FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Cassady Craighill, Clean Virginia Communications Director
[email protected], 828-817-3328
February 6, 2020
BREAKING: House Committee Advances Bipartisan Fair Energy Bills Act
Legislation from Del. Jones, Del. Ware restores SCC authority before 2021 case
Richmond — In a 14-4 vote today, the House Labor and Commerce Committee passed the Fair Energy Bills Act, HB 1132, introduced by chief patron Democratic Delegate Jay Jones and chief co-patron Republican Delegate Lee Ware. The bill would restore the State Corporation Commission’s traditional regulatory authority to examine Dominion Energy’s earnings, set its allowed profit level, and direct the monopoly to lower rates and issue refunds if the SCC deems it has overcharged customers.
In response, Clean Virginia Executive Director Brennan Gilmore said,
“Every vote for the Fair Energy Bills Act brings us one step closer to tackling Virginia’s energy burden crisis. Virginians pay the 7th highest electric bills in the country, and for 75% of Virginia households, the amount of income they spend on electricity is unaffordable by federal standards. To make matters worse, Dominion Energy has overcharged Virginians by $1.3 billion since 2015.”
“It’s no secret that the General Assembly has eroded the traditional authority of the State Corporation Commission in recent years at the expense of customers. This important regulatory agency is the best defense to protect customers from being overcharged by Dominion Energy, but only if it is equipped to do its job.”
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