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Subcommittee approves raising VMRC staff‑approval threshold to $1 million and indexing fee threshold to CPI
Summary
House Bill 1810, as amended, raises the dollar threshold for projects that can be approved as a consent block by VMRC staff from $500,000 to $1,000,000 and allows a five‑year CPI adjustment; the committee reported the bill 10‑0.
Delegate Bloxham explained that House Bill 1810 would increase the dollar threshold under which VMRC staff may process certain permits administratively as part of a consent block, raising the cutoff from $500,000 to $1,000,000. He said the change is aimed at streamlining the commission’s monthly meeting agenda while preserving review and objection rights.
The committee accepted a friendly amendment that allows the agency to adjust the dollar threshold every five years using the Consumer Price Index rather than a more complicated indexing mechanism proposed in the original draft. No public opposition was recorded during the hearing. The subcommittee voted and reported the measure, as amended, by a roll call of 10‑0.
If enacted, the change would not alter substantive environmental review standards; it would change the administrative threshold that determines whether a permit can be included in a staff‑approved consent block when no objections are filed and when agency staff and VIMS (if applicable) recommend approval.
Provenance: Sponsor presentation at block starting 5976.82; committee vote reported at block starting 6187.635.
