Residents, students press Henrico supervisors to adopt standalone climate action plan

Residents, students and environmental groups pressed the Henrico County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 to adopt a standalone climate action plan, saying urgent local action is needed to address extreme weather, water reliability and public-health risks.

Speakers at the public-comment portion — including parents, organizers, teenagers and members of Green Teens RVA — described recent service disruptions and extreme weather events and urged the board to set clear emissions and resilience goals and to fund implementation.

"Local governments like Henrico can and must lead," said Beth Credadas, a Fairfield District resident, noting that local policies can protect public safety and public health as climate impacts grow.

Supporters asked the board to pursue a range of measures, including a near-term emissions reduction target, a timetable for net-zero emissions, a fully funded Department of Sustainability, transitioning county operations to renewable energy, expanded transit and biking infrastructure, and programs for home energy efficiency and composting. Melissa Thomas, a community organizer with Mothers Out Front, summarized the requests offered by multiple speakers: a commitment to a 45% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030, net-zero by 2045, a funded sustainability office, county operations and public buildings on 100% renewable energy by 2028, and expanded EV and transit support.

Speakers also urged broad community participation in plan development. "The most successful climate plans are ones that are built with wide community participation and based on science and research," Credadas said. Young speakers from Green Teens RVA linked planning to equity, saying heat, flooding and power outages hit low-income families hardest and urging actions that protect vulnerable residents.

Board members responded directly during the meeting. Supervisor Rountree said, "I am in support of Henrico adopting a climate action plan," and noted the county already has a director of sustainability, Samantha Hudson, working on the issue. Rountree and other supervisors emphasized they have been gathering information and intend the plan to be community driven. "We are working on this and want to give you a quality, robust, intentional product that is crafted for Henrico County," she said.

Supervisor Nelson highlighted examples of county actions and private commitments, saying officials have obtained resources and planted trees while broader planning continues. "These are just small things. They are things," Nelson said, citing a commitment of funding from a private developer to support residential solar and a large tree-planting effort in county districts.

Advocates said the comprehensive-plan review offers an opportunity to embed stronger sustainability standards for development, protect water supplies, expand recycling and composting, and pursue federal and regional funding. Several speakers asked the board to coordinate with regional efforts, including PlanRVA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant work, while insisting Henrico adopt a local plan with enforceable steps.

The board did not take an immediate vote on a climate plan at the Feb. 25 meeting. Supervisors said they would continue information-gathering and community engagement before returning with more detailed proposals.

A longer-term schedule for drafting or adopting a plan was not announced at the meeting; supervisors asked residents to stay engaged as the county develops next steps.