As a resident of Virginia, I provide the following comments on the development of the 2022 Virginia Energy Plan:

The full life cycle impact of renewable energy systems should be analyzed carefully before continuing down the current VCEA path.  If decarbonization is the goal, then what is the full carbon footprint of renewables?  Carbon footprint of batteries?  Material/mining required?  How many tons of carbon is being eliminated from the atmosphere and what is the projected impact on global temperatures? We should only promote and fund policies and technologies that justify the massive costs and environmental impacts. 

Don’t offshore our carbon footprint and environmental disasters to third world countries!  We can’t look the other way.  Where will used panels end up - in India or China.  Just because the federal govt is providing tax credits to these solar developers doesn’t mean that Virginia has to go along.  “Clean energy” isn’t clean.

To ensure grid stability, limit renewables to no more than 15-20%.  Look at what has happened in California the last three years with brownouts and blackouts as they retire nuclear and fossil fuel plants and then are desperate to import fossil based dispatchable energy from other states during heat waves.  

Natural gas and nuclear offer the best chance for a real reduction in our carbon footprint. 

Utility solar projects should only be sited on brownfields and other industrial sites.  Promoting technologies that permanently transform millions of acres of Virginia’s prime farm and forest land to industrial use is irresponsible.

Solar panel manufacturers should be required to offer a take back program for panels with a prohibition on landfilling them.

An all-of-the-above approach can begin immediately by directing Virginia Energy to stop the practice of arm-twisting local communities (begun during the previous administration under DMME) to dedicate thousands of acres of rural farm and forest land to utility solar.

Grid stability:  Be honest about the $$ required to modernize the grid for solar and wind.  Don’t pass on the costs to the taxpayers and/or ratepayers.  We are already paying for the massive federal tax credits provided to solar and wind developers.

Restore SCC oversight of Dominion.  Having the General Assembly oversee our utilities is a recipe for blackouts and large rate and tax increases.