As many readers should know by now, I fought very hard in the 2025 General Assembly legislative session to decrease your electric bill via my legislation called “The APCO Rate Reduction Act.” This is why recent news of Appalachian Power’s (APCO’s) renewed attempt to increase your electric bill is so frustrating. If you have not yet heard, it has been reported that APCO has requested that the State Corporation Commission (SCC) approve increases to your monthly electric bill so that APCO can recover costs associated with the Democrat-enacted “Virginia Clean Economy Act.” This is yet another stark example of Democrat policies actively working to take money from your pockets to pay for green-energy programs, and why we have to continue fighting against these expensive and burdensome policies.
By way of background, the Virginia Clean Economy Act was passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and signed into law by former Governor Ralph Northam in the year 2020. It contains several provisions that seek to influence the way that Virginia produces and consumes electricity over the coming decades. This includes a mandate that Dominion Energy and APCO generate an increasing amount of energy via “renewable sources” by the year 2045 (for Dominion) and 2050 (for APCO). It includes targets for energy storage capacity – think huge batteries – which would fill in the energy demand gaps when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. It seeks to retire energy production via fossil fuels, and it contains other provisions that all add up to increased costs for all of us. Even now, Virginia is importing electricity from other states more than ever to deal with our demand, which is also not cheap and does not ensure that Virginia is creating its own capacity.
APCO is legally obligated – by the Virginia Clean Economy Act – to pursue and implement these “green energy” projects that are inefficient at producing and storing energy. And who ends up paying for these projects that Virginia Democrats demand that our utility provider builds? Us- the consumers.
If the State Corporation Commission approves APCO’s request for a bill increase in its current form, the average electric bill for us will increase by just over $6 dollars. Although this increase would not occur before March of 2026, the SCC has within its authority the power to deny or approve this request, as well the ability to reduce the impact on consumer electric bills.
And it is important to remember that my “APCO Rate Reduction Act” does not go into effect until July 1 – securitization and other measures in this act will provide needed relief on your electric bill. But make no mistake, policies enacted by Virginia Democrats make it extraordinarily difficult to reduce the cost of producing and consuming electricity. This is a process I will follow very closely as I continue my work to reduce the burden that high electric bills have on all of us.
As the delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
Delegate Jason Ballard Virginia General Assembly
