Residents press Henrico supervisors for climate action, oppose gas plant; community groups request county help

HENRICO, Va. — Dozens of residents and local advocates used the public-comment period at the Henrico County Board of Supervisors’ April 22 meeting to urge the board to adopt a formal climate action plan, oppose a proposed Dominion gas plant, expand organics recycling and energy programs, and to support community events and nonprofits.

Why it matters: Speakers framed the requests as local policy matters that affect public health, equity and long-term costs. Several asked the board to include a climate action plan in the county’s comprehensive-plan review and to consider a formal board resolution opposing the proposed gas plant.

Chris Bass, a resident who introduced his daughter for a brief statement, told the board, “What happens in this room matters,” and urged supervisors to pursue “bold and ambitious strategies to protect what we love,” including more public transit, energy-efficiency measures and rooftop solar. His daughter, 9-year-old Zoe Bass, told the board, “I think that we should plant pollinator flowers wherever we can,” and described her troop’s work planting native species and installing pollinator houses at local schools.

Kate Mardigan, executive director of Jacob’s Chance, thanked the county for providing gym and field space and said the nonprofit “has served over a thousand people just in the past year and a half” through athletics and enrichment programs for people with disabilities. Commander Kenneth Harvey, commander of American Legion Post 233, asked the board to help the post organize a community fair in the Verona area, saying the effort would include outreach to youth and partnerships seeking grants.

Several speakers asked the board to adopt a robust climate action plan. Beth Credatis, who identified herself as a parent of Henrico Public School students, said peers counties in Virginia have set greenhouse-gas benchmarks and that Henrico should do the same. Aileen Rivera asked the board to consider passing a resolution opposing the Dominion gas plant and said community groups had provided data she believes shows the facility would harm residents in higher-risk areas.

Dr. Varun Dixit, a physician, suggested the county engage healthcare organizations to reduce their carbon footprints and waste, telling the board that hospitals produce substantial emissions and asserting that U.S. healthcare would rank among the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitters if it were a country. He also cited a figure for hospital waste per bed presented as part of his remarks.

Several speakers tied their requests to ongoing county programs. During earlier presentations the board issued an Arbor Day proclamation that noted the county’s HEART reforestation initiative had planted over 7,450 trees since 2023; speakers referenced that work and urged continued reforestation, anti–clear-cutting measures, expanded organics recycling and curbside composting.

Board response in the meeting record was limited. Aileen Rivera said she and other advocates had emailed the board twice without a formal response and requested reconsideration of a resolution opposing the gas plant. Toward the end of public comment, a supervisor stated that he and a colleague “are working on some items as it relates to climate change and environmental issues” and promised to bring forward material to colleagues and the community when available.

Meeting evidence: The public-comment period spans multiple registered speakers, including organizational representatives, residents and community advocates. Speakers’ requests included a formal climate action plan, expansion of recycling and energy programs, engagement with healthcare institutions on emissions, and county support for local nonprofit events and a proposed community fair.

No board-level action (beyond the statements recorded above) to adopt a countywide climate action plan or to pass a resolution on the Dominion gas plant was recorded at the April 22 meeting.