Bipartisan Bill Looks to End Va. Electric Monopolies
The bill was announced at a press conference by Del. Mark Keam (D–Vienna) and Del. Lee Ware (R–Powhatan) and endorsed by groups including the conservative R Street Institute and anti-poverty group Virginia Poverty Law Center. It’s the latest sign that Dominion will face tougher scrutiny from state lawmakers than it has in the past.
The bill proposed Tuesday is being backed by the Virginia Energy Reform Coalition, a group formed last year that includes both environmental organizations (Appalachian Voices, Clean Virginia and Piedmont Environmental Council) and right-leaning free market organizations (R Street Institute, Reason Foundation and Virginia Institute for Public Policy).
Devin Hartman, the director of energy and environmental policy at the R Street Institute, said the time is now for Virginia to embrace innovation.
“Virginia is shackled to a monopoly utility model that stifles innovation, increases costs and puts government in the difficult role of replacing competition,” he said. “It’s time for Virginia to liberate market forces, empower consumers and shift the role of government to facilitate competition. Competitive markets are the path to an innovative and consumer-friendly clean energy future. It’s time for Virginia to make the right choice.”