For Immediate Release: March 16, 2022
Contact: Executive Director Chelsea Harnish, chelsea@vaeec.org, 804-457-8619
Statement on Youngkin Administration’s Report on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
RICHMOND- Governor Youngkin has once again set the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in his crosshairs, aiming for a program that does an unparalleled amount of good for Virginia businesses and our most vulnerable citizens. The recently released report from the Department of Environmental Quality perpetuates the harmful myths surrounding the carbon capture program.
“The report willfully ignores the massive benefits that come from our participation in RGGI,” Chelsea Harnish, Executive Director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council said. “Virginia is the only RGGI state that allocates 50% of our funding to low-income energy efficiency projects.”
RGGI funds two specific programs to improve affordable housing stock – the Weatherization Deferral Repair (WDR) program and the Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH) program. The WDR program allows weatherization providers to address significant home repairs, such as roofs, mold mitigation, and damaged combustion appliances, to ready the home for energy efficiency services via the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). These massive repairs made these homes ineligible for the federal weatherization program leaving each provider with lists of “deferred properties.”
In addition to the WDR program, the ASNH funding ensures that new affordable housing developments are built more energy-efficient than they would have otherwise been. Increasing energy efficiency improves the health, safety, and livelihood of the residents, as well as lowering energy bills by up to 20%.
RGGI energy efficiency funding has provided unprecedented economic benefits as well. Several weatherization providers have been and will continue to hire new staff to meet the new demands.
The funds received from the RGGI auctions allow weatherization assistance providers and affordable housing developers to meet the needs of underserved communities. It is imperative that this vital funding remains available to help those in the greatest need.
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The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council is the voice for the energy efficiency industry in the Commonwealth. Our diverse group of over 100 members includes Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, local governments, state agencies, and more. The VAEEC’s goal is to ensure that energy efficiency is recognized as an integral part of Virginia’s economy and clean energy future.
Learn more about the energy efficiency benefits of RGGI, including case studies on our website https://vaeec.org/rggi/.
Visit our Press Room for our press kit.
This summer I saw parents, children and friends running around playgrounds, taking trips, spreading blankets in parks and breathing in the fresh air of a summer night. The hopeful moods were unlike anything I’d seen in more than a year.
It was a milestone, too. Statewide restrictions had been eased on the pandemic; its effects were felt in every home and business across Virginia.
I’ve enjoyed seeing a bit of normalcy return as I watched my daughter swim, bike and play outside with friends after spending her year of kindergarten learning at home. Like other parents, I’ve also been thinking about her back-to-school days ahead while grappling with concerns expressed by public health officials about the new delta variant.
Read more (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
For Immediate Release: Dec. 16, 2020
Virginia Hits Energy-Efficiency Milestone
Ranks No. 1 in South, Breaks into Top 25 in New Ranking
RICHMOND — The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council heralds a new research report, released today, that names Virginia as the regional leader of the South for its energy efficiency practices.
Virginia had its best year on the annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, a nationwide analysis of states based on “their policy and program efforts to save energy and pursue efficiency as a cost-effective, critical tool for slashing emissions and meeting state clean energy goals.”
“We’re thrilled to see Virginia named as a state to watch and break into the Top 25,” said Chelsea Harnish, executive director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC). “This is a reflection of the hard work that went into passing the Virginia Clean Economy Act and the efforts of the energy efficiency industry in the Commonwealth.”
The annual scorecard is published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and can be found at aceee.org. Among the report’s findings:
“Virginia was among the top energy stories of 2020, creating its first-ever clean energy standard and becoming the first state in the Southeast with a 100% clean electricity goal. The Virginia Clean Economy Act also established an energy efficiency resource standard that sets multiyear electric savings targets for utilities and includes important measures to support low-income customers and reduce energy burdens. The governor also signed HB 981, making Virginia the first southern state to join RGGI, with proceeds going toward energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate mitigation measures.”
About the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council
The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council is the voice for the energy efficiency industry in the Commonwealth. Founded in 2012, our broad coalition of more than 100 members includes Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, startups, local governments and state agencies. Our goal is to ensure that energy efficiency is an integral part of Virginia’s economy and clean energy future. For more information, please visit vaeec.org.
RICHMOND — The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council, a broad coalition and voice for the Commonwealth’s energy efficiency industry, enthusiastically endorses Gov. Ralph Northam’s appointment to the State Corporation Commission, Angela Navarro.
“The governor’s announcement today is welcome news for the energy efficiency industry in Virginia,” said Chelsea Harnish, executive director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC).
Navarro helped create the Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. “As one of the authors of this transformative legislation, having Ms. Navarro overseeing its successful implementation will be crucial in the coming years,” Harnish noted.
“The VAEEC typically doesn’t weigh in on Commissioner appointments,” Harnish said, “but given Ms. Navarro’s extensive history in promoting effective energy efficiency policy in the Commonwealth, we anticipate her bringing that same frame of mind to this new role.”
Northam made his announcement during a 2 p.m. press conference today. Angela Navarro is a former Virginia deputy secretary of commerce and trade. She would fill a seat left vacant by SCC Chairman Mark Christie, who was confirmed by the Senate earlier this week to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
About the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council
The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council is the voice for the energy efficiency industry in the Commonwealth. Founded in 2012, our broad coalition of more than 100 members includes Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, startups, local governments and state agencies. Our goal is to ensure that energy efficiency is an integral part of Virginia’s economy and clean energy future. For more information, please visit vaeec.org.
Virginia Energy Efficiency Council Joins Bill Signing Ceremony for Virginia Clean Economy Act
For Immediate Release: Aug. 17, 2020
RICHMOND — The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council stands with Gov. Ralph Northam today as he signs the Virginia Clean Economy Act into law.
“The passage of this legislation is a massive step for the advancement of energy efficiency in the Commonwealth,” said Chelsea Harnish, executive director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC). “Today’s bill signing represents the culmination of collaborative work to advance Virginia’s clean energy future, which will have a significant positive effect on job creation in our sector.”
The Virginia Clean Economy Act is transformative legislation passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. It will boost the economy, transform the energy efficiency industry, reduce electric bills for families and position the Commonwealth for a clean energy future.
The legislation also paves the way for Virginia to reach a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2045. It represents an unprecedented shift in energy policy and ensures investment in energy-efficient programs, policies, jobs and technology.
The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council — a broad coalition of business, government and nonprofit voices across the state — spent hundreds of hours working alongside lawmakers, environmental advocates and business groups to advocate for the passage of this legislation.
The Commonwealth’s leadership is looking to make a move toward clean energy with the signing of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.
According to a release Sunday from the Governor’s Office, Northam also amended the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act, which now requires the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Northam said, “These new clean energy laws propel Virginia to leadership among the states in fighting climate change. They advance environmental justice and help create clean energy jobs. In Virginia, we are proving that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand-in-hand.”
Read More (WDBJ7)
It was Wednesday, March 11, when life began to turn upside down for Lee Householder and his 42 employees at Project:Homes, a nonprofit that does energy efficiency retrofits in Virginia.
The events of that day, like the National Basketball Association suspending its season and President Trump blocking travel from Europe, made the novel coronavirus very real and led workers to a crest of worry. They wanted to know the plan. The next day, March 12, “was a very chaotic day of scrambling,” Householder said. “How are we going to react?”
The plan that came was quick and absolute. “No one’s coming to work on Monday,” he told his staff.
And no one has been back.
Read More (E+E News)
Executive Director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council Chelsea Harnish discusses the Virginia Clean Economy Act that passed in the General Assembly, and what impact will it have on the state.
Listen Here (Newsradio WRVA)
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax wants to finance upgrades to its sprawling, 1960s-era HVAC system. If all the pieces click into place, a Fairfax County church would be the first Virginia property statewide to tap into an initiative designed to quicken affordable upgrades to greener energy.
Read More (Energy News Network)
For Immediate Release: March 6, 2020
Contacts: Jason Roop, jasonroop@springstory.com | Virginia Energy Efficiency Council: Executive Director Chelsea Harnish, chelsea@vaeec.org, 804-457-8619
Virginia Energy Efficiency Council Celebrates Passage of Transformative Energy Efficiency Legislation
RICHMOND — Legislation passed by both chambers of the General Assembly today will boost the economy, transform the energy efficiency industry, reduce electric bills for families and position the Commonwealth for a clean energy future.
The landmark plan, known as the Virginia Clean Economy Act, paves the way for Virginia to reach a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2045. It represents an unprecedented shift in energy policy and ensures investment in energy-efficient programs, policies, jobs and technology.
In support of its passage, the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council — a broad coalition of business, government and nonprofit voices across the state — spent hundreds of hours working alongside lawmakers, environmental advocates and business groups.
“To say this is monumental is an understatement,” said Chelsea Harnish, executive director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC). “The passage of this legislation is a massive and critical step for energy efficiency advancement in the Commonwealth. We’re thrilled with the potential impact this will have on job creation in our sector.”
