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2008 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

Chairman: Patricia S. Ticer

Clerk: Hobie Lehman
Date of Meeting: January 14, 2008
Time and Place: 9:30 AM, Senate Room B

S.B. 40

Patron: Reynolds

Scenic river. Designating portions of the North Mayo River and South Mayo River as components of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System.

S.B. 43

Patron: Miller, Y.B.

Environmental impact reports for major state projects. Requires state authority to submit an environmental impact report for projects where the land acquisition or construction costs are greater than $1,000,000. Currently environmental impact reports must be submitted for projects where the land acquisition or construction costs are greater than $100,000.

S.B. 135

Patron: Stuart

Application of fertilizers.  Requires a commercial applicator of fertilizers to obtain a soil analysis of the property on which he is applying a fertilizer and make that analysis available to the customer at the time the bill is paid. The bill provides a civil penalty of $500 for not providing the customer with the analysis.

S.B. 172

Patron: Blevins

Sales of equines by dealers; penalty. Regulates the sales of horses for showing or racing by dealers when the value of the horse is over $10,000. Bills of sale will be required, along with written acknowledgements, to include permission and compensation, if an agent is acting on behalf of both the buyer and the seller. Violators shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and civilly liable for treble damages.

S.B. 196

Patron: Herring

Storage of hazardous materials. Permits localities to prohibit the initiation of storage of hazardous materials in floodplains five stream miles upstream of an intake for a public water supply. However, the provisions of this bill shall not apply to: (i) operations of the Virginia Department of Transportation or its contractors concerning the construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of highways; or (ii) all Department of Defense facilities and operations.

S.B. 272

Patron: Deeds

Inspection of food establishments; exception for private homes.  Exempts food preparations in private homes from inspections by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services if the food: (i) is sold to an individual for his own consumption; (ii) carries the label "NOT FOR RESALE—PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION"; and (iii) does not require a license for production or sale.

S.B. 308

Patron: Reynolds

State Forester; right of entry. Clarifies the right of the State Forester or his designees to enter and inspect any forest lands or logging operations to carry out the provisions of Virginia's forestry laws. The law continues to provide that no action for trespass may lie against the State Forester or his designees for actions taken in the performance of their duties. 

S.B. 321

Patron: Wagner

Environmental impact of renewable energy electric generating facilities. Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to consult with other state agencies that have expertise in natural resource management when considering the cumulative impact of new and proposed renewable energy electric generating facilities. Along with such other agencies, the Department will develop a coordinated recommendation providing for any additional site studies necessary to minimize adverse environmental impacts.

S.B. 373

Patron: Stuart

Invasive plants; labeling. Provides that the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in consultation with the Virginia Invasive Species Plant Council, shall adopt regulations requiring nurseries to label all invasive species of plants.

S.B. 377

Patron: Stuart

Crab pots; unauthorized taking of crabs.  Makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to take crabs from a crab pot unless authorized by the licensed and identified owner. The punishment for a Class 3 misdemeanor is a fine of not more than $500.

S.B. 378

Patron: Stuart

Reuse and reclamation of water.  Requires the State Water Control Board to promote and establish requirements for the reclamation and reuse of all waters of the Commonwealth, including stormwater and wastewater. Currently, the Board is only required to evaluate wastewater for reuse. The Board is also requested to identify policies, in consultation with the State Water Commission and the Virginia Resources Authority, that provide financial incentives for the construction of improvements allowing increased reclamation and reuse of waters. The Board will recommend the policies in a report presented to the General Assembly and the Governor no later than December 1, 2008.

S.B. 386

Patron: Martin

Application of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.  Redefines the localities that are under the jurisdiction of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA).  Currently, the CBPA applies to specifically named counties and cities that are defined as being located within Tidewater Virginia.  The bill changes the definition of which localities constitute Tidewater Virginia to include only those localities wholly east of Interstate 95.  Because the definition of Tidewater Virginia in the CBPA also appears in the stormwater law, to ensure that there is no change in the coverage of the stormwater program, the counties and cities currently listed in the CBPA's definition of Tidewater are delineated in the stormwater law.