Summary: Purse net fishing prohibited. Prohibitsfishing for menhaden with purse nets (i) in the Chesapeake Bay andits tributaries within one-half mile of mean low water and (ii) withinthree miles of the shoreline of Virginia Beach extending to the NorthCarolina border.

Summary: Management of menhaden. Requires the VirginiaMarine Resources Commission to adopt regulations to implement theAtlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Fishery Management Planfor Atlantic Menhaden and authorizes the Commission to adopt regulations for managing the Commonwealth's menhaden fishery. The bill also requiresthat any moratorium on the fishery be subject to legislative review.The bill repeals several Code sections relating to quotas, allocationof allowable landings, and administrative procedures that will beincluded in a regulatory framework for managing the fishery.

Summary: Watershed discharge permits; review of allocations. Directs the State Water Control Board to incorporate into the general permit procedures by which it will, every 10 years beginning in 2020, (i) review load allocations to determine whether changes in the use of a facility have halted or reduced nutrient discharges and (ii) determine, prior to reissuing the general permit, the need for reallocations based on a variety of factors, including changes in treatment technologies and land use.

Summary: Oyster ground lease; certain dredging projects. Provides that certain oyster ground leaseholders in the Lynnhaven River are subject to the conduct of approved municipal dredging projects to restore existing navigation channels. The bill limits such projects to oyster grounds that are condemned, restricted, or otherwise nonproductive, and it requires the locality to compensate the lessee for the use of the ground. The bill directs that if the parties cannot agree on a compensation amount, a court of competent jurisdiction shall determine the value of the ground. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2019. This bill is identical to SB 1143.

Summary: State Water Control Board; stormwater management programs; regulations; professional license. Directs the State Water Control Board to adopt regulations requiring that all final plan elements, specifications, or calculations whose preparation requires a license in engineering, architecture, soil science, or a related profession be signed and sealed by a licensed professional. The bill requires the regulations to be effective no later than July 1, 2018, and exempts them from certain provisions of the Administrative Process Act. This bill is identical to SB 1127.

Summary: Marine Resources Commission; oyster planting grounds; notice of application for lease. Requires the Marine Resources Commission (the Commission) to post notice of an application to lease oyster planting grounds for 30 days on its website and to notify by mail any current holders of adjoining leases, and riparian owners within 200 feet of the selected grounds. Current law requires posting of notice at the local courthouse for 60 days. The bill (i) reduces from four weeks to two weeks the period during which the Commission is required to publish weekly notice of the application in a newspaper and (ii) requires all forms of notice to invite written comments. The bill also provides that the applicant shall bear the cost of notice.

Summary: Riparian planting grounds lease; eligibility. Reduces from 205 feet to 105 feet the minimum low-water shore front that makes the landowner eligible to apply for riparian planting grounds assignment by the Commissioner of the Marine Resources Commission.

Summary: Hurricane and Flooding Risk Reduction Act of2017. Establishes the Commonwealth as a Nonfederal Sponsor ofHurricane and Flooding Risk Reduction Projects. The bill also establishesthe Virginia Hurricane and Flooding Risk Reduction Authority, a Boardof Directors for that Authority, and a Governor's Advisory Commissionon Hurricane and Flooding Risk Reduction.