Local Land Use Protections in Virginia's Taylorsville Basin, an Advocacy Case Study
August 24, 2021 9:30am-11:00am
Local land use decisions have significant impacts on the lives of residents and the environment including: quality of life; equitable access to services; quantity, quality and affordability of housing stocks; pollution of our air and waters; disproportionate impacts from pollution; exacerbation or solutions to climate change; and more. These locality-based decisions ultimately determine if and how our communities grow and thrive and involve layers of decisions, such as: long term comprehensive planning; local zoning ordinances; climate action planning; transit and pedestrian infrastructure; approval and design specifications for general and individual developments; affordable housing; general safety and welfare; budgetary spending on priorities; etc.
To better understand advocacy approaches to impact local land use decision making and how to support them, the Virginia Climate & Energy Funders Work Group at the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network is exploring successful case studies to inform future strategy. We will be joined by advocates who worked for nearly a decade to protect the Taylorsville Basin from the threats of fracking. Their strategy was multi-layered, starting with locality by locality research, education and organizing. It resulted in five localities voting to protect themselves against fracking, best-in-the-nation fracking disclosure regulations, and a regional ban on fracking. The structure, approach and lessons learned from their effort can inform future efforts to advance current climate priorities in Virginia and beyond.
We hope you will join in this program and others to follow as the VA Climate & Energy Funders Work Group engages further in holistic and intersectional climate solutions that embrace local, community led and supported advocacy.
SPEAKERS
Megan Gallagher (Hillsdale Fund & Agua Fund)
Bryan Hofmann (Friends of the Rappahannock)
Albert Pollard (former Virginia Delegate & independent consultant)
To register for this program click here. You will receive confirmation from Zoom with connection information.