The Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources is formally titled the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, and the office is the Governor’s cabinet position responsible for environmental protection, wildlife management, land conservation, state parks, marine resources, and historic preservation across the Commonwealth. The post is currently held by David L. Bulova and oversees five state agencies plus the Chief Resilience Officer. If a decision in Virginia touches an air or water permit, a hunting or fishing license, a state park, a historic tax credit, a tidal wetland, or Chesapeake Bay cleanup, it runs through an agency this Secretary supervises.
What the Secretary Does
Every Governor’s Secretary draws a baseline of authority from Virginia Code § 2.2-200: resolving jurisdictional and policy conflicts between agencies within the secretariat, holding agency heads accountable for spending and program management, and directing a comprehensive budget for the whole portfolio.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 2.2-200 – Appointment of Governor’s Secretaries; General Powers; Severance When two agencies disagree about overlapping turf, or when a program’s money needs to be redirected, the Secretary is the one who decides.
Virginia Code § 2.2-215 creates this specific secretariat and names the agencies under it: the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Historic Resources, the Department of Wildlife Resources, the Marine Resources Commission, and the Chief Resilience Officer.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 2.2-215 – Position Established; Agencies for Which Responsible The Secretary also acts as Virginia’s point of contact with federal agencies like the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
One statutory duty sets this Secretary apart from the rest of the cabinet. Under § 2.2-218, the office coordinates the Watershed Implementation Plans that drive Virginia’s response to the EPA’s 2010 total maximum daily load limits for the Chesapeake Bay. Those plans have to be built with input from local officials, farmers, the seafood industry, and conservation groups, which is a reminder of how tightly state environmental policy is bound to Bay health.
The Agencies the Secretary Oversees
Department of Environmental Quality
DEQ is Virginia’s main regulator for air, water, and waste. It issues permits for industrial discharges, monitors pollution, and takes enforcement action. Civil penalties under Virginia Code § 10.1-1197.9 can run up to $32,500 per violation per day in court, with administrative orders capped at $100,000.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 10.1-1197.9 – Enforcement; Civil Penalties Businesses denied a permit can request a hearing within 30 days under Virginia’s Administrative Process Act.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 9VAC20-81-560 – Appeal of a Permit Denial
Department of Wildlife Resources
DWR manages fish and game populations and runs the hunting and fishing license system. A resident freshwater fishing license is $23 a year; a basic one-year resident hunting license is also $23, with a $100 sportsman’s license bundling several privileges together.5Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Fishing License Information and Fees6Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Hunting Licenses and Fees The department also runs Virginia’s cooperative work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, which requires the state to keep an “adequate and active” conservation program recertified by federal officials each year.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Section 6. Cooperation with the States
Department of Conservation and Recreation
DCR runs the state park system and administers land conservation programs. Most state parks charge a daily vehicle entrance fee of $5 to $10.8Department of Conservation and Recreation. Parking Fees for Virginia State Parks On the conservation side, DCR runs the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, which received a $16 million appropriation in fiscal year 2025 and has directed nearly $116.6 million toward protecting over 159,000 acres since fiscal year 2000.9Virginia General Assembly. Report of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation Fiscal Year 2025 DCR also handles federal grants including the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Recreational Trails Program.10Department of Conservation and Recreation. Land Conservation Programs
Marine Resources Commission
The Marine Resources Commission regulates saltwater fishing, shellfish harvesting, and Virginia’s tidal wetlands. It also controls the use of subaqueous land under tidal waters, so anyone building a dock or dredging a channel needs its sign-off. Commercial licensing covers the full range of the industry, from a $190 fisherman registration to a $444 nonresident commercial harvester fee.11Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Marine Resources Commission License Fees
Department of Historic Resources
DHR identifies and protects archaeological sites, historic structures, and cultural landscapes, and maintains the Virginia Landmarks Register. Its most financially significant program is the historic rehabilitation tax credit, which reimburses 25% of eligible rehabilitation expenses when work complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.12Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-339.2 – Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit The program has issued $1.7 billion in credits since it began.13Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits DHR also serves as Virginia’s State Historic Preservation Office, consulting with federal agencies under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act when federally funded projects could affect historic properties.14Environmental Protection Agency. National Historic Preservation Act Overview
The Chief Resilience Officer
Virginia Code § 2.2-220.5 places the Chief Resilience Officer under this Secretary and makes the role the Commonwealth’s primary coordinator for climate adaptation across urban, suburban, and rural areas. Every state agency must assist the officer on request.15Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 2.2-220.5 – Chief Resilience Officer of the Commonwealth
The job covers identifying areas most vulnerable to multi-hazard threats, giving technical assistance to local governments on resilience planning, coordinating with the Department of Emergency Management on hazard mitigation and recovery, and helping communities chase federal and state funding. The statute even lets the officer act as a non-federal sponsor for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood mitigation projects at a local government’s request. The most visible product so far is the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, which models current and future flood exposure, maps where high social vulnerability overlaps with flood risk, and inventories local programs and grant funding.16Department of Conservation and Recreation. Coastal Resilience Master Plan
Boards That Share the Power
Several citizen-led boards sit under the Secretary and hold real regulatory authority. The State Water Control Board sets water quality standards, issues discharge permits, and responds to public petitions to change its regulations.17Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code – Agency 25 State Water Control Board Agency Summary The Virginia Waste Management Board plays the parallel role for solid and hazardous waste, designating hazardous waste categories and distributing federal waste program funding. The Board of Conservation and Recreation advises on parkland acquisition and recreational facilities.
These boards hold public hearings before finalizing major decisions. That matters because environmental rulemaking in Virginia is not a single agency head acting alone; technical experts and ordinary residents both get formal input before rules take effect.
Keeping Virginia in Step With Federal Law
DEQ administers state versions of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and the EPA keeps real oversight power. If Virginia fails to submit an approvable State Implementation Plan under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can impose sanctions and ultimately issue a Federal Implementation Plan that overrides state decision-making.18US EPA. SIP Requirements in the Clean Air Act Avoiding that outcome is one of the Secretary’s quieter responsibilities.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also applies to every agency under the secretariat that receives federal money, barring practices in environmental programs that discriminate based on race, color, or national origin. Anyone who believes a permit or enforcement decision has a discriminatory impact can file an administrative complaint with the relevant federal agency. EPA guidance increasingly asks state permit writers to screen for disproportionate burdens on low-income communities and communities of color, though those screening tools remain advisory.
Federal money flows into the secretariat through several channels. States can apply for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants, with no state receiving more than 15% of the $1 billion pool.19FEMA. Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Years 2024-25 The Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, with projects subject to Davis-Bacon wage rules, American Iron and Steel provisions, and environmental review.
How Someone Gets the Job
The Governor appoints the Secretary, who takes an oath and starts immediately. If the General Assembly is in session at the time of appointment, it must confirm the pick during that session; otherwise, confirmation waits for the next one.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 2.2-200 – Appointment of Governor’s Secretaries; General Powers; Severance Under Virginia Code § 2.2-105, a rejected appointee cannot stay in office and cannot be reappointed during the recess that follows.
Once confirmed, the Secretary serves at the Governor’s pleasure for a term that tracks the Governor’s. The Governor can also direct priorities by executive order, which is how issues like climate resilience and Bay restoration rise and fall between administrations. Successful candidates typically bring deep backgrounds in environmental law, public administration, or conservation leadership, but the statute sets no formal qualifications beyond what the Governor and General Assembly accept.