VEEP logo    
  Virginia Environmental Excellence Program
Newsletter
 September 2019
VEEP is a voluntary program run by DEQ.


 

 

  

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It's Pollution Prevention Week!
Thank you to all our VEEP members for what you do every day to keep pollutants out of our environment.  Below is a snapshot of what P2 efforts have done across the country. 
  
Applications are now being accepted for the 2020 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards!
GEEA
The Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards (GEEA) acknowledge successful and innovative programs and projects throughout the Commonwealth in the following categories:  sustainability ,  environmental project ,  land conservation and  implementation of the Virginia Outdoors Plan.  For more information, visit the   Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards website. 

Winners will be announced at the 31st Annual Environment Virginia Symposium at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Information on previous winners can be found on the  GEEA Award Winners page.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on December 5, 2019.
  
Choosing Green Cleaning Products
Prince William County's Department of Fire and Rescue won a 2019 Governor's Environmental Excellence Award for their Safer Chemicals pilot program.  Read the Choose Safer Chemicals case study to learn from their experience to develop your own program. 

The benefits of choosing green products include improving employee health and safety, protecting the environment, reducing costs and limiting regulatory requirements.
  
 
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced that it is opening the application period for the 2019 Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs. These programs are nationally competitive. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) application cycle will open on September 30, VDEM is leaning forward to provide additional time and technical assistance for application development.  

The type of projects eligible for PDM and FMA are identified below:

For more information on how to apply, visit the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants Program website or contact Debbie Messmer, Acting State Hazard Mitigation Officer at debbie.messmer@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 897-9975. 
  
Brownfields Program Grant Writing Boot Camp
 
If you are considering applying for an Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Program grant, take advantage of this training opportunity!  Join DEQ, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and EPA to learn valuable tips for developing a successful brownfields proposal.  

Date: Oct. 2, 2019
Time: 12:45 to 5 pm
Location: DEQ Blue Ridge Regional Office in Salem

The event is free to attend, but registration is required.  More information and registration is available online.
  
Governor Northam Signs Executive Order to Expand Access to Renewable Energy, Support Clean Energy Jobs of the Future
 
Executive Order 43 requires:
"the  Director of Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), in consultation  with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Secretary of Natural Resources, and the  Director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), shall develop a plan of  action to produce thirty percent of Virginia's electricity from renewable energy sources  by 2030 and one hundred percent of Virginia's electricity from carbon-free sources by  2050."
 
  
P2 in the News: