Tag: Dominion
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The Ohio Energy Bill Subsidy Virginia Would Copy
by Steve Haner Both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate have voted to increase the price of electricity to most Virginians in order to subsidize the bills of low-income utility customers. How much? They have no idea. But the program in Ohio being copied adds from $1 to $3.66 to the price of 1,000…
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SCC Raises Estimate of Clean Energy Bill Costs
By Steve Haner The State Corporation Commission staff popped up in a House of Delegates Committee Tuesday to provide another unwelcome lecture, with revised estimates on the likely cost to Dominion Energy Virginia customers of the pending omnibus clean energy legislation. The numbers it provided to the House Labor and Commerce Committee Tuesday afternoon were…
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With Friends Like These, Ratepayers in Big Trouble
By Steve Haner If your main concern is that people pay a fair price for electricity, the best outcome of Monday’s Senate Commerce and Labor Committee meeting would be approval of the bill changing the rules on Dominion Energy Virginia’s 2021 rate review, followed by defeat or delay of the highly touted Virginia Clean Energy…
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Net-Zero vs. Zero Carbon
by James A. Bacon The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an organization advocating market-based solutions to environmental issues, has taken a close look at Dominion Energy’s pledge to become a “net-zero” company by 2050. The Institute sees the company’s commitment as a positive step forward, but concludes there is less than meets the eye. Dominion’s net-zero…
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Is Carbon Capture Technology Scalable?
by Jane Twitmyer When talking about the future of Dominion Energy in a recent TV interview, Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell mentioned carbon sequestration as an approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as the company moves toward a “zero net” carbon energy mix. In the past, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) seemed to be going…
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Energy Omnibus II: It Doesn’t Shut Gas Plants
By Steve Haner Will all of Virginia’s existing fossil fuel electric power plants be closed under Governor Ralph Northam’s new clean energy transition legislation? As we continue our detailed examination of House Bill 1526 (with line references), the answers may surprise some. Not many of them. Not the natural gas plants. Dominion Energy Virginia has…
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Energy Omnibus: What it Does, How it Costs You
By Steve Haner The General Assembly adopted Governor Ralph Northam’s clean energy package Tuesday, with party-line votes in both the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate. Two House Democrats joined the Republicans in opposing the House version. House Bill 1526 and Senate Bill 851 appear identical but amendments were being adopted at the last minute.…
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Huge Dominion Pipeline Project Loses Partner
By Peter Galuszka The delayed Atlantic Coast Pipeline is undergoing a major change due to rising costs and legal delays – The Southern Company, based in Atlanta, is backing out of the project as an equity partner. According to an announcement late Tuesday, Dominion Energy will acquire The Southern Company’s 5% stake in the natural…
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Has Dominion Gone Full Climate-Change Warrior?
by James A. Bacon As the Democratic-dominated General Assembly considers legislation to transform Virginia’s electric grid, Dominion Energy has issued a statement setting a formal goal of achieving “net zero emissions” of carbon dioxide and methane by 2050. That’s not an easy thing to do for a company that hopes to expand its 14,000-mile natural…
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SCC: Clean Energy Conversion’s Customer Cost
By Steve Haner In the first ten years, Governor Ralph Northam’s signature zero carbon electricity legislation will add almost 20%, about $280 per year, to typical Dominion Energy Virginia residential bills. That was the low-ball estimate Sunday from a State Corporation Commission expert who quickly discovered that shooting the messenger is the normal General Assembly…
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A PIPP of an Idea: Electricity Transfer Payments
By Steve Haner Green energy advocates never tire of telling us that accomplishing their zero-carbon electricity supply will lower our costs. If so, why does their dream bill include a new income transfer entitlement program for low-income customers? It is called the Percentage of Income Payment Program with a handy acronym PIPP. It first appeared…
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The Energy Whirlwind: Here Finally are the Bills
The House Labor and Commerce Committee has now seen (sort of) and passed out two major revisions to Virginia’s energy policies, promising a new clean energy economy and demanding that the two dominant electric power providers reach 100% renewable status in a few decades. Delegate Richard Sullivan, D-Arlington, is patron of both House bills, which…
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Bill Changing Rate Rules on Dominion Advances
By Steve Haner As the energy whirlwind continues to spin at the General Assembly, changing the landscape the way a twister changes a trailer park, one proposal that should be a boon to Dominion Energy Virginia ratepayers passed a notable hurdle late Tuesday night. House Bill 1132, the chance for legislators to repent and make…
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The Growing Clout of Virginia’s Solar Lobby
by James A. Bacon It may be a while before the solar industry matches the clout of Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power, but it has come into its own as a lobbying and political player. The new reality hit me forcefully when the Virginia Solar for All Campaign issued a statement applauding the advance of…
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High Cost Detailed, Offshore Wind Support Fades
By Steve Haner Dominion Energy Virginia’s massive $7.8 billion offshore wind project received a tepid 5-4 endorsement late Thursday night in a House subcommittee, after legislators were told it would add $13 per month to typical residential bills starting in 2027. In stark contrast to a similar hearing in the Senate Wednesday, both the State…