Land and urban areas; DCR shall assess how best to achieve permanent conservation by 2036, report.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on what actions will be taken after the report submission, leaving this aspect uncertain.

Land and Urban Area Conservation Report

This bill requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to assess how to permanently conserve 20 percent of Virginia's land area and 10 percent of its urban areas by 2036, and submit a report with recommendations.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study ways to protect 20 percent of Virginia’s land and 10 percent of its urban areas by 2036.
• Tells the department to look at how much land is already protected, what other states do for conservation, and estimate the funding needed to reach these goals.
• Asks the department to write a report with their findings and suggestions on how to achieve permanent protection of land and urban areas by 2036.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Virginia's Senate Committees on Finance, Appropriations, and Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
• Virginia's House Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

Terms To Know

Permanent conservation

Protecting land or urban areas in a way that keeps them safe from development for the long term.

Feasibility

The ability to do something successfully and practically.

Limits and Unknowns

• It is not clear how much money will be needed or if there are enough resources to achieve these goals.
• The bill does not specify what happens after the report is submitted in November 2026.

Official Summary Text

Department of Conservation and Recreation; permanent land conservation feasibility; report.
Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to assess how best to achieve permanent conservation by 2036 of (i) 20 percent of the land area of the Commonwealth and (ii) 10 percent of urban areas of the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Department to submit a report on its findings and any recommendations to achieve such permanent conservation goals to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources no later than November 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL NO. 519

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations

on February 5, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Deeds)

A BILL to direct the Department of Conservation and Recreation to assess the feasibility of achieving permanent conservation of 20 percent of the land area and 10 percent of the urban areas of the Commonwealth by 2036.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
That the Department of Conservation and Recreation
(the Department)
shall assess
how
best
to
achieve

permanent conservation
by 2036
of
(i)
20 percent of t
he land area of
the Commonwealth

and (ii) 10 percent of urban areas of the Commonwealth
. In conducting the assessment, the Department shall
consider (i
) the current percent
age of
protected
land area in the Commonwealth
;

(ii)
a survey of the land areas permanently conserved
in the Commonwealth over the previous 10 years;
(iii)
best practices employed by
other states to prioritize permanent land conservation
, generally and in urban areas specifically
; (iv)
the current percentage of the aggregate acreage of the
Commonwealth and the
Commonwealth's urban areas that are
permanently conserved; and (v) an estimate of state
funding required to achieve permanent conservation of 20 percent of the land area of
the Commonwealth
and 10 percent of the urban areas of the Commonwealth
by 2036.
The Department shall submit a report on
its
findings
and and any recommendations to achieve such permanent conservation goals
to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and
Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
and the House Committees on Appropriations and
Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
no later than November 1, 2026.