Report on the Virginia Legislature:

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Actions relating to Energy in 2007

Last update: 5 April 2007

Newspaper Articles and Editorials Relating to Legislation

Typically these are direct links to the original media sites. If those sites remove their documents all I can do is delete the links. Please inform me of broken links via e-mail (bottom of this page). Detailed information on the bills discussed in these articles can be found further down on this page.

• Virginia Considers Renewable Power Sources – Support for RPS Legislation Is a Stand for Clean Energy, by Jim Madden, Guest Columnist, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 17 January 2007.
• . . . But the Bill Would Achieve Little Benefit at Great Cost, by Rick Webb, Guest Columnist, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 17 January 2007.

If any of the following links fail just go to http://leg1.state.va.us/
and search for the specific bill number within the 2007 session.

Facility Siting Prior to Comp Plan Review

• SB 1351 Public utility facilities; approval procedures – Frank W. Wagner
  01/16/07 Senate: Presented and ordered printed 071417832
  01/16/07 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/05/07 Senate: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
  02/06/07 Senate: Committee substitute printed 070246832-S1
  02/06/07 Senate: Committee substitute agreed to 070246832-S1
  02/06/07 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1351S1
  02/06/07 Senate: Passed Senate (26-Y 11-N 3-A)
  02/06/07 Senate: Communicated to House
  02/08/07 House: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
  02/16/07 House: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (21-Y 1-N)
  02/16/07 House: Committee substitute printed 070289832-H1
  02/20/07 House: Committee substitute agreed to 070289832-H1
  02/20/07 House: Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB1351H1
  02/20/07 House: Passed House with substitute (97-Y 1-N)
  02/22/07 Senate: House substitute agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N 2-A)
  03/08/07 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1351ER)
  03/08/07 House: Signed by Speaker
  03/11/07 Senate: Signed by President
  03/23/07 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 801 (effective 7/01/07)
   
• The full text of SB1351ER as finally passed no longer impacts wind projects.
  My analysis of the evolution of this bill.
   

Renewable Portfolio Standards

• SB 1275 Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Conservation Fund – Mary Margaret Whipple
  Full text of SB 1275.
  01/10/07 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/07 070124844
  01/10/07 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/06/07 Senate: Left in Commerce and Labor
        I think this means it is dead for this session of the legislature.
  

RPS legislation puts the cart before the horse. The only means to meet much of the renewable goal is with wind energy. RPS will mandate the construction of wind turbines without first studying the environmental and social issues they raise and developing siting criteria for them. It is build first, study later legislation. I have prepared a position paper based on the 2007 proposal that develops these thoughts in more detail. The requirements for wind development are less than under the 2006 bill but they still exceed estimates of the available wind resources.

Another critique of SB 1275, by Rick Webb, appeared in The Richmond Times-Dispatch article noted above. Rick’s calculation of the number of turbines mandated by this bill produces a somewhat higher number than mine by choosing somewhat different initial conditions.

Following is the information for the 2006 version of SB 1275. The 2007 bill reduces the renewable target from 20% to 12%, pushes the compliance date out from 2016 to 2020, and includes an energy-efficiency clause. My analysis of the 2006 bill, published in February 2006, contained a data error that understated the number of wind turbines required.

• SB 278 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards – Mary Margaret Whipple
  01/10/06 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/13/06 Senate: Continued to 2007 in Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N)

Energy Policy Act of 2006

• SB 1152 Energy Policy Act of 2006; appropriations for certain funds – Frank W. Wagner
  01/10/07 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  01/22/07 Senate: Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N)
  01/24/07 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
  01/25/07 Senate: Read second time and engrossed
  01/26/07 Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N)
  01/26/07 Senate: Communicated to House
  02/06/07 House: Placed on Calendar
  02/06/07 House: Read first time
  02/06/07 House: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/15/07 House: Reported from Commerce and Labor (19-Y 1-N)
  02/20/07 House: Passed House (98-Y 0-N)
  03/07/07 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1152ER)
  03/07/07 House: Signed by Speaker
  03/08/07 Senate: Signed by President
  03/23/07 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 789 (effective 7/1/07)

Electric Utilities Regulation

• SB 1416 SB 1416 Electric utilities; advances scheduled expiration of capped rate period. – Thomas K. Norment, Jr.
  01/19/07 Senate: Presented and ordered printed 076542780
  01/19/07 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/05/07 Senate: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
  02/06/07 Senate: Committee substitute printed 070281780-S1
  02/06/07 Senate: Committee substitute agreed to 070281780-S1
  02/06/07 Senate: Amendment by Senator Watkins agreed to
  02/06/07 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute with amendment SB1416ES1
  02/06/07 Senate: Passed Senate (37-Y 2-N 1-A)
  02/06/07 Senate: Communicated to House
  02/06/07 Senate: Printed as engrossed 070281780-ES1
  02/08/07 House: Placed on Calendar
  02/08/07 House: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
  02/19/07 House: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (18-Y 4-N)
  02/21/07 House: Committee substitute agreed to 070300780-H1
  02/21/07 House: Passed House with substitute (82-Y 16-N)
  02/22/07 Senate: House substitute agreed to by Senate (35-Y 3-N 1-A)
  03/12/07 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1416ER)
  03/12/07 Senate: Signed by President
  03/13/07 House: Signed by Speaker
  03/26/07 Senate: Governor’s recommendation received by Senate
  04/04/07 Senate: Senate concurred in Governor’s recommendation (37-Y 2-N 1-A)
  04/04/07 House: House concurred in Governor’s recommendation (83-Y 15-N)
  04/04/07 Governor: Governor’s recommendation adopted
  04/04/07 House: VOTE: ADOPTION (83-Y 15-N)
  04/04/07 Senate: Reenrolled bill text (SB1416ER2)

Energy Conservation and Resources

Complete list of bills relating to Energy Conservation and Resources in the 2007 Legislature.

John R. Sweet, Mustoe, VA

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