This is a test

We must stop investing in the use of fossil fuels, including development, infrastructure, and transport. Virginia absolutely must not waive environmental protections for land and water in any energy development, including industrial solar and wind. Virginia also must take advantage of any federal incentive programs to reduce energy consumption, including energy conservation programs that retrofit homes and businesses and encourage decentralized production (put solar arrays over parking lots, not where forests and agriculture were. 

Thank you for this opportunity to comment.

I would like to see statewide recycling programs implemented, EV chargers, solar programs, and other renewable/alternative energy and conservation programs established.  I also believe this goes hand in hand with changing generational thinking; it's important to start the education of these programs in elementary schools and tie together why it's important no matter your hobbies, socio-economic status, race, or religion.  One people, one earth.

I would like to have more clean, renewable energy, probably solar.

Sustainability is the only future I can imagine.

Less is more.

Let's start conserving---limiting our consumption, and resisting the bait of 'more'.

We need the infrastructure to start delivering clean affordable energy to Virginia. Wind, tidal, solar, geothermal...we've got it all, we just have to harness it. And to do that, we need the infrastucture in place.  We need to invest in other energy forms NOW, not in the sometime, and be ready when the oil and coal and gas run out.

Virginia should be setting a national standard for affordable, sustainable energy. 

It’s time to address the fact that Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are linked with greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.

We’re up against a climate emergency.  Our planet is on fire.  Virginia can and should lead the way towards a liveable future by investing in energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy sources like rooftop solar.

As our energy system changes, we need to ensure consumers, especially those already burdened by high energy expenses and the climate crisis, are not the ones footing a disproportionate amount of the bill - especially not those who already struggle to make ends meet.

We need to work toward an energy model that allows all Virginians to live comfortable and prosperous lives.  Sustainable energy is a critical part of achieving that objective.  There is no reason we cannot be the model other states seek to emulate.   

Hello all,

I would like to see more affordable energy options available for Virginians. We pay some of the highest bills in the nation and it increases stress on our communities and makes it even more difficult for folks for whom energy use is a large financial burden to get out of poverty. I hope whatever solutions we move forward with, we're thinking about folks who are paying a huge percentage of their income just to keep the lights on/their homes heated and cooled. In a similar vein, I hope we implement consumer protection with whatever energy solutions we come up with so ordinary Virginians aren't the ones who are having to pay extra for new/better forms of energy.

Lastly, I'm hoping we pursue renewable, clean energy solutions. Energy efficiency helps everyone and helps us meet our climate goals.

Thanks,

Helen in Charlottesville VA

• AFFORDABLE ENERGY: It’s time to address the fact that Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are linked with greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.
• CLEAN ENERGY: We’re up against a climate emergency, but Virginia can lead the way towards a liveable future by investing in energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy sources like rooftop solar. We need to get to reduce our carbon intensity and get to Net Zero at the earliest. No goal is ambitious enough, the time to address these problems was yesterday.
• CONSUMER PROTECTION: As our energy system changes, we need to ensure consumers, especially those already burdened by energy expenses and the climate crisis, are not the ones footing the bill. 

It is incredibly important to me to provide my daughter and granddaughter with clean energy solutions as soon as possible. I do believe it can be done affordable, especially in the long view. It is critical to all our future health!

We need more solar & wind power, and ability to prevent weather related outages.

We have a beautiful state and many clean energy resources.  We have wind resources on our Eastern Coast and lots of sun in our Piedmont area. We also have a power grid that is accessible and in good shape.  That should should make sustainable, renewable energy affordable for all of us. We also have a nuclear power plant at North Anna that can provide backup energy when alternate resources are not able to provide enough energy.  

We are indeed a fortunate state in many ways - education, economic development, natural spaces for people to use for recreation.  These are made so by good, responsible government.   Virginia is beautiful and a good place to live and raise families.  Let's keep it going!

In preparing your comprehensive plan for Virginia's energy future, please put efficiency and lack of pollution as your highest priority.  Current inefficient energy generators need to be replaced by more efficient sources.  Dominion Power's monopoly needs to be regulated and restrained for the benefit of all others, and the extremely high energy costs relative to other jurisdictions need to be reduced, especially for low income residents and communities.

This is our moment to be free of the Dominion Energy monster monopoly. No more having them write our legislation. No more keeping our returns so they can "invest" in projects in the far distant future. No more fossil fuel reliance. Put teeth into our regulatory system.

Virginians need:

• Affordable energy, the price we pay for electricity today is too high.
• Clean energy, we must transition to 100% renewable energy... roof top solar and offshore wind are both good steps.
• Consumer orientation and protection.

I have lived in Virginia for a long time.  I see that both Maryland and the District of Columbia have made significantly more progress than Virginia with regards to Solar.   Even the energy company serving SW Virginia - Appalachian Power - has made more progress in allowing it's customers to have roof top solar.

Our power supplier - Dominion Energy - has continued to limit and discourage the amount of solar an individual may have.  The ways they do this is to charge an unreasonably high "minimum charge" on our electric bills thereby making rooftop solar less attractive, there is a cap on the amount of rooftop solar individuals in the state can collectively use.  Dominion Energy continues to restrict individual use of rooftop solar more than any power company in the DMV area.

Additionally, micro solar sources - Rooftop Solar or community Solar - will reduce the amount of power outages families experience during storms year round.  It will reduce the need for additional NEW power plant construction.  Thank you

Here are some of the things I hope to see in such a policy:

1)  AFFORDABLE ENERGY:  It is time to address the fact that Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation.  High energy burdens are linked with greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty.  Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.

2)  CLEAN ENERGY:  We’re up against a very real and very serious climate emergency, but Virginia can lead the way towards a liveable future by investing now in energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy sources like rooftop solar.

3)  CONSUMER PROTECTION:  As our energy system changes, we need to ensure consumers, especially those already burdened by energy expenses and the climate crisis, are not the ones footing the bill. 

It is important to me in this environmental crisis that the energy I consume be clean.  I appreciate your consideration.

Due to the ever increasing threats posed by climate change to our communities, this state, this nation and the world, it is time for Virginia to become a leader in using clean, affordable energy. Climate change is no longer a debatable topic, the facts are clear, our mission is set, we only need the determination and will to pursue the right course of action for our citizens. The time for excuses is over, now is the time for taking the correct path of progress using more affordable and clean sources of energy. We can no longer continue to knowingly and willing harm our environment. Clean air, clean water, clean energy are a must! This will take some time as we have done much damage, but to do nothing is not an option. Each day, do what we can to make our energy sources clean and affordable for all. Thank you.

• AFFORDABLE ENERGY: It’s time to address the fact that Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are linked with greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.
• CLEAN ENERGY: We’re up against a climate emergency, but Virginia can lead the way towards a liveable future by investing in energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy sources like rooftop solar.
• CONSUMER PROTECTION: As our energy system changes, we need to ensure consumers, especially those already burdened by energy expenses and the climate crisis, are not the ones footing the bill. 

It’s time to address the fact that Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are linked with greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.

I'd love to see Virginia embrace stronger regulation on its energy companies, and prevent them from padding out their budgets for capital improvements just to score excess profits that they don't ever end up giving back to ratepayers. At the very least, we need stronger clawback provisions for excess charges; at best, I'd love to see all utility capital improvement proposals tied to rate hike requests independently audited to ensure those costs aren't being inflated for the companies' benefit.

I'd also love to see a stronger push for renewable energy sources including wind and solar; an end to new leases for oil and gas in Virginia; a ban on new pipeline construction; a definite end date for using fossil fuels to generate power in Virginia; economic incentive plans to create green jobs and build alternative energy facilities on the site of closed-down coal mines (those folks deserve our thanks for keeping the lights on for decades, and we shouldn't throw them out of work if we can give them better jobs instead); tax credits and other incentives for homeowners and landlords to install rooftop solar and battery backups; and upgrades to our distribution grid to make it easier for people with solar panels to sell energy back to that grid.

Virginia should invest in renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar panels, geothermal power, and wind turbines. We should increase energy efficiency as much as possible.

Climate change is a big threat to Virginia. Global warming is melting ice on Greenland and Antarctica, causing the sea level to rise. NOAA predicts that the sea level might rise 9 to 11 feet at Sewells Point by 2100, while Virginia Beach is only 10 feet above sea level now and is currently sinking; the sea level is rising faster than can be controlled. Hampton Roads has the highest rate of sea level rise than anywhere else on the East Coast. The sea level rise amplifies storm surges, at the same time that climate change may increase the intensity of hurricanes. Climate change may also increase heat waves, droughts and wildfires, which could be devastating to Virginia’s agriculture and tourism industries.

Burning fossil fuels also causes air pollution, which has many harmful effects on human health. Polluted regions have more deaths from COVID and other respiratory illnesses. Pregnant women and their unborn babies are particularly vulnerable to air pollution; during pregnancy, the immune system is less able to clear away pollutants. Air pollution accumulates in the placenta, affects the baby’s cognitive development, and causes low birth rate, miscarriage, and illnesses such as heart problems.

For the sake of the environment and human health, we should reduce our use of fossil fuels as much as possible.

As Virginia Energy works to create an updated plan, I ask that clean energy be at the very top of the list. Consider rooftop solar, large solar installations, wind and whatever else gets Virginia on a clean, carbon free sustainable energy path. This is the most important thing our generation can do.

In any energy policy there needs to be a more accessible way for Virginians to get roof top solar.  We need more financial incentives so that consumers can afford it.  Policies should move us away from dirty energy and move us towards more clean energy.

We need to have lower energy rates as well as lower water bills and property and town taxes! We need to to have exemptions for senior citizens especially those on a fixed income such as pension , SSI  and public assistance, as well as the disabled! why are we paying town taxes in Charlotte County when there is absolutely nothing in the town, it is deserted with just 2 gas satations and a post office and a garbage dump that you have to drive to in order to dispose of your garbage!

Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians.

Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the nation. High energy burdens are greater health risks, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty moving out of poverty. Our energy future should include affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all Virginians. Get Dominion to change rates to be more fair. 

Virginia should be able to lead the way on clean energy.  We need to focus on rooftop solar, both on residences (like mine) and on big-box stores and parking lots.  Rooftop solar provides energy during the day when it is most needed, both for air conditioning and businesses.  We need to ensure that the grid can accommodate distributed electricity production.

Clean energy investments should fall not on taxpayers or consumers, but on energy providers, primarily the shareholders of electric utilitites.  In the end, their upfront costs will be offset by the free electricity that the sun and wind provide.  Apco makes feeble efforts to promote energy efficiency; instead they should finance building upgrades that make a real difference.

Virginia must deny any company that wants to build a crypto-currency "mine" in our commonwealth.  Their servers are outrageous consumers of enormous quantities of electricity.

Charging stations could be made available to residents of apartment buildings, to encourage use of electric vehicles.   But public transit and rail service are even more important.  Long-distance trucks should be put on rail.

Please wean us off coal as soon as possible. You have the knowhow to move to solar and wind power.

I would like the state to focus on renewable energy programs. 
That would include, distributed energy, and energy efficiency programs as well as investing in carbon disincentives such as a carbon tax for commercial consumers.

We’re up against a climate emergency, but Virginia can lead the way towards a liveable future by investing in energy efficiency and renewable and distributed energy sources like rooftop solar.  We should be doing what we can to offset all the extra air conditioning used during these hotter and hotter summers. Solar panels on homes across the state would do a lot to help with that.

There is no other alternative. Climate change is producing more severe weather events.  Rising sea levels and food insecurity.  We must act now as it will take years to stabilize the climate and create a more resilient planet

I encourage Virginian's to work toward clean and sustainable energy policys that fight climate change, commit us to renewable sources of energy, protect consumers from over powerful power conglomerates and create affordable options to meet our energy needs.

Its time for a safe energy future that protects the climate.   Time for a shift in our energy paradigm.

Thanks.

The 2022 Virginia Energy Plan should be focus on achieving the state's transition to renewable energy and a resilient energy infrastructure that protects consumers from wide fluctuations in prices and supplies and ensure stable and equitable access to energy to all Virginians. Key elements should:

• Emphasize energy efficiency gains as a key component of meeting energy goals through changes in building codes and statewide programs assisting residents and small businesses in reducing their energy consumption
• Prioritize assistance to low income and marginalized communities
• Allow consumers opportunities to choose renewable energy for their electricity consumption, including viable shared solar arrangements and direct choice for electricity supplies.
•  Reimagine the electric grid to accommodate the shift to electric HVAC and hot water systems, appliances, and vehicles and distributed, renewable energy production through use of microgrids, battery storage (including home and vehicle batteries), and demand management technologies   
• Maximize Virginia's participation in the programs, including consumer credits/rebates, included in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
• Include health, environmental, and economic benefits as part of the cost calculations for the Energy Plan, such as reduced mortality and morbidity from air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels and jobs creation

The Virginia Energy Plan is being considered at an opportune moment.  Climate change is an emergency that needs to be addressed.  Virginia customers pay high energy bills that should be reduced.  Congress has just enacted a new law that provides many incentives to adopt clean, efficient energy.  The new energy plan should take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new law to incentivize the transition to clean-lower-cost energy in Virginia.  

A carbon tax would be something to consider. "A price on Carbon it's fair, efficient, and effective" (cited from BP). We HAVE to switch to wind, solar, and water for all of our energy consumption needs. The engines that we use to run our world is not the problem. It's how we power the engines, gadgets and motors that is the issue. It is projected that wind and solar will become the cheapest form of energy very soon (Forbes). It would be already if oil, gas, and coal didn't have so many subsidies making them seem cheaper. This tells me that a productive and healthy Virginian economy can be an incredible byproduct of investing in and incentivizing renewable energy. Climate change is already causes catastrophes, but if we act now, we can mitigate how much damage will be inflicted within this century. 

Also, if this forum was more easily discovered by the residents of Virginia, you would have many more compelling comments in support of clean energy.

We must begin by ensuring our electrical energy grid is secure and reliable before going forward with more options.  Think it's wise to pursue renewables over time but still concentrate on maintaining a supply of readily available fuels to generate energy such as oil, gas and coal.  

The world continues to change in a way where relying on one type of energy is no longer dependable. Virginia needs to engage with solar, wind, and other sustainable clean energies. We can not continue to rely on gas and coal, as these methods continue to deplete and hurt the environment.

Strides need to be taken to make energy in Virginia affordable and equitable, ensuring lower income and under-privileged groups aren't footing the bill.

• Lower Cost of Living

Clean energy like solar, wind, and energy storage backed up by nuclear are the cheapest forms of energy available today. They are also protected from inflation and fluctuating fuel costs. Finally, carbon-free energy sources mitigate the effects of climate change - to continue pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is to invite further flooding and heat waves, which obviously have negative effects on cost and quality of living.

• Job Creation

Clean energy brings non-offshorable jobs to Virginia, like solar installers, electricians, and wind turbine manufacturing and shipping. These jobs are well-paying, blue-collar jobs that can't be offshored because at the end of the day, installing and building all the solar and wind farms requires people on site. These jobs are safe, environmentally friendly, and not hazardous to one's health or the health of the surrounding communities.

• Bringing People to Virginia

Clean energy is pollution free, promoting good air quality and reducing environmental hazards. Coupled with strong job growth, deregulated housing, and reduced energy costs, clean energy makes Virginia a great place to live and work.

• An “All-of-the-Above” Approach to Energy Policy

While different energy sources have different trade-offs, these trade-offs are well-known and well characterized. I would urge the Virginia Department of Energy to consider the cost curves of clean energy, which have presented compounding cost decreases year over year, and the obvious effects and implications of climate change, and that while not all energy sources are created the same, only some of them emit pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Supporting renewable energy sources

We owe this to our future. Economic stability and improvement, cleaner air and water, cheaper electric bills — what is the downside? The future is renewable energy, either Virginia can be a leader or can be a follower. Please help Virginia be a leader in renewable energy technology and generation and transmission.

With everyone wanting green energy, I can find very little information about Micro-Hydro set ups for homeowners who have streams / creeks / other sources of 24/7 running water on their land and no types of rebates for it. With all the creeks in the state I would think this would be a good source of green energy. I know that I would love to go this route if I could get / find help getting it set up.

I heartily agree that renewable energy is the way to go now. Nuclear power waste lasts

for so long, we can't possible protect the waste for that period of time.  Petroleum is a finite resource and must be saved for keeping machines working, not wasted on moving people from A to B and heating up the climate.  Oh, if only we could convince most people...

Climate related disasters are ravaging the entire world this summer.   The money lost in floods, fires, and crop failures is enormous.  The lives and livelihoods lost are incalculable.

it is time to get serious about reducing carbon emissions and supporting renewable sources.   Our children and grandchildren will not care about the cost of energy in 2022 if the world is inhabitable in 20 years.  All the predictions of the climate scientists are occurring now.  We have maybe 5 years to prevent irreversible damage to ecosystems that support human life.

We need more nuclear energy and an SCC who isn't neutered by the General Assembly to start holding VEPCO's feet to the fire. Requiring the taxpayers of Va to take 100% of the risk, pay for it, and allowing VEPCO to have all the profits is a govt. who doesn't run by, of or for we the people. 

The rapid relatively unfettered proliferation of solar farms in Virginia is resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of acres of forest and prime farmland, and ironically this is happening disproportionately in the poorest parts of the Commonwealth.  It is bad policy to encourage the solar lobby to cut down trees that store carbon in order to build solar farms to avoid the consumption of fossil energy. As a first step to a better policy, amend the VCEA to repeal the DEQ permit by rule requirement so each solar project has to withstand normal environmental reviews like every other construction project.  Instead, provide tax incentives to build solar farms in already developed commercial, industrial, and residential areas, including brownfields like old coal surface mines.  As another example, there are many thousands of acres of parking lots in shopping malls across the state.  These parking lots could be covered with solar panels to shade cars from summer heat and generate energy at the same time.

This is a relevant recent VCU study:https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/murp_capstone/41/

Battling climate change should be one of the primary objectives. While "environmental stewardship" is important and listed in the "All of the Above" objective, it does not convey the need to address the already present and growing threat of climate change.

An energy plan in the year 2022 should have a clear focus on present data and trends in employment and energy production, all of which point toward renewable energy sources as job creation engines and a means to transition away from fossil fuels. As energy technologies and our abilities to store energy improve, we must establish our state as a leader in the manufacture of renewable energy infrastructure and a place where citizens from across the nation come to retrain and seek employment.

Virginia's energy plan should be looking to successes like its growing number of off-shore wind turbines and new solar farms as drivers for our state's economy and the beginnings of a resilient, sustainable future for the Commonwealth. Additionally, such a plan should consider the policy successes of other states and countries when planning for challenges such as sea level rise and increasingly hotter temperatures throughout the year. Present and future generations of citizens in our state depend on an energy plan that carefully studies the future's challenges and meets them with strong public policy action. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Best,

   Miles Keller