I’ve been advocating for conservation issues in the Virginia General Assembly for over a decade. Over the years I’ve been disappointed to see good ideas to promote clean energy go down the drain; remember our Clean Smokestacks legislation and attempts to deal with sea-level rise through the regional cap and trade program RGGI? I’ve also been shocked to witness the sheer power of Dominion Energy, which could magically change the position of my legislators overnight. What sounded great to them when we spoke in their office was something they voted “no” on in committee the next day.
That’s why I will not take contributions from Dominion Energy, not during my Simonds for Delegate campaign and not as a Delegate.
Last month I visited Richmond to advocate for Solar Freedom legislation which sought to repeal eight current laws that strangle the growth of solar power in Virginia. Once again, this progressive legislation could not get out of Republican dominated committee. My opponent for the House of Delegates did not vote in favor of the bill, instead he took a walk.
So with your donations, we will get a more progressive clean energy policy in Virginia by voting him out of office this November.
My pitch for Solar Freedom legislation is this: Virginia is falling behind surrounding states in wind and solar energy and we need to remove barriers to innovation in our State. We have allowed a regulatory environment that favors Dominion Energy and stifles alternative energy creation. The best way for us to create jobs, take pressure off our electric grid and help communities become more resilient in the face of sea-level rise, is to remove these restrictive laws and unleash the power of the people to generate solar energy in their communities through distributed solar markets.
Did you know that it is currently illegal for a municipality to generate solar power on a landfill and use that power in other city facilities to save taxpayer money? The same goes for schools, we can’t generate power on the roof of one school and have that power help other school buildings in the city. This is one of the barriers to progress the Solar Freedom Bills (HB2329 and SB1456) seek to eliminate. Dozens of municipalities and government organizations around the State have signed on to support this effort including small energy companies who want to invest in Virginia.
This week I was also disappointed that the General Assembly approved a new member of the State Corporation Commission (SCC) without proper discussion and debate. In so doing, we lost an opportunity to publicly stress the urgency and importance of adopting alternative energy in Virginia with the new commissioner.
We can add this to the list of things that would not have happened if Democrats had power sharing in the House of Delegates and if our last election had not come down to a game of chance.
The SCC over the past decade has favored traditional coal and gas generation over investments in solar energy. Only 86 megawatts of new utility solar generation has been approved in comparison with 74,000 megawatts of coal and gas. At the same time the SCC has rejected several proposals to purchase or construct solar and wind resources, according to a briefing by the Southern Environmental Law Center in a publication by the Virginia Conservation Network.
Let’s not forget, in addition to conservation, green energy is about improving the Virginia economy and creating 21st Century jobs. We don’t want to be left behind, clinging to coal, as the rest of the world advances and creates new investment opportunities for its citizens by producing alternative energy. This energy transformation will benefit our economy. We can transform our energy consumption into something sustainable to conserve the land and waterways in which our children and grandchildren will live, play and work. We just need the leadership to do it.
That’s why I’m running for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2019, to keep our focus on innovating toward the future. We have to push for change. We have to demand it, because it’s so much easier to stay stuck in the past and do what we’ve always done because moving forward can be painful. But at this moment – with climate change crashing down on our cities, coasts and flooding our doorways — it is urgent we do the right thing for future generations. And our laws and our utility regulation must reflect that.
