{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/2.2-234.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/2.2-234.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/2.2-234.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/2.2-234.html"}],"law_id":66327,"edition_id":1,"section_id":66327,"structure_id":16298,"section_number":"2.2-234","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2020, cc. 1212, 1257.","full_text":"For purposes of this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Community of color” means any geographically distinct area where the population of color, expressed as a percentage of the total population of such area, is higher than the population of color in the Commonwealth expressed as a percentage of the total population of the Commonwealth. However, if a community of color is composed primarily of one of the groups listed in the definition of “population of color,” the percentage population of such group in the Commonwealth shall be used instead of the percentage population of color in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Environment” means the natural, cultural, social, economic, and political assets or components of a community.\n\t\t“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, faith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement of any environmental law, regulation, or policy.\n\t\t“Environmental justice community” means any low-income community or community of color.\n\t\t“Fair treatment” means the equitable consideration of all people whereby no group of people bears a disproportionate share of any negative environmental consequence resulting from an industrial, governmental, or commercial operation, program, or policy.\n\t\t“Fenceline community” means an area that contains all or part of a low-income community or community of color and that presents an increased health risk to its residents due to its proximity to a major source of pollution.\n\t\t“Low income” means having an annual household income equal to or less than the greater of (i) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median income of the area in which the household is located, as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and (ii) 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.\n\t\t“Low-income community” means any census block group in which 30 percent or more of the population is composed of people with low income.\n\t\t“Meaningful involvement” means the requirements that (i) affected and vulnerable community residents have access and opportunities to participate in the full cycle of the decision-making process about a proposed activity that will affect their environment or health and (ii) decision makers will seek out and consider such participation, allowing the views and perspectives of community residents to shape and influence the decision.\n\t\t“Population of color” means a population of individuals who identify as belonging to one or more of the following groups: Black, African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, other non-white race, mixed race, Hispanic, Latino, or linguistically isolated.\n\t\t“State agency” means any agency, authority, institution, board, bureau, commission, council, or instrumentality of state government in the executive branch of government.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":240827,"text":"For purposes of this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Community of color” means any geographically distinct area where the population of color, expressed as a percentage of the total population of such area, is higher than the population of color in the Commonwealth expressed as a percentage of the total population of the Commonwealth. However, if a community of color is composed primarily of one of the groups listed in the definition of “population of color,” the percentage population of such group in the Commonwealth shall be used instead of the percentage population of color in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Environment” means the natural, cultural, social, economic, and political assets or components of a community.\n\t\t“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, faith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement of any environmental law, regulation, or policy.\n\t\t“Environmental justice community” means any low-income community or community of color.\n\t\t“Fair treatment” means the equitable consideration of all people whereby no group of people bears a disproportionate share of any negative environmental consequence resulting from an industrial, governmental, or commercial operation, program, or policy.\n\t\t“Fenceline community” means an area that contains all or part of a low-income community or community of color and that presents an increased health risk to its residents due to its proximity to a major source of pollution.\n\t\t“Low income” means having an annual household income equal to or less than the greater of (i) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median income of the area in which the household is located, as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and (ii) 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.\n\t\t“Low-income community” means any census block group in which 30 percent or more of the population is composed of people with low income.\n\t\t“Meaningful involvement” means the requirements that (i) affected and vulnerable community residents have access and opportunities to participate in the full cycle of the decision-making process about a proposed activity that will affect their environment or health and (ii) decision makers will seek out and consider such participation, allowing the views and perspectives of community residents to shape and influence the decision.\n\t\t“Population of color” means a population of individuals who identify as belonging to one or more of the following groups: Black, African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, other non-white race, mixed race, Hispanic, Latino, or linguistically isolated.\n\t\t“State agency” means any agency, authority, institution, board, bureau, commission, council, or instrumentality of state government in the executive branch of government.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16298,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Environmental Justice Act","identifier":"12","label":"article","depth":5,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13579,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:12:57","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:12:57","permalink":{"id":171669,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16298,"identifier":"12","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12","url":"\/2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13579,"edition_id":1,"name":"Governor's Secretaries","identifier":"2","label":"chapter","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13132,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:18","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:18","permalink":{"id":171625,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13579,"identifier":"2","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2","url":"\/2.2\/I\/A\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13132,"edition_id":1,"name":"Office of the Governor","identifier":"A","label":"part","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12784,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:19","date_modified":"2026-06-26 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03:43:51","permalink":{"id":171453,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12749,"identifier":"2.2","token":"2.2","url":"\/2.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":66327,"structure_id":16298,"section_number":"2.2-234","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/2.2-234\/","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/2.2-234","metadata":false},{"id":69934,"structure_id":16298,"section_number":"2.2-235","catch_line":"Policy regarding environmental justice","url":"\/2.2-235\/","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/2.2-235","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":69934,"structure_id":16298,"section_number":"2.2-235","catch_line":"Policy regarding environmental justice","url":"\/2.2-235\/","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/2.2-235","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/2.2-234\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2020. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 1212<\/a> and 1257<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":61044,"section_number":"10.1-104.6:1","catch_line":"ConserveVirginia program established","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-104.6_1\/"},{"id":84117,"section_number":"45.2-1706.1","catch_line":" Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy","order_by":null,"url":"\/45.2-1706.1\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":171671,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66327,"identifier":"2.2-234","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/2.2-234","url":"\/2.2-234\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/2.2-234\/","token":"2.2\/I\/A\/2\/12\/2.2-234","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 2.2-234","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

For purposes of this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Community of color<\/span>” means any geographically distinct area where the population of color<\/span>, expressed as a percentage of the total population of such area, is higher than the population of color<\/span> in the Commonwealth expressed as a percentage of the total population of the Commonwealth. However, if a community of color<\/span> is composed primarily of one of the groups listed in the definition of “population of color<\/span>,” the percentage population of such group in the Commonwealth shall be used instead of the percentage population of color<\/span> in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Environment<\/span>” means the natural, cultural, social, economic, and political assets<\/span> or components of a community.\n\t\t“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment<\/span> and meaningful involvement<\/span> of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, faith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement of any environmental law<\/span>, regulation, or policy.\n\t\t“Environmental justice community<\/span>” means any low-income community<\/span> or community of color<\/span>.\n\t\t“Fair treatment<\/span>” means the equitable<\/span> consideration of all people whereby no group of people bears a disproportionate share of any negative environmental consequence resulting from an industrial, governmental, or commercial operation, program, or policy.\n\t\t“Fenceline community<\/span>” means an area that contains all or part of a low-income community<\/span> or community of color<\/span> and that presents an increased health risk to its residents due to its proximity to a major source of pollution.\n\t\t“Low income<\/span>” means having an annual household income equal to or less than the greater of (i) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median income of the area in which the household is located, as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and (ii) 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.\n\t\t“Low-income community<\/span>” means any census block group in which 30 percent or more of the population is composed of people with low income<\/span>.\n\t\t“Meaningful involvement<\/span>” means the requirements that (i) affected and vulnerable community residents have access and opportunities to participate in the full cycle of the decision-making process about a proposed activity that will affect their environment<\/span> or health and (ii) decision makers will seek out and consider such participation, allowing the views and perspectives of community residents to shape and influence the decision.\n\t\t“Population of color<\/span>” means a population of individuals who identify as belonging to one or more of the following groups: Black, African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, other non-white race, mixed race, Hispanic, Latino, or linguistically isolated.\n\t\t“State agency<\/span>” means any agency, authority, institution, board, bureau, commission, council, or instrumentality of state government in the executive branch of government.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 2.2-234)\n\nFor purposes of this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Community of color” means any geographically distinct area where\nthe population of color, expressed as a percentage of the total population of\nsuch area, is higher than the population of color in the Commonwealth expressed\nas a percentage of the total population of the Commonwealth. However, if a\ncommunity of color is composed primarily of one of the groups listed in the\ndefinition of “population of color,” the percentage population of\nsuch group in the Commonwealth shall be used instead of the percentage\npopulation of color in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Environment” means the natural, cultural, social, economic, and\npolitical assets or components of a community.\n\t\t“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment and meaningful\ninvolvement of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income,\nfaith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement\nof any environmental law, regulation, or policy.\n\t\t“Environmental justice community” means any low-income community\nor community of color.\n\t\t“Fair treatment” means the equitable consideration of all people\nwhereby no group of people bears a disproportionate share of any negative\nenvironmental consequence resulting from an industrial, governmental, or\ncommercial operation, program, or policy.\n\t\t“Fenceline community” means an area that contains all or part of a\nlow-income community or community of color and that presents an increased health\nrisk to its residents due to its proximity to a major source of pollution.\n\t\t“Low income” means having an annual household income equal to or\nless than the greater of (i) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median income\nof the area in which the household is located, as reported by the Department of\nHousing and Urban Development, and (ii) 200 percent of the Federal Poverty\nLevel.\n\t\t“Low-income community” means any census block group in which 30\npercent or more of the population is composed of people with low income.\n\t\t“Meaningful involvement” means the requirements that (i) affected\nand vulnerable community residents have access and opportunities to participate\nin the full cycle of the decision-making process about a proposed activity that\nwill affect their environment or health and (ii) decision makers will seek out\nand consider such participation, allowing the views and perspectives of\ncommunity residents to shape and influence the decision.\n\t\t“Population of color” means a population of individuals who\nidentify as belonging to one or more of the following groups: Black, African\nAmerican, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, other non-white race, mixed\nrace, Hispanic, Latino, or linguistically isolated.\n\t\t“State agency” means any agency, authority, institution, board,\nbureau, commission, council, or instrumentality of state government in the\nexecutive branch of government.\n\nHISTORY: 2020, cc. 1212, 1257.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}