WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, which protects the Commonwealth's natural resources by preserving and improving air quality, water quality, and water supply, as well as protecting the land, celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 1, 2018; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, the Department of Air Pollution Control, the Department of Waste Management, the State Water Control Board, and the Council on the Environment merged to form the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); and

WHEREAS, in addition to making the core functions of the former agencies—permitting, monitoring, inspections, and enforcement—more efficient, effective, and transparent, DEQ has provided a clear vision and strategic plans to achieve a cleaner environment; and

WHEREAS, DEQ has authorized $80 million in grants for stormwater best management practices construction, retrofits, and stream restoration; funded more than 1,000 Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund wastewater and stormwater projects; and signed 67 Water Quality Improvement Fund point source grants; and

WHEREAS, DEQ has upheld the federal Clean Air Act and helped decrease levels of fine particulate matter, carbon dioxide, and criteria pollutants from point sources, ultimately reducing air pollution in the Commonwealth by more than 50 percent; high-ozone days in the Commonwealth have been reduced by 96 percent, from a high of 108 days in 1998 to a record low of four days in 2017; and

WHEREAS, DEQ oversees the proper storage, treatment, and disposal of solid and hazardous waste and the improvement of landfill designs to make waste management sites safer for people and the environment; and

WHEREAS, DEQ also launched a statewide effort to identify leaking petroleum tanks that resulted in cleanups at more than 30,000 sites, conducts a statewide survey of illegal tire piles, and has cleaned up more than 1,200 such piles containing more than 23.6 million tires; and

WHEREAS, DEQ places a high emphasis on common pollution prevention measures like reuse and recycling; in 2016, the recycling rate in the Commonwealth was 42.6 percent, with most areas exceeding the statewide mandated recycling rate of 25 percent; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality hereby be commended on the occasion of its 25th anniversary in 2018; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for its critical work to preserve and safeguard the Commonwealth's valuable natural resources.