Virginia: board considers regulatory reductions
In response to an Executive Order from the governor calling for a 25% reduction in regulations in Virginia, the Board of Professional Soil Scientists, Wetland Professionals, and Geologists has approved expanding the timeframe for when professional wetland delineator applicants need to take their certification test from within a one-year period to a three-year period. The board and the legislature are considering additional changes such as reducing the number of experience/education hours needed in research and removing the requirement that an applicant's reference be from a certified professional wetland delineator. The measures to reduce PWD regulations have been met with concern from the VA Association of Wetland Professionals, environmental non-profits, and environmental engineering firms.