The Virginia Clean Economy Act, narrowly passed by both chambers of the state legislature, sets one of the largest energy storage targets in the country at 2.4 GW by 2035 and pushes state regulators to devise a carbon dioxide cap and trade program that complies with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Solar growth from the Virginia Clean Economy Act could create 29,500 direct solar jobs in Virginia, and tens of thousands of indirect jobs, according to a new study released today by a coalition of rooftop and shared solar companies and advocates.
On June 26th, Governor Janet Mills signed new legislation to broaden customer access to net metering (known in Maine as net energy billing) and to promote distributed energy generation, including through competitive procurements for long-term contracts with the state’s transmission and distribution utilities.
Gov. Ralph Northam signed a budget barring Virginia from participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program encompassing power plants in nine Northeastern states.
The Green New Deal that some Democrats are now championing is unlike anything this country has ever done before. But scientists have been studying policies like these for decades. And their research can tell us a bit about what might happen if we pass this sweeping new vision for climate action and economic equality.
The Green New Deal means different things to different people. In some ways, that’s part of its appeal. On the other hand, a Green New Deal can’t mean anything anyone wants it to, or it will come to mean nothing at all.