Council’s unusual revote and restricted public comment draw accusations of exclusion and environmental injustice
CHESAPEAKE, VA — In a contentious and racially divided decision, the Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to approve a controversial rezoning request from Virginia Natural Gas (VNG), paving the way for a new compressor station 900 feet from several historically Black and working-class neighborhoods. Before the council meeting, dozens of Chesapeake residents and community advocacy groups rallied outside City Hall, holding signs and chanting demands for environmental justice. The demonstration brought together neighbors — including impacted residents, faith leaders, and civic league members — who all made clear their strong opposition to the proposed compressor station.
The council’s decision follows an unusual revote that was held to accommodate the applicant, VNG. This dramatic reversal overturned the council’s previous decision to reject the rezoning in June, when an overwhelming number of residents filled city chambers to voice their opposition, but VNG failed to appear. However, in a rare move, councilmembers brought the matter back for reconsideration, giving it a second public hearing and vote. Councilmembers changed the rules at this second hearing to limit public input in a way that favored VNG.
“Tuesday evening, the Chesapeake City Council demonstrated what injustice to communities of color looks and feels like: gut-wrenching,” said Lynn Godfrey, Environmental Justice Community Leader. “After voting to deny the rezoning just two weeks ago, they came back and betrayed the people in impacted communities, who showed up to standing-room-only capacity and expressed their valid and passionate concerns for their community and family to a cold council. However, three councilmembers stood with the community, the three and only Black councilmembers, King, Smith, and Ward, we say thank you.”
Residents and advocacy groups have condemned the council’s move to approve the rezoning as a blatant disregard of environmental justice for the community. Despite overwhelming public opposition and impassioned testimony from residents of Georgetown, Crestwood, and Eva Gardens, councilmembers advanced the VNG proposal. Community members argued to no avail that the compressor station will further burden their neighborhoods — already carrying disproportionate levels of industrial pollution — with even greater health and environmental risks.
“This vote sends a disturbing message: that the voices of Black and working-class residents can be ignored to make room for corporate agendas,” said Leianis Gunn, Hampton Roads Organizer at Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “We showed up and hotly spoke out against this project at every single hearing, and even had a short-lived victory. But when it mattered the most, the council silenced our voices to give a gas company another chance. We are disappointed by the council’s choice to prioritize the convenience of a gas company over the well-being of the people they were elected to serve.”
Adding to the controversy, councilmembers voted to suspend their usual procedures, capping discussions of agenda items at just one hour and drastically reducing the number of residents who were allowed to speak. Many were turned away without the opportunity to voice their concerns about the facility’s impacts on their health, safety, property values, and quality of life. Residents and civic leagues argue that this move further disenfranchised affected neighborhoods, calling into question the council’s commitment to environmental justice and meaningful public participation.
“We saw blatant racism, miscarriage of justice, a lack of humanity and compassion firsthand for the last hearing at the city council,” said Joseph Davis, Eva Gardens Civic League’s President. “The time constraint of an hour placed on the compressor station rezoning discussion left three-fourths of the speakers without an opportunity to voice their concerns. Many studies continue to show an increase in many respiratory, heart diseases, and cancers with a decrease in average life expectancy for all residents within a 1 – 2-mile radius of polluting facilities. This will place greater issues on current and pre-existing medical and health costs already in these communities, which are already strapped for resources for their families. This is poor leadership and a miscarriage of justice within our city council and elective officials, who are given the task to protect the welfare and morale of our citizens. We, the communities, prayer warriors, and advocates, must push on harder in this fight so our voices will be heard and not be silent for wrongdoers of the poor and the injustices of our health, communities, and democracy.”
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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.