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Democratic legislator questions Youngkin’s appointments to environmental justice council • Virginia Mercury [1]
['Charlie Paullin', 'More From Author', '- March']
Date: 2024-03-20
A Democratic legislator is questioning Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent appointments to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice. Shortly before announcing the new appointees, Youngkin had vetoed a bill from the same legislator that called for the council’s long-running vacancies to be filled.
Del. Mike Jones, D-Richmond, said in a phone interview that the five people Youngkin appointed Friday represented a “hodge podge,” who don’t “reek of environmentalism.”
The five people appointed to the council were: Lisa Kardell, director of public affairs at Waste Management; Courtney Malveaux, principal of Jackson Lewis PC; Eddie Ramirez, a managing member of Ramirez Contracting; Morgan Whayland, director of government affairs for Virginia Natural Gas and Ronald Olswyn White, vice president of Southside Electric Cooperative.
“We need people that’ll understand, that won’t refute [environmental justice] and aren’t just beholden to fossil fuel,” Jones said.
The new appointees will bring their affiliations with the waste, labor, infrastructure, fossil fuel and electric industries to the council that was first created by executive order under the administration of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Legislation in the 2020 session then made the council permanent, with the purpose of advising the governor and providing “recommendations that maintain a foundation of environmental justice principles intended to protect vulnerable communities from disproportionate impacts of pollution.”
The current members on the council, who were not appointed by Youngkin, have affiliations with groups that are community-oriented and focused on environmental causes. One example of these appointees is, Rev. Faith Harris, director of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, an organization that brings together religious congregations to combat climate change. Another past appointee to the council was Clarence Tong, a former director of government relations with the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.
According to 2020 law, members of the council must be residents of the state and represent American Indian tribes, community-based organizations, the public health sector, non-government and civil rights organizations, higher education institutions and “communities impacted by an industrial, governmental, or commercial operation, program, or policy.”
In a statement, Youngkin Press Secretary Christian Martinez said, “the Governor’s appointments reflect a variety of communities and stakeholders across Virginia who are committed to furthering Governor Youngkin’s efforts to protect our natural resources and vulnerable communities throughout the Commonwealth.”
Of the appointees, only Kardell, Ramirez and a spokesperson for Virginia Natural Gas responded to a request for comment.
“I have over 30 years of experience working with local communities to develop strong relationships and address community concerns,” Kardell said in a statement. “I believe it’s important to have meaningful engagement and dialog with community members and leaders as projects are developed.”
Ramirez stated he’s proud to live and own a business in Southwest Virginia, honored to serve on the council, and “ready to get to work and see how I can contribute to the advancement of the Environmental Justice goals of the Youngkin administration.”
Virginia Natural Gas spokesperson Morgan Chase noted that Whayland has over a decade of experience with municipal government and said Whayland “welcomes the opportunity” to contribute to environmental justice solutions.
“Her leadership in developing the City of Norfolk’s Climate Action Plan and advocating for coastal and neighborhood resilience highlights her commitment to supporting economically disadvantaged and minority populations,” the spokesperson stated by email.
The appointments were made by Youngkin the day after he vetoed a bill from Jones that would have required vacancies on the council be filled by the end of August. The freshman delegate introduced the legislation after the council had difficulty attaining a quorum to approve meeting minutes or finalize its report because several members had resigned or become inactive because they weren’t allowed to attend meetings virtually or have their mileage reimbursed.
The council had reached out to Youngkin’s administration about their issues, members said, but had only received guidance on adopting a virtual attendance policy, which was put into place at their last meeting in January.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Gee is responsible for making appointments to the state’s boards and commissions. While Jones said she had met with him during the session to discuss his bill, he added Youngkin’s administration did not consult with him about the recent appointees, despite the two talking about the veto by phone the day before the appointments were made.
“They’re not terrible people; it’s just, where are they going to be as it relates to environmental justice?” Jones said of the appointments. “We have to get people who understand the challenges faced by communities that for such a long time [have] been negatively impacted by a lot of the decisions that have been made by the energy community.”
Jones acknowledged that ultimately Youngkin would have made appointments to the council under his legislation, but he highlighted the need for a politically balanced council to hear diverse community concerns. The natural gas plant Dominion Energy is proposing to build in Chesterfield next to its formerly coal-fired plant, Jones said, demonstrates this necessity.
While the utility has held community meetings and is ”committed to meaningful dialogue with environmental justice communities,” spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said in an email, information from the U.S. the Environmental Protection Agency shows about 36% of the people living in the surrounding community are low-income and 48% are people of color. Jones said the Environmental Justice Council could make sure decisionmakers hear and understand the residents’ perspectives on the project.
“They’re not going to put that plant in Chesdin Landing,” Jones said, adding, “this isn’t a red or blue issue, it’s green. And because of that, it’s Black and brown.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from the Youngkin administration.
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