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HB952 • 2026

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permittees.

An Act to require the Department of Environmental Quality to prioritize enforcement actions relating to certain industrial stormwater permittees under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Exchange Program; work group; report.

Agriculture Water
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lopez
Last action
2026-04-22
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permittees.

Department of Environmental Quality; Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permits; nutrient credits.

What This Bill Does

  • Department of Environmental Quality; Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permits; nutrient credits.
  • Provides that for the purposes of the industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance for calendar years 2025 and 2026, the term “nutrient credit” shall include nutrient credits generated by point sources in accordance with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program, subject to certain conditions.
  • The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality to (i) prioritize timely and appropriate enforcement actions in the case of any industrial stormwater permittee that fails to comply for calendar years 2025 and 2026 by achieving sufficient onsite nutrient reductions or acquiring sufficient point or nonpoint source nutrient credits and (ii) convene a work group to evaluate and recommend conditions and requirements to most effectively address industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance in future calendar years and submit a report summarizing such evaluation and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than November 1, 2026.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB952G

2026-04-11 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (HB952) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION I approve the general purpose of this bill, but I am returning it without my signature with the request that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26110107D) be accepted.

  • (HB952) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION I approve the general purpose of this bill, but I am returning it without my signature with the request that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26110107D) be accepted.
HB952H2

2026-04-13 • Governor

Governor Substitute

Plain English: 2026 SESSION HOUSE SUBSTITUTE 26110107D HOUSE BILL NO.

  • 2026 SESSION HOUSE SUBSTITUTE 26110107D HOUSE BILL NO.
  • 952 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the Governor on April 11, 2026) (Patrons Prior to Substitute—Delegates Lopez and Runion [HB 1519]) A BILL to require the Department of Environmental Quality to prioritize enforcement actions relating to certain industrial stormwater permittees under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Exchange Program; work group; report.
  • Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1.
  • § 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-22 Governor

    Governor's recommendation adopted

  2. 2026-04-22 House

    Signed by Speaker

  3. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Signed by President

  4. 2026-04-22 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 1080 (effective 7/1/2026)

  5. 2026-04-22 House

    Reenrolled

  6. 2026-04-22 House

    Reenrolled bill text (HB952ER2)

  7. 2026-04-22 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1080)

  8. 2026-04-22 House

    House concurred in Governor's recommendation Block Vote (99-Y 0-N 0-A)

  9. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (33-Y 6-N 0-A)

  10. 2026-04-11 Governor

    Governor's recommendation received by House

  11. 2026-03-25 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 25, 2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  13. 2026-03-16 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB952)

  14. 2026-03-14 House

    Signed by Speaker

  15. 2026-03-14 Senate

    Signed by President

  16. 2026-03-14 House

    Enrolled

  17. 2026-03-14 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB952ER)

  18. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Read third time

  19. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  20. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  21. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  22. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Rules suspended

  23. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Rules suspended

  24. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  25. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  26. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  27. 2026-03-03 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (15-Y 0-N)

  28. 2026-02-18 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  29. 2026-02-18 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

  30. 2026-02-17 House

    Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

  31. 2026-02-16 House

    Read second time

  32. 2026-02-16 House

    committee substitute agreed to

  33. 2026-02-16 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB952)

  34. 2026-02-16 House

    Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  35. 2026-02-13 House

    Read first time

  36. 2026-02-11 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (22-Y 0-N)

  37. 2026-02-11 House

    Incorporates HB1519 (Runion)

  38. 2026-02-11 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Committee substitute printed 26107172D-H1

  39. 2026-02-09 Chesapeake

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N)

  40. 2026-02-09 Chesapeake

    House subcommittee offered

  41. 2026-01-30 Chesapeake

    Assigned HACNR sub: Chesapeake

  42. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103390D

  43. 2026-01-13 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

Department of Environmental Quality; Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permits; nutrient credits.
Provides that for the purposes of the industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance for calendar years 2025 and 2026, the term “nutrient credit” shall include nutrient credits generated by point sources in accordance with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program, subject to certain conditions. The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality to (i) prioritize timely and appropriate enforcement actions in the case of any industrial stormwater permittee that fails to comply for calendar years 2025 and 2026 by achieving sufficient onsite nutrient reductions or acquiring sufficient point or nonpoint source nutrient credits and (ii) convene a work group to evaluate and recommend conditions and requirements to most effectively address industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance in future calendar years and submit a report summarizing such evaluation and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than November 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to require the Department of Environmental Quality to prioritize enforcement actions relating to certain industrial stormwater permittees under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Exchange Program; work group; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That for the purposes of industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance for calendar years 2025 and 2026 pursuant to subsection D of §
62.1-44.19:21
of the Code of Virginia, the term "nutrient credit" shall include nutrient credits generated by point sources in accordance with the requirements of Article 4.02 (§
62.1-44.19:12
et seq.) of Chapter 3.1 of Title 62.1 of the Code of Virginia; however, the permittee may use point source credits for compliance purposes only if (i) such credits are generated and applied for purposes of compliance for the same calendar year; (ii) such credits are acquired no later than September 1, 2026, for calendar year 2025 or June 1, 2027, for calendar year 2026; (iii) such credits are generated in the same locality or tributary, except that permittees in the Eastern Coastal Basin may also acquire credits from the Potomac and Rappahannock tributaries; (iv) such credits are either point source nitrogen or point source phosphorus credits generated by point sources covered by the general permit issued pursuant to §
62.1-44.19:14
of the Code of Virginia; and (v) the permittee reports evidence of having obtained such credits to the Department of Environmental Quality within 30 days of the deadlines specified in clause (ii). The Department of Environmental Quality shall (a) prioritize timely and appropriate enforcement actions in the case of any industrial stormwater permittee that fails to comply for calendar years 2025 and 2026 by achieving sufficient onsite nutrient reductions or acquiring sufficient point or nonpoint source nutrient credits and (b) convene a work group to evaluate and recommend conditions and requirements to most effectively address industrial stormwater general permit nutrient reduction compliance in future calendar years and submit a report summarizing such evaluation and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than November 1, 2026.