Conservatives for Clean Energy Virginia (CCE-VA) once again made its presence known in the halls of the Virginia General Assembly, advocating for a balanced and forward-thinking approach to energy policy. However, this legislative session stood apart from previous ones as it unfolded against the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial election. With Republicans and Democrats vying for control of Richmond, it has become increasingly clear that energy policy will be a defining issue in the race.
A wide range of critical energy topics took center stage throughout the session. Lawmakers discussed the various facets of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, created a virtual power plant pilot program, and expanded the role of distributed generation in Virginia’s energy landscape. The conversation also extended to the future of nuclear and fusion power, expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure, ongoing debate surrounding retail energy choice legislation, and the intersection of land use policies and solar energy development.
In addition to hosting our annual legislative reception in January, which included numerous public officials and stakeholder organizations and representatives, CCE Virginia was directly engaged in the legislative process throughout the session. We held countless meetings with General Assembly members, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Energy, testified in committee hearings, and authored letters in support of key legislation.
As the 2025 election approaches, energy policy will undoubtedly remain at the forefront of legislative and policy priorities, shaping the future of Virginia’s energy landscape for years to come as the Commonwealth has become one the most sought-after states for business in part due to an energy policy that seeks affordable, reliable and increasing clean energy.
Conservatives for Clean Energy Virginia supported the following legislation with a broad coalition of support from stakeholders.
Successful Legislation
- HB 1779 /SB 1338 Carbon-free energy or clean energy; definition of fusion energy. This legislation added fusion energy to the list of generation sources that qualify as carbon-free or clean energy. It passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and is currently on the Governor’s Desk.
- HB 1791 Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund; established and created. This legislation creates the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund to assist private developers with non-utility costs for installing electric vehicle charging stations. It passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and is currently on the Governor’s Desk.
- HB 2037 Land development: solar canopies in surface parking areas. This legislation allows localities to include a provision requiring an applicant to install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas in its land development ordinances, which may help reduce demand for solar energy in other undeveloped areas.
- HB 2087 Electric utilities; electric vehicle charging stations; transportation electrification. Permits Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company to develop, own, maintain, and operate public-facing fast-charging stations, as defined in the bill, at or beyond a radial distance from privately owned fast-charging stations, which radial distance shall be determined by the Commission in a rulemaking proceeding initiated by June 1, 2027, with a final order entered no later than December 1, 2027. The bill repeals current law related to the recovery of costs associated with investment in transportation electrification on December 1, 2027, to coincide with such a final order.
- HB 2346/SB1100 Electric utilities; virtual power plant pilot program. This legislation requires Dominion Energy Virginia to petition the State Corporation Commission for approval to conduct a pilot program to evaluate methods to optimize demand through various technology applications, including establishing virtual power plants. The bill passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and is on the Governor’s Desk.
- HB2090 Multi-family shared solar program; minimum bill. Amends requirements for a shared solar facility for the multi-family shared solar program to include facilities located on the rooftop of a commercial building that shares a typical or adjacent substation of the investor-owned utility with the multi-family shared solar subscriber. The bill also adds requirements for the minimum bill for the multi-family shared solar program, requiring that a subscriber’s net bill not fall below the minimum bill and requiring that the calculation of a subscriber’s minimum bill be based on the number of kilowatt-hours billed by the utility. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission to initiate a proceeding by October 1, 2025, to establish the minimum bill and states that after such minimum bill is established, the administrative cost shall not be included in any multi-family shared solar program tariff. The bill passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and is on the Governor’s Desk.
Failed Legislation
- HB 118 Electric utilities; cost recovery for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Requires Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power, by May 1, 2025, to (i) file a proposal with the State Corporation Commission to design and deploy all electrical distribution infrastructure on the utility side of a customer’s meter for each customer installing separately metered infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging stations, other than those in single-family residences; (ii) file an application with the Commission to accelerate widespread transportation electrification across the Commonwealth in a manner designed to lower total ratepayer costs and that significantly contributes to meeting air quality standards and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a manner consistent with the objectives of the energy policy of the Commonwealth, as defined by relevant law; and (iii) submit to the Commission a proposal for a specific rate or set of rates for electricity supplied to commercial and industrial facilities used to charge electric vehicles that encourage electric vehicle charging and support the efficient off-peak utilization of the electric grid.
- HB 1672 Retail electric energy; renewable energy certificates. Requires competitive service providers, as defined in the bill, to serve 100 percent of their customers’ energy and capacity needs from electric generating units located within the PJM transmission region. Under the bill, a competitive service provider must ensure that 100 percent of its customers’ energy is either zero-carbon electricity or matched with zero-carbon electricity or renewable energy certificates. A certain percentage of a retail customer’s annual load must be matched with renewable energy certificates from within the PJM transmission region. The bill allows certain retail customers to be exempt from non-bypassable charges associated with the renewable energy portfolio standard. The bill also requires the State Corporation Commission to promulgate rules as necessary to ensure that the provisions of the bill do not create an unreasonable shifting of costs to nonparticipating customers and to ensure that in all integrated resource plans and cost recovery proceedings no incumbent electric utility is improperly incorporating the loads of retail electric customers into its forecasts or load projections. Sadly this bill was left in Labor and Commerce
- HB 2635 Va. Brownfield & Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund increases kilowatt of nameplate capacity. This legislation doubled the allowable incentive from the Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund for renewable energy projects located on brownfields. While the bill passed the House of Delegates unanimously, it unfortunately was defeated in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
- HB2528 Electric utilities; customer energy choice; customer return to service; subscription cap and queue. Among other things, this bill would have removed certain restrictions on the ability of individual retail customers of electric energy within the Commonwealth, regardless of customer class, to purchase electric energy matched 100 percent by renewable energy certificate
- HB2528 Electric utilities; customer energy choice; customer return to service; subscription cap and queue. Among other things, this bill would have removed certain restrictions on the ability of individual retail customers of electric energy within the Commonwealth, regardless of customer class, to purchase electric energy matched 100 percent by renewable energy certificates from any electric energy supplier licensed to sell retail electric energy within the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this legislation was tabled in the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
- HB2436 Electric utilities; retail customers return to service. This legislation would have changed from five years’ advance written notice to one year’s advance written notice, which is the requirement for a retail customer of electric energy to return to service by an incumbent electric utility. Unfortunately, the legislation was defeated in the House energy subcommittee.
- SB 902 Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program; deficiency payments. The bill would have removed provisions requiring deficiency payments by certain electric utilities that cannot meet the compliance obligation of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) program.