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Va Democrats Green Legislation List

Updated: 10 hours ago

Photo of the earth from space with text that reads "Earth Day 2026"

Earth Day Staunton 2026 is here and we want to highlight some of the many pieces of environmental legislation passed by the Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly this year.  There are too many legislative bills to list and explain here so this is a sampling.


Section Index


Solar Energy



Also known as "Balcony Solar", this bill allows consumers to buy portable plug-in solar panel systems to generate no more than 1200 watts of solar energy in order to offset some of their grid electrical usage.  These systems are popular and in widespread use in Germany and other countries.  Also, the bill prohibits utilities or localities from imposing interconnection requirements, charging any fee related to the device, or requiring that the customer obtain the utility's approval before installing or using the device.


More on balcony solar from the Volts podcast - What's the deal with balcony solar?


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Creates the Smart Solar Permitting Platform (the Platform) to serve as a tool for (i) contractors to obtain permits for the construction of streamline-eligible residential solar energy systems and (ii) localities to process applications for such permits.  These permit systems provide near instantaneous (compared to the current months long permitting delay) and internet base streamlined Solar installation permitting process.  Already well developed systems are in place and working very well in places like Australia, etc. 



Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Prevents local anti-solar officials from stopping approval of ground based solar installations of 1 megawatt or more unless there are defined special exceptions that have to be filled with the SCC.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



It makes sense to license a battery storage project on the same parcel as a solar farm without needing a separate permitting process.  This bill cuts red tape and improves grid resiliency.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Provides that any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires that an applicant must install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas. Let's cover that otherwise empty concrete with solar!  Further details in the bill.


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Solar News Coverage

Go to the Section Index


Electric Vehicles



Permits Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company to file an application with the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to provide utility owned and operated electrical distribution infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging stations. 


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


EV News Coverage


Go to the Section Index


Funding for Clean Energy Development


Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Go to the Section Index


Energy and Water Conservation Standards



For example, if the current federal administration tries to reduce clean water or conservation standards (allowing more pollution) then Virginia continues with the better standards to protect the environment.  

Provides that if any product or product categories under the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 are removed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy or the federal government, the Virginia Department of Energy shall adopt energy or water conservation standards that shall be equivalent to the last applicable federal standards with a product compliance date of on or before December 31, 2025. The bill prohibits any such new products from being sold, offered for sale, leased, or rented in the Commonwealth unless such products meet or exceed such standards.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Go to the Section Index


Environmental Justice



What is Environmental Justice?  According to the EPA website from 2020, Environmental Justice is defined as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, culture, national origin, income, and educational levels with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of protective environmental laws, regulations, and policies."  The current EPA website has no mention of Environmental Justice.


This bill requires the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to publish an updated version of the Environmental Justice in the Permitting Process Guidance Memo for public comment. The bill requires the updated memo to consider how to assess the cumulative impacts of the types of permits covered in the guidance memo and outreach strategies to engage communities impacted by any such permit.  



Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Requires cities with populations greater than 20,000 and counties with populations greater than 100,000 to consider, beginning July 1, 2026, at the next and all subsequent reviews of the comprehensive plan, adopting an environmental justice strategy.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Go to the Section Index


Data Centers



Prohibits the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality from issuing an air permit for any application submitted for a data center on or after July 1, 2026, unless the emission limit for each engine-generator, defined in the bill, established by such permit is equal to or less than the emissions achieved by a Tier 4 equivalent engine-generator.  

This bill restricts data center air pollution.


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Unregulated data centers can cause massive amounts of air, heat and noise pollution. 

This bill provides that, prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception application, or special use permit for the siting of a new high energy use facility (HEUF), as defined in the bill, a locality shall require that an applicant perform and submit a site assessment to examine the sound profile of the HEUF on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the HEUF property boundary. The bill also allows a locality to require that a site assessment examine the effect of the proposed facility on (i) ground and surface water resources, (ii) agricultural resources, (iii) parks, (iv) registered historic sites, and (v) forestland on the HEUF site or immediately contiguous land.  



Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Data centers create massive amounts of heat and it has to go somewhere.  Why not put that data center waste heat to good use to create electricity or for other purposes instead of dumping it into Virginia's waterways which threatens aquatic ecology ?  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Data Center News Coverage


Go to the Section Index


Utilities/Pollution



What is a Virtual Power Plant (VPP)?  A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of decentralized energy resources—such as home batteries, solar panels, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats—linked together by software to act as a single power plant. It aggregates this distributed power to support the grid during high demand, providing reliability without burning fuel.


Appalachian Power must develop a virtual power plant (VPP) program, following similar legislation last year for Dominion. Separate legislation authorizes VPP programs for electric cooperatives.


By July 1, 2028, localities must adopt streamlined permitting software for residential solar, which can be an existing platform like the national SolarAPP+ or a Virginia-specific platform to be developed by Virginia’s Department of Energy.


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



PFAS (AKA "forever chemicals") are chemicals originally developed in the 1940s and introduced to Teflon.  PFAS are used in a staggering array of consumer products and commercial applications. Decades of heavy use have resulted in contamination of water, soil and the blood of people and animals in the farthest corners of the world. PFAS are incredibly persistent, never breaking down in the environment and remaining in our bodies for years.


This bill requires waste monitoring and reporting of PFAS by certain new or industrial users.  More detail in the bill.


FYI, Ben Cline voted NO to supporting the health of Americans by voting NO against the PFAS Action Act of 2021 which helps to mitigate the use of and reduce the environmental concentrations of these potentially hazardous chemicals



Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



Provides that a public utility engaged in the business of furnishing water or sewerage facilities may propose and the State Corporation Commission may approve rates and tariff provisions that provide discounted service to customers with an annual household income equal to or less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. 


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



The bill increases the amount of battery energy storage for which Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power should strive to seek state approval by 2045.  Increasing battery storage, especially when combined with solar energy generation, increases power grid resiliency.


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



The bill would require Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to help some low-income residents who use oil and propane heat transition to energy-efficient electric heat pumps. 


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.



The bill would create a task force to study barriers to access for energy-efficiency and weatherization programs intended to help low-income residents. 


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Utilities Related News Coverage


Go to the Section Index


Tree Conservation



What is so important about trees?  It is well known that “urban forests” reduce air and water pollution, alter heating and cooling costs, increase real estate values, improve physical and mental health, strengthen social connections and are associated with reduced crime and increased active living and neighborhood pride.  


This bill expands certain existing local government authority to plant or replace trees during the development process by expanding such authority statewide. The bill allows localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement percentages based on density per acre. The bill also alters the current process for granting exceptions to a local ordinance by modifying a provision that requires the granting of an exception when the strict application of the ordinance would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer, and replacing it with a requirement that the locality concur with such a determination. The bill permits localities to monitor and assess the condition and coverage of tree canopies at development sites during a period of up to 20 years after the trees are planted.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


Tree Conservation News Coverage


Go to the Section Index


RGGI


Directs the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Air Pollution Control Board to establish and maintain a market-based trading program consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program, as defined in existing law, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generating units in the Commonwealth.  


Bill status: Signed into law by the Governor.


News Coverage


Go to the Section Index

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Blog disclaimer - the blog is hosted on Staunton-democrats.org that is created and paid for by the Staunton Democratic Committee and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.  The Staunton Democratic Committee does not pay for submissions to the blog and the opinions of the authors are solely their own and does not represent an endorsement by the Staunton Democratic Committee.

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