SUPPORT UTILITY AFFORDABILITY: TELL VIRGINIA’S HOUSE OF DELEGATES TO VOTE YES ON HB 839

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In Virginia, utility costs continue to rise, and families who are already struggling keep getting squeezed. Tell the Virginia House of Delegates to support Delegate Wilt’s bill, HB 839, which will ensure that tools are in place to make new utility projects the most affordable and best value for utility customers.

TWEET AT AND EMAIL THE HOUSE

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NOTE: We strongly encourage you to tweet at and email the delegates to ensure your message is heard!

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CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

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WHY IT MATTERS

When the legislature advanced the Commonwealth to a clean energy future, they chose not to deal fully with the existing issues around utility affordability for electric utility customers. While the policy changes did have protections for the lowest income utility customers from the necessary new project costs like the billions of dollars for off-shore wind, it lacked the requirement that related new project costs were the least-cost options to get us to the clean energy goals and didn’t address customers already being overcharged or paying for legacy projects that were already paid off. Worse, the program designed to help those struggling the most was made more restrictive last year at the request of utility companies and is not and will not be in place for another couple of years to help those who need the help now. Addressing those issues would have mitigated new costs for all utility customers.

The way we are moving through this transition isn’t working for Virginia families and their pocketbooks. HB 839 gives us the opportunity to ensure that going forward, new clean energy projects are the least cost to ensure reliability while meeting clean energy goals. It also gives the utility regulator, the State Corporation Commission, the ability to decide how customers are charged for the projects they approve to maximize affordability while the utilities have all projects costs covered and a fair profit return.

Affordability and ensuring that projects attain the goals towards a clean energy transition often get caught up in partisan politics as opposed to just being good policy. The current system isn’t working for everyday Virginians struggling to pay their utility bills now. HB 839 will ensure utility customers get the best value for the clean energy transition in a way that is as affordable as possible.

Learn more about utility rate adjustments and the role of the Virginia legislature here.