As the 2025 General Assembly session closed Saturday night, 54 bills introduced by Loudoun representatives are heading to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk.
Over the next 30 days, Youngkin can either sign the bills into law, veto them, or send them back to the assembly with proposed amendments.
Energy Bills
Many of the proposed bills in January focused on the data center industry and transmission lines, but few survived the session.
Among those that died was a proposal by Sen. Russet Perry (D-31) to have the State Corporation Commission examine cost allocation among different utility customer classes with the goal to protect other ratepayers from costs related to data center demand. That failed to receive approval after being reviewed in a conference committee. Bills by Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D-32) and Del. JJ Singh (D-26) to have pilot projects established for to install high voltage transmission lines underground also failed to garner support. Bills by Del. Geary Higgins (R-30) that would require a public utility to demonstrate that using existing rights-of-way for high voltage transmission lines is not feasible before being constructed on greenfield and to provide 180-day notice to a locality’s governing body before building high voltage lines also failed to garner support.
Energy related bills that did make it through both houses included three by Del. David Reid (D-28). The first will allow large energy consumers to claim credits under the Accelerated Renewable Buyers Program by using battery energy storage system. Currently, the program provides credit for purchases of solar and wind energy to offset certain utility charges.
The second requires the SCC to consider requiring advanced conductor materials when reviewing applications for transmission lines greater then 138 kilovolts. Advanced conductor materials involve technology that allow more power to be transferred through the same number of cables that are typically used by utility companies.
Another bill by Reid makes several changes to the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing program to include allow lessees to apply for the program, rather than just property owners if they apply with certain conditions.
Education Bills
Five of Del. Atoosa Reaser’s (D-27) six education bills will be considered by Youngkin.
Read the full article: https://www.loudounnow.com/news/54-bills-from-loudoun-delegation-head-to-governor-s-desk/article_87f9a4f8-f383-11ef-ba90-c3163af85b39.html
