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Monday, June 1, 2020

"Virginia Clean Economy Act"

The "VCEA" includes 
one of the largest energy 
storage targets in the 
country at 2.4 GW by 2035.

VCEA requires Virginia’s 
electric utilities and 
competitive suppliers
 to generate electricity 
from 100% renewable 
energy by 2050, 
passed on the same day 
that Dominion Energy, 
the state’s largest utility, 
announced its goal 
of achieving net-zero 
emissions by 2050.

The Virginia Clean 
Economy Act passed 
as House Bill 1526 
and Senate Bill 85. 

The Act incorporates 
clean energy directions 
that the Governor 
issued in Executive
 Order Forty-Three 
in September 2019.

The Act establishes 
a carbon dioxide 
cap-and-trade program 
to reduce emissions 
from power plants, 
in compliance with 
the Regional Greenhouse 
Gas Initiative (RGGI). 

The Department of 
Environmental Quality 
will establish and operate 
an auction program 
to sell allowances 
into a market-based 
trading program.
Carbon dioxide 
has been deemed 
a pollutant.

The legislation prevents 
the Virginia State 
Corporation Commission 
from approving 
“any investor-owned utility 
to own, operate, or construct 
any electric generating unit 
that emits carbon as 
a byproduct of combusting 
fuel to generate electricity” 
until the state legislature 
has had a chance to review 
a report from the Air 
Pollution Control Board. 

There are escape clauses 
allowing fossil-fuel energy
just in case the 100% 
carbon-free dream
fails in the real world.

Dominion Virginia Power 
now says it may need 
to import energy from 
pollution-intensive sources 
out of state, even though 
nuclear power is part of 
the permitted energy mix.  

Get ready for acres of 
environmentally destructive 
solar panel installations 
which will fail to meet 
energy demand in the 
midst of winter, while 
decimating native habitat 
and leaching toxic 
chemicals into the soil.  

Trust that the air-conditioner 
will work during a summer lull 
in ocean breezes when those 
European-built, experimental 
offshore wind turbines 
produce little electricity.  

Trust that the Atlantic 
hurricane season does no
t cause them to shut down 
in a self-preservation 
safety mode just when 
you need electric power.  

Trust that servicing 
those giga-windmills 
in a most hostile 
saltwater corrosive 
environment does 
not take them 
off-line too often.  

Trust that those 
envisioned giga-battery 
storage complexes, 
for when the sun 
doesn’t shine, and 
the wind doesn’t not
blow, can actually be built.  

Trust that the tons 
of rare earth minerals 
needed to build 
such batteries can be 
sourced, and that 
such battery installations 
do not become ticking
 fire and explosion 
environmental 
time bombs.  

Whatever the outcomes, 
Dominion can pass on 
these costs to their 
captive consumers. 

Virginia seems to be 
vying with California 
for the title of creator 
of the most destructive 
and unreliable energy 
policy at the highest 
cost to its citizens 
and industry.

The coronavirus economy 
caused California Governor
.Gavin Newsom to propose 
budget cuts include canceling 
billions of dollars in climate 
change spending.

Virginia’s green plans 
appear unchanged.

Expect needlessly 
increased energy 
costs for local 
governments 
and the public.

Natural gas and 
petroleum are at
 low prices, yet 
Virginia’s new 
energy plan 
has promised 
increased energy 
costs.

By the target date 
of 2045, the authors 
of this legislation 
will probably 
  (hopefully?)
be out of office 
and have no fear 
of facing the voters.



The Act establishes:

    Establishes renewable portfolio standards. 
The Act requires Dominion Energy Virginia to be 100 percent carbon-free by 2045 and Appalachian Power to be 100 percent carbon-free by 2050. It requires nearly all coal-fired plants to close by the end of 2024.

    Establishes energy efficiency standards. 
The Act declares energy efficiency pilot programs to be “in the public interest.” It creates a new program to reduce the energy burden for low-income customers, and it requires the Department of Social Services and the Department of Housing and Community Development to convene stakeholders to develop recommendations to implement this program. The Act sets an energy efficiency resource standard, requiring third party review of whether energy companies meet savings goals.

    Advances offshore wind. 
The Act provides that 5,200 megawatts of offshore wind generation is “in the public interest.” It requires Dominion Energy Virginia to prioritize hiring local workers from historically disadvantaged communities, to work with the Commonwealth to advance apprenticeship and job training and to include an environmental and fisheries mitigation plan.

    Advances solar and distributed generation. 

The Act establishes that 16,100 megawatts of solar and onshore wind is “in the public interest.” The law expands “net metering,” making it easier for rooftop solar to advance across Virginia. The new law requires Virginia’s largest energy companies to construct or acquire more than 3,100 megawatts of energy storage capacity.