Minimum energy and water conservation standards; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning facilities and home appliances; Department of Energy; prohibited practices; penalty. Provides that if any product or product categories under the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (the EPCA) are removed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy or the federal government, the 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. The bill excludes any energy or water conservation standards set aside by a court or any product if federal law preempts the application of the minimum energy and water conservation standards to such a product, including any product or product categories where there is a requirement to develop a standard under the EPCA.
Study; Department of Environmental Quality; groundwater supply in western Loudoun and Fauquier Counties; report. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to study the threats and challenges to the groundwater supply in western Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, to complete its meetings by November 30, 2026, and to report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources no later than December 31, 2026.
Waste to Energy Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Waste to Energy Grant Program to incentivize eligible localities, defined by the bill as counties, cities, and towns located in Planning District 23, to dispose of their waste through use of a qualifying waste to energy plant, as defined by the bill. The bill provides that, for any year in which at least one grant is awarded by the Program, the Department of Environmental Quality must submit a report to the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations detailing information on the utilization of the Program and its impact on waste management in grant recipient localities.
Department of Environmental Quality; carbon market participation; coastal and marine resources. Allows the Department of Environmental Quality to participate in any carbon market for the preservation, restoration, and sustainable management of the Commonwealth's coastal and marine resources on state-owned bottomlands and property and enter into agreements necessary to facilitate such participation. The bill requires the Department to hold exclusive title to such credits until such credits are sold. Any revenues resulting from the sale of such credits are required to be distributed as follows: 75 percent to the Oyster Replenishment Fund and 25 percent to the qualifying leaseholder.
Electric utilities; request for proposals required for certain facilities. Requires Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia, at least 15 months prior to seeking approval to construct or purchase a generating facility that emits carbon dioxide, to conduct a thorough evaluation of non-carbon-emitting electric generation options through an independent administrator selected by the State Corporation Commission and retained by such utility. The bill directs the Commission to review the framework and schedule of the request for proposals designed by the independent administrator and accept feedback from relevant stakeholders. The bill provides that if the results of the request for proposals indicate that a cost-effective set of proposed resources can meet the identified energy and capacity needs, such utility shall petition the Commission for approval of such resources.
Office of Working Lands Preservation; powers and duties; small renewable energy projects fees. Requires the Office of Working Lands Preservation to serve as a trustee to administer the in-lieu fees in trust for small renewable energy projects. The bill requires such fees to be used to acquire conservation easements and cover any expenses associated with acquiring such easements.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of a chapter numbered 14.4, consisting of sections numbered 10.1-1465.1 through 10.1-1465.15, relating to establishing the Virginia Recycling Development Center and the Virginia Recycling Infrastructure Fund; supporting statewide recycling infrastructure; incentivizing voluntary stewardship programs; authorizing public-private partnerships; and addressing priority materials including waste tires, mattresses, and bulky waste.
Department of Conservation and Recreation; Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan. Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation, when updating the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, to identify areas where marshes may migrate in the face of sea level rise.
Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation; state park in Washington County; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the feasibility of establishing a state park in Washington County at the Mendota Trail and Abrams Falls located within the Holston River watershed.
Clean energy and community flood preparedness; market-based trading program. 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. This bill is identical to HB 397.
