This week, I share some good news about our work for justice reform and environmental justice.

Environmental Justice
Last weekend, I spoke at the Cumberland County Landfill Association (CCLA) meeting about the proposed 1,200-acre mega-landfill, dubbed the Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal Facility. This facility would be situated in Cumberland County, a rural and largely economically-disadvantaged community. The landfill would be built in proximity to the historic Pine Grove School. As a Rosenwald School, Pine Grove was built through the efforts of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald (president of Sears Roebuck), and it has recently been added to the Virginia Landmark’s Register by the Department of Historic Resources (DHR). The school and its legacy must be protected, along with the air, water, and soil quality that is endangered by mega-landfills.

If allowed to open, this mega-landfill would operate six days a week, 24 hours a day, and accept up to 5,000 tons of waste daily. Without a doubt, it would have a grave health impact on the surrounding areas.

The plan to place this landfill in an economically-disadvantaged community is an issue that sits at the intersection of environmental and racial justice. My office is committed to working with the CCLA, the AMMD Pine Grove Project, and our constituents in Powhatan to address these issues of environmental injustice, historic preservation, and the need to strengthen the solid waste management code in Virginia.

Justice Reform
After almost two hours of discussion, my bill SB 5035 passed out of the Senate by a vote of 20 yeas and 15 nays. This bill is enabling legislation, allowing localities to establish Civilian Review Boards (CRBs) that do the following:

• Exercise subpoena power
• Gather, analyze, and review information
• Produce public reports
• Make informed decisions based on data and evidence

The passing of this bill marks a step towards rebuilding trust between communities and law enforcement by increasing transparency and engagement between the two groups. It will also help ensure community members have a seat at the table and can play an active role in reviewing cases of law enforcement concerns. As I shared in my closing comments on the floor, our founding fathers and our Constitution articulated a clear mandate that civilians are to have oversight of the military and those who exercise power. For this reason, our civilian Presidents are Commanders in Chief. Establishing CRBs within those communities that desire them is a part of our tradition of local, civil governance.

As always, if you need assistance or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call with our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. As a reminder, email is the best way to contact us. We can be reached at [email protected].

-- Ghazala