Administrator Zeldin Wraps Swing Through Virginia, Emphasizing Importance of Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Ensuring Key Partners Lead in Innovative Technology to Protect the Environment and Grow the Economy
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin made five stops throughout Virginia, joined by Members of Congress, state-leading researchers, farmers, and others working to deliver clean air, land and water to communities in Virginia and across America.
On Friday, July 24, 2026, Administrator Zeldin started the swing in Culpeper, VA, where he visited the R.S. Coleman Lumber Company, a family owned and operated business which has been producing top quality lumber and hardwoods since the 1940s. On the tour, Administrator Zeldin heard about the current challenges in domestic lumber production, and they discussed how EPA can continue to support the hardwood lumber industry through the agency’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative.
Administrator Zeldin then traveled to Charlottesville, VA, where he joined Congressman John McGuire (VA-05) in a visit to Edgehill Farm, a riparian forest buffer project site on private property within the James River watershed. The project showcases how EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office advances cooperative federalism in partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the James River Association to implement meaningful on-the-ground restoration to help protect Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
Next, the Administrator and Congressman McGuire visited Overhome Farm in Crozier, VA. Overhome Farm owner Ronnie Nuckols and his family have undertaken key conservation efforts to benefit the environmental quality of the farm and the connecting waterways of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The stop also demonstrated how President Trump’s Executive Order on Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience continues to assist farmers and ranchers through innovative conservation farming practices.
On Saturday, July 25, 2026, Administrator Zeldin was joined by Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) for a tour of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s (HRSD) Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Research Center in Suffolk, VA. Administrator Zeldin and Congresswoman Kiggans received an overview of HRSD's SWIFT Program, demonstrating how innovation, water reuse, groundwater replenishment, and partnerships can improve environmental outcomes while reducing costs for ratepayers.
On Sunday, July 26, 2026, Administrator Zeldin’s fifth and final stop included a tour of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), a top leader and agency partner in vital research efforts to preserve Chesapeake Bay. VIMS, located in Gloucester Point, VA, is one of the largest research institutions in the country solely focused on marine and coastal science. For over 40 years, VIMS has supported the Chesapeake Bay Program by conducting research on a variety of issues such as seagrass ecology, blue crab ecology, oyster restoration, and physical oceanography of the Bay. At the end of the stop, Administrator Zeldin, alongside EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey and Chesapeake Bay Program Office Director Dan Coogan, spoke to local media about the importance of advancing cooperative federalism with partners like VIMS to protect human health and the environment, and deliver clean air, land and water to communities across America.