Senate Committee Advances Conservationists, Leases, And Law Changes

A busy Senate meeting Thursday ended with the unopposed advancement of two nominations to environmental conservation posts, a maritime industry scholarship, changes to unemployment benefits, leases for agriculture, cultural heritage, and St. Thomas Rescue, and a proposed law specifically outlawing so-called revenge porn. All the bills were sent to the full Senate for a final vote after Rules and Judiciary Committee approval.

Carlos Robles and Nathaniel Olive, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s nominees to the Virgin Islands Conservation District Board, told the committee of their advocacy on behalf of the Virgin Islands’ natural resources. Protecting reefs and farmland starts with a general understanding of the natural environment’s importance, they said. Properly maintained soil, trees, and thoughtful land use lead to adequate groundwater — facts that both industrial site managers and individual homeowners should take to heart, they said. It’s also vital to combat the forces of climate change — rain storms, drought, and more.

Both positions on the board are unpaid.

Olive, the Frederiksted-based president of the Virgin Islands Farmers Alliance with a Ph.D. in education, said he approached farming as a “productive tool for regenerative conservation.” He hoped to teach both adults and the next generation of Virgin Islanders about the real-world importance of conservation-related decisions.