Virginia Delegates Say State Should "Consider" Restructuring Electric Industry
October 15,2019
Jerrauld C. Jones and Lashrecse D. Aird, both Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates, recently penned an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for reforms in Virginia's energy policy, with the duo writing that the state should "consider" restructuring its energy market
The duo said that Virginia's energy bills, "are much higher than the national average."
"According to federal standards, about 75 percent of households in Virginia have an unaffordable energy burden," the duo wrote
The duo also noted the previously reported applications of various large customers (including Costco, Walmart, Kroger and Cox Communications) to take competitive electric supply via aggregation, due to competitive supply being cost advantageous versus utility supply
The duo wrote, "We ... need to reform our energy sector to stop the exploitation of Virginians and our businesses. The General Assembly must restore the SCC’s oversight authority to lower energy bills; pass legislation to increase energy efficiency and renewable-energy production; and seriously consider restructuring our energy market to remove barriers to entry, foster innovation and meet the demands of the 21st-century energy economy."