Environment
Positive outlook
Benefits
- Facilitates coastal storm risk management infrastructure
- Supports flood resilience in a vulnerable urban area
Risks
- Potential localized disturbance to subaqueous ecosystems during construction
Phil Hernandez
HB 487 status: Introduced — Continued from last session (updated Jul 21, 2026).

Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
Earlier scoring method. Reanalyze to use the sector calculation.
Bill summary
State-owned bottomlands; Marine Resources Commission; conveyance of certain easements to City of Norfolk; Coastal Storm Risk Management Program. Allows the Marine Resources Commission to convey to the City of Norfolk, in locations acceptable to the Commission, permanent easement interests, temporary construction easements, and fee simple interests in subaqueous land that are necessary for the City’s Phase I drawings, defined in the bill, pursuant to quitclaims. The bill also allows the Commission to quitclaim to the City any interest that the Commonwealth may have in and to the property known as Newton Canal, a/k/a Mahone's Canal, a/k/a Brambleton Canal, which property is located within the boundaries of City of Norfolk GPIN 1437339770.
Modeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Positive outlook
Positive outlook
Mixed / Neutral
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Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Project entails potential long-term maintenance fiscal obligations for the City of Norfolk
!Analysis scope
Analysis based on abstract summary; full bill text not reviewed

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