Virginia General Assembly passes Del. Lopez’s bill updating nutrient credit regulations

A bill spearheaded by State Del. Alfonso H. Lopez, focused on widening nutrient credit usage while upholding water quality standards, passed both chambers, according to the Virginia State House.

The measure cleared the House with a 96-0 vote and the Senate with a 40-0 vote, with formal enrollment completed as of March 14, 2026.

Introduced as HB952 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, the state legislature summarized it as: “Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program; certain industrial stormwater permittees.”

Below is our summary based on the official bill text, featuring clarifications of its components.

The new legislation modifies Virginia’s nutrient credit system by offering more options for regulated parties to use credits to fulfill nitrogen and phosphorus waste load requirements, safeguarding local water quality standards. It permits municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit holders, certain construction stormwater permittees, confined animal feeding operations, and industrial stormwater or VPDES facilities to obtain, use, and trade nutrient credits, subject to specified criteria for timing, location, credit classification, and certification. It also authorizes MS4s to meet group allocations through joint compliance strategies, mandates public notification of compliance plans, and specifies that nutrient credit use does not diminish state authority to set higher effluent limitations to protect local water resources.

Within the House, 61 Democrats and 35 Republicans supported the legislation.

In the Senate, the bill gained approval from 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (Democrat-3rd District) and Del. Chris S. Runion (Republican-35th District) served as sponsors.

Lopez earned a BA from Vassar College in 1992 and a JD from Tulane University in 1995.

Lopez, a Democrat, was elected to represent Virginia’s 3rd House district in the State House in 2024, filling the seat previously held by Will Morefield.

In Virginia’s legislative process, a bill is introduced in either chamber, assigned to committees for review and possible changes, and, upon committee approval, taken up for debate and votes in both chambers. Once both pass a bill, it advances to the governor for signature, veto, or enactment without signature. The General Assembly meets annually in regular session beginning the second Monday of January, with lawmakers introducing hundreds of bills each year, though only some become law.

Information for this report comes from the Virginia State House. Access the source data here.