The Clean Economy Act is a bill that will solidify Virginia's transition to 100% clean energy generation into law. If passed, this legislation will transform Virginia into a national leader on climate and renewable electricity. As with any bill of this scope and size, there are many justifiable questions regarding the details. One of the most important of which is: “Does this bill substantially move Virginia towards a clean and equitable future?” The answer is a definitive “Yes.” Though both chambers passed the legislation, the House of Delegates version is currently the stronger bill. Here are few of the unprecedented provisions the Clean Economy Act (HB 1526) aims to implement:
-
Create a legally binding mandate to retire all but two coal-fired power plants by 2024
-
Require biomass and oil plants to close by 2030, and all fracked-gas, waste-to-energy, and all other carbon emitting plants to shut down by 2045
-
Require the State Corporation Commission, the agency designed to regulate Virginia’s energy sector, to consider impact on public health and the environment ("the social cost") when evaluating approval for any new project
-
Suspend State Corporation Commission approval of any new fossil fuel plant until the Secretaries of Natural Resources and Commerce & Trade issue a report on how to achieve a 100% carbon-free transition by January 1, 2022 - effectively blocking all proposals of new fossil fuel plants for at least the next two years
-
Set in motion a robust expansion of solar and wind by replacing the voluntary renewable energy portfolio with a mandatory renewable energy standard
-
Establish and enforce specific energy-savings targets for utilities that can reduce electric costs for customers, with targeted benefits for low-income families, persons with disabilities, and veterans
-
Require the General Assembly to review the transition’s impact on vulnerable communities every year, ensuring that environmental justice communities do not shoulder a disproportionate burden of the shift to 100% carbon-free power
-
Require the commonwealth to consider/give preference to low-income areas, coal mining communities and historically economically disadvantaged communities when approving initiatives for new renewable projects, energy programs, job training, etc.
The Clean Economy Act is a comprehensive, meaningful bill that can put Virginia on the path to a clean and equitable energy future. State delegates and senators will continue to make changes to the bill as it goes through the legislative process, so the final elements remain in flux. This means that there is still time for Virginians to call on their representatives to pass the strongest possible climate legislation before the General Assembly Ends (you can send a message here btw).
It would be a mistake to think of this bill as a total solution to one of the greatest challenges of our time, but the Clean Economy Act can absolutely serve as a strong foundation Virginia can use to ditch our dependence on climate polluting fossil fuels. Without these baseline mechanisms in place, Virginia will be stuck at the starting line, unable to address the dirty power plants fueling the climate crisis as it grows more urgent every day. Grassroots activists and advocates that embody the climate movement have worked too hard and too long to allow our state representatives to punt on this issue once again.
Virginia has a long way to go before we can call our state a beacon of climate leadership. Dominion and other corporate polluters remain overly influential on the policy process. Their influence means that we all have an obligation to remind our lawmakers - this year and every year - that people and planet must always come before polluters’ profits. A brighter, cleaner future for all Virginias is possible. That future can only be achieved if we fight for it together.
Tim Cywinski is the communications coordinator of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter.