OP-ED: Fairfax Board To Vote On Abolishing Two Longstanding Environmental Advisory Groups

By Doug Britt

For more than half a century, the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) and the County's Tree Commission have been providing well informed, independent, and focused advice that has made Fairfax County's environment measurably better. The EQAC's detailed and comprehensive Annual Reports on the Environment are invaluable sources of information on the status of our natural resources, environmental attributes, and emerging challenges to our future environmental health. Since its inception, EQAC has formulated a multitude of useful recommendations for protecting and improving air and water quality, land use, waste management, and energy and climate policy, among many other topics. It also serves as a watchdog through its independent evaluations of how the County meets its regulatory requirements and internal environmental policies and goals. The Tree Commission, meanwhile, has spent 53 years focused on protecting and expanding our urban forest while offering practical expertise that has helped shape the Tree Conservation Ordinance and other key actions.

What Is The County Proposing?

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On August 25, the Board of Supervisors will vote on dissolving both the Tree Commission and the EQAC — 53 years of tree advocacy and 54 years as the county's environmental watchdog, replaced by one combined "Environmental Commission." County staff say consolidation would save about 600 staff hours and roughly $20,000 in meeting-planning costs. But these advisory groups help guide billions of dollars in land-use decisions, infrastructure, stormwater management, and climate-related investments over time. Saving $20,000 by weakening independent oversight is not in the best interest of our community; moreover, decades of experience, continuity of collected data, and community trust will be potentially jeopardized by the dissolution of these two advisory groups.

Currently there are a combined 30 member seats in the two organizations proposed to be abolished. They would be replaced by 15 new members of the Environmental Commission: one will be appointed by each County Supervisor, plus two At Large positions and 2 student positions. No detailed qualifications for candidates have been made public, and there is no certainty that any existing advisory group members will be retained. But the proposed new Commission will have at least one seat reserved for someone with forestry or natural resources expertise.

What's At Stake?

1. The potential end of the EQAC Annual Report on the Environment would be a big setback. This report has captured years of environmental data showing environmental trends and has tracked progress regarding the effectiveness of County programs and policies aimed at protecting, mitigating, and/or restoring the environment. If there is no requirement in the new Commission's bylaws to continue producing this particular report, or to track progress on recommendations made in past EQAC reports, then this would be a terrible loss of information for the County (and for Reston).
2. An entirely new Commission membership may break the continuity of operations established by EQAC's history in which there has always been some long-standing Council members who were familiar with key County staff members and who had developed institutional knowledge regarding past programs and policies and how they evolved - and were available to help educate and bring up to speed new members transitioning on to EQAC. Periodically bringing new members into an advisory group is always a good idea, but totally dissolving EQAC could create a lost year or more of productivity and a total loss of past lessons learned.
3. Reston's iconic tree canopies covering much of its residential as well as natural areas are often cited as to why people move here. Our trees have anchored Reston as a certified American Tree City and contribute to our international recognition as one of the world's Biophilic Communities. In recent years, however, residents in Reston and across Fairfax County have grown increasingly concerned about the loss of mature trees. Causes include plant pathogens and invasive insects, deer overbrowsing, climate change-driven flash droughts and heavier rainstorms, and development and redevelopment projects. Mechanical tree removal along Route 7 and the W&OD Trail has further raised public concern, confusion, and frustration about how the Tree Conservation Ordinance is implemented and what the county's tree-preservation rules require. In this context, the appropriate response is to strengthen the Tree Commission's ability to advise the Board and educate the public—not to dissolve it. Today's Tree Commission is made up of multiple members having expertise in urban forestry and a fundamental understanding of the county's ordinance. Moving from a body centered on tree expertise to a single seat on a Commission is not a consolidation; it is a downgrading of attention to trees.
4. EQAC is not just another advisory group; it is a longstanding, independent environmental watchdog. Its annual Reports on the Environment and presentations to the Board of Supervisors are a recognized public touchpoint for accountability. Residents, civic associations, and environmental groups know where to go and whom to watch when they want to understand how Fairfax County is doing on air, water, land use, and climate. The independent, visible, and trusted oversight that EQAC presented may be diluted in the transition to a new Commission. At a time when people are asking for more transparency and clearer environmental accountability, dissolving the body known for its watchdog function sends exactly the wrong signal.

What Can We Do?

You can urge your District Supervisor and the Board of Supervisor Chair to vote no on dissolving the EQAC and the Tree Commission, and to commit instead to a more participatory, transparent, and expertdriven process for any changes they may believe are needed. You may also wish to speak on this issue at the Aug. 25 public hearing.

Doug Britt helped obtain Reston's acceptance into the Biophilic Cities Network, and served as chairman of Reston Association's Environmental Advisory Committee. He also served on the Fairfax County Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan Task Force.