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Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin is sending mailers to voters that blame his Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe for raw sewage spilling into the James River.
According to a report from WTVR in 2020, 11 billion gallons of sewage were dumped into the James River between 2014 and 2018. The combined sewage overflow (CSO) system does not fall under the governor’s purview, however, with it being part of the City of Richmond’s infrastructure.
“Since Terry McAuliffe was governor, over 10 billion gallons of raw sewage and untreated wastewater have been dumped in the James River,” the mailer from the Youngkin campaign reads.
Members of the General Assembly passed legislation in 2020 that requires Richmond to upgrade its system to stop combined-sewage overflows by 2035. Officials in the Richmond Department of Public Utilities have said in the past that they are working on upgrading the system, but estimate it will cost half of a billion dollars to fix it.
The combined sewage and stormwater system overflows into the James River whenever Richmond receives an extended period of rain. The overflow events can be tracked in real-time on Open Street Map.
In Youngkin’s mailer, it says he has a realistic plan to clean up the river. “Only Glenn Youngkin’s day one plan includes funding to finally restore the health of the James River,” the mailer reads. However, Youngkin’s day one plan on his website does not mention anything related to protecting the James River from sewage overflows.
“This is another Trumpian conspiracy theory from Glenn Youngkin, who refuses to acknowledge the human impact on climate change,” said Renzo Olivari, a spokesperson for McAuliffe. “As Virginia’s 72d Governor Terry made real progress for Virginia in tackling climate change and protecting our environment. While Glenn has disparaged the United States’ efforts to fight climate change, Terry has a real plan to get Virginia to 100% clean energy by 2035.”
When asked if he believes in climate change and what his priorities to counteract it would be, the Youngkin campaign referred Virginia Scope to a clip from a recent town hall.
“We have a challenge from climate change, I know that,” Youngkin said during the town hall. He says Richmond has stonewalled against protecting the Hampton Roads from rising sea levels, noting he would start an independent committee that will raise funds for Hampton Roads to address rising sea levels.
Youngkin would not directly answer if he believes humans play a role in climate change, saying “we all live here and we actually have a climate challenge so I guess all living beings, all living things have some role.”
Youngkin and McAuliffe are locked into a tight race with only 12 days left until election day. A new poll released by Monmouth University Wednesday showed a 46-46 tie among registered voters.
Election day is Nov. 2.
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