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1997 SESSION
WHEREAS, the practice of plasti-culture, defined as the production of crops in fields employing some plastic ground cover, increases the impervious surface area of agricultural land and encourages the runoff of water; and
WHEREAS, no state agency currently has a permitting program to provide for sufficient protection against water runoff from plasti-culture fields; and
WHEREAS, good water quality is closely linked to economic development and prosperity in Virginia, including, but not limited to, commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism; and
WHEREAS, the shellfish aquaculture industry in the lower Chesapeake Bay and the tidal waters on the seaside of Virginia's Eastern Shore have experienced problems associated with poor water quality; and
WHEREAS, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services has taken steps to convene a working group, the Eastern Shore Vegetable and Shellfish Growers Advisory Committee, to facilitate discussions between the shellfish aquaculture industry and the tomato growers using plasti-culture on the Eastern Shore; and
WHEREAS, the impact from and management responsibilities for plasti-culture and associated water-quality concerns may not be confined to the Eastern Shore or to a single state agency; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That an interagency task force be established to review the water quality management measures utilized in the practice of plasti-culture. The interagency task force shall consist of 6 members as follows: the Directors of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or their designees; the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or his designee; the Chairman of the Pesticide Control Board, or his designee; and a Director of the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, or his designee. The interagency task force shall be chaired by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and shall hold at least one meeting to receive public comment. The interagency task force shall determine: (i) whether existing programs and policies are sufficient to ensure adequate water quality management when the practice of plasti-culture is utilized; (ii) whether additional research and development of best management practices relating to plasti-culture should be undertaken by the Commonwealth; and (iii) whether existing state programs are consistently applied and coordinated between agencies with regard to plasti-culture. The interagency task force shall be provided with the results of the efforts of the Commissioner's Eastern Shore Vegetable and Shellfish Growers Advisory Committee.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the interagency task force by research scientists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the interagency task force, upon request.
The interagency task force shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1998 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.