CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD PASSES AECP LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL
The Consumer Advisory Board, a sub-committee of the Legislative Transition Task Force, passed the AECP legislative proposal by a vote of
8 – 4 at their meeting in Richmond on November 19, 2002. The proposal is an effort to enact a three- cent a month customer service charge on all residential electric utility bills, which would provide an annual amount of over one million dollars that would be deposited into the Home Energy Assistance Fund. This money could be used to supplement the Virginia Weatherization Program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. These are programs that provide weatherization services and fuel assistance payments to eligible low-income families in Virginia.
The AECP proposal argues that low-income consumers may be at risk in a deregulated electric utility industry environment – if electric costs rise due to competition – and increasing opportunities for home affordability through weatherization services is the best protection for these individuals. The proposal is also an effort to keep the subject of a public benefit fund on the table and to force the continuation of debates regarding the responsibility of the Commonwealth to provide energy conservation and efficiency programs to ratepayers in an unregulated environment.
The Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) will now recommend this proposal for consideration by the Legislative Transition Task Force (LTTF), which is the legislative group responsible for the deregulating of the electric utility industry in Virginia. For more information on deregulation, the LTTF, the CAB, and the AECP proposal – check out this website http://dls.state.va.us/elecutil.htm
BUSH ADMINISTRATION WEAKENS CLEAN AIR ACT
The Bush Administration announced on November 22, 2002 that it is weakening the part of the Clean Air Act called the New Source Review and the result of this change will be to allow significant increases in air pollution, which have been linked to asthma, heart disease, and premature deaths. The New Source review is the part of the Clean Air Act that requires older factories to install modern pollution control technology when they make a change that increases pollution. These older power plant facilities release four to ten times more pollution, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury. The New Source Review has helped make the air cleaner by enforcing regulations that control pollution from older refineries, power plants, and factories that use coal and oil as their primary fuel.
“LIVING WITHIN NATURE” CONFERENCE HELD IN ROANOKE
A conference sponsored by the Cabell Brand Center, the Virginia Housing and Environment Network, and FEMA was held at the Hotel Roanoke on November 21-22. Topics presented included protecting aquifers, greenways, vegetated roofs, highway design, green building, low-impact development, natural remediation, pre-disaster mitigation, and much more. Speakers and presenters from all over the United States participated in this excellent gathering of people concerned about smart growth and the environment.
VWEC CONDUCTS 2ND WIND ENERGY MEETING AT JMU
The Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative (VWEC) sponsored a wind energy stakeholder’s meeting at James Madison University on November 13. The VWEC was formed in the fall of 2002 with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy. The group is being led by students and faculty in the Integrated Science and Technology Department at James Madison University. VWEC was created to promote the use of wind energy in Virginia. Its mission is to provide the resources and knowledge necessary to promote wind energy through a diverse group of wind energy stakeholders. Check their website out at http://web.jmu.edu/vwec.
OIL SPILLS AND FUEL ECONOMY
As the impact of another massive oil spill lays its devastation – this time off the coast of Spain – the Bush Administration is proposing weak and insignificant automobile fuel economy standards. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has proposed three fuel economy increases for light trucks and SUVs of 0.5 miles per gallon over three years starting with model year 2005, for a total increase of just 1.5 miles per gallon. Currently available technology could make vehicles of all sizes, shapes, and models get significantly better gas mileage. America’s vehicle fleet could easily average 40 miles per gallon and help save millions of barrels of oil every day. Reducing our dependence on imported oil would prevent oil spills that destroy wildlife, natural habitats, water quality, the fishing trade, and international economies. Conserving energy and improving the efficiency of our automobiles are direct and specific ways in which we can participate in preventing oil spills.