KING GEORGE – Monday, Oct. 9, on the banks of the Potomac River at Caledon State Park, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters presented Senator Richard Stuart with 2017’s Legislative Leadership Award in recognition of his support of key conservation measures during this year’s General Assembly session.
“We simply would not have had the success we had in 2017 without Senator Stuart on our side. When push came to shove this session, Senator Stuart put conservation first, protecting clean water and doing the right thing for 28th District constituents’ public health and safety,” said Michael Town, Executive Director of Virginia LCV. “The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and protecting it shouldn’t be a partisan fight. With more leadership like Stuart’s we can ensure that clean water continues to come first in the commonwealth.”
Stuart patroned several of Virginia LCV’s priority bills this session, including a measure mandating upgrades to the City of Alexandria’s outdated sewer infrastructure that has for years sent millions of gallons of untreated pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. This was a legislative fight that went right down to the wire during the reconvened session in April, with the final version requiring Alexandria to bring its system into compliance by 2025.
The Senator’s support was also integral to the passage of legislation aimed at ensuring safe and responsible coal ash storage – an issue we fully anticipate revisiting during the 2018 legislative session – and the defeat of bills that would have allowed oil and gas companies to keep secret from the public the chemicals they use during fracking operations.
The 28th District Republican Senator’s district spans portions of Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Spotsylvania and Prince William counties. Stuart has served in the State Senate since 2008.