Update from the Virginia General Assembly

Attacks on the EPA escalate, and rate freezes don’t consider customers.

Virginia’s legislative session may be brief, but many bills with major implications for our future energy mix have already been acted on. Two weeks into this year’s session, here is a look at where our top issues stand and what you can do to fight fossil fuel interests and help advance energy efficiency, wind and solar power.

Rate freeze controversy heats up

It’s been in the news around the state: Dominion Power has enlisted the help of utility-friendly legislators, in particular Senator Wagner of Virginia Beach, in an effort to set part of the electric bill at a rate that would not change for eight years.

The legislative patron says his bill is necessary to keep customers from feeling bill increases due to the mythical high costs of compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon pollution standard. Attorney General Mark Herring, who is tasked with looking out for ratepayers, notes that the measure would actually prevent rebates of overcharges to customers.

Anyone familiar with the system in which Virginia’s investor-owned electric providers operate will be struck by the way this would remove State Corporation Commission oversight and, with it, Dominion’s accountability to customers. In another troubling wrinkle, if cost-effective clean energy resources such as energy efficiency are deployed over this time resulting in saved energy and Dominion over-earns on its rate of return then customers are deprived of the those savings. Despite opposition from many sides, the bill has passed out of subcommittee.

Attacks on Virginia potential to achieve large-scale carbon-free power

For reasons ranging from pure political grandstanding to reactions to a perceived federal overreach in state affairs, many legislators are taking part in the rush to apply tactics pioneered by the American Legislative Exchange Council and Americans for Prosperity to stymie the implementation of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan in Virginia. One strategy is to interrupt what would be a smooth process of the Department of Environmental Quality preparing and sending Virginia’s implementation plan to the EPA. Legislation of this type gives the General Assembly a middle-man role able to approve the plan, which effectively obstructs the process and robs the executive branch of its control.

Other ways of slowing or stopping the EPA’s efforts to limit carbon pollution and drive investment in clean energy are plentiful: from Senator Wagner’s proposition prohibiting action in response to the standards until 18 criticisms of the standards are rectified, studying whether the plan on the whole benefits Virginia at all before taking action, or giving the General Assembly power to do what the Attorney General has not done: sue the EPA on behalf of Virginia.

Common-sense steps to make solar accessible and affordable for more Virginians

The main piece of legislation to stop the free dumping into Virginia skies and move forward on clean energy while shoring up the resilience of our communities both inland and coastal, a bill known as the Virginia Coastal Protection Act, did not manage to get the support it needed this year to get out of committee. Still while we fight the bad bills listed above we also have a chance to make progress on several clean energy bills that will make a real difference in the economics and possibilities for solar energy. Several will be heard in subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 3, be there to support solutions like community solar, larger net metering, and more!

Protecting the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountain Region