SB 1190 (Deeds), as amended in committee, mandates that every locality, no later than July 1, 2029, shall incorporate into its comprehensive plan targets for energy production and energy efficiency based on regional energy plans that planning district commissions are now required to adopt. The regional energy plans must be adopted by January 1, 2027, and include targets for the development of energy efficiency, distributed generation solar energy, shared solar, utility-scale solar, onshore and offshore wind, and battery energy storage. These targets will be developed by the Virginia Department of Energy by July 1, 2026. The targets, in total, must meet the requirements of the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector by the middle of this century.
ACTION REQUIRED: Contact Members of the Senate of Virginia now to oppose SB 1190.
The bill passed the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee by a vote of 10 to 4. It is now headed to the Senate Floor.
The legislation also prohibits (1) a locality from adopting a comprehensive plan or ordinance that unreasonably restricts or prohibits the development of any renewable energy facility; and (2) a locality from denying any permit or special exception application for a renewable energy facility without a reasonable basis.
KEY POINTS
- Counties should not be required to amend their comprehensive plans to include targets for energy production, including utility-scale solar, which are in effect largescale power plants, many of which may have oversized footprints. For example, a solar facility with a generating capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) can occupy 1,000 acres or more of land.
- The state should not impose a vague and undefined standard, such as evaluating comprehensive plans, ordinances, and local land use decisions based on whether they deny or prohibit renewable energy facilities. Currently, no such standard exists in state law to challenge local governing bodies’ land use decisions.
KEY CONTACTS
VACo Contact: Joe Lerch, AICP