Countdown to 2017 Election: Is Your Favorite Candidate a VERE Caucus Member?

The Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy (VERE) Caucus is a bipartisan effort to ensure that future generations can enjoy clean water and clean air and that the Commonwealth invests in technology that will put Virginia on the forefront of harnessing the potential of clean, renewable sources of energy.

Every year, the group of Virginia delegates works together to set a legislative agenda that covers a variety of environmental and energy issues, from water quality and climate change to clean energy, land conservation, toxic chemicals, coal ash and environmental education. The delegates who participate in the VERE Caucus are:

John J. Bell (D-Chantilly)
Jennifer B. Boysko (D-Herndon)
David L. Bulova (D-Fairfax)
Daun Sessoms Hester (D-Norfolk)
Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church)
Mark H. Levine (D-Alexandria)
Alfonso H. Lopez (D-Arlington)Randall Minchew (R-Leesburg)
Kathleen J. Murphy (D-McLean)
Kenneth R. Plum (D-Reston)
Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke)
Marcus B. Simon (D-Falls Church)
Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan Jr. (D-McLean)

In 2017, the Caucus’ stance on clean energy included the following:

SUPPORT: Legislation to expand solar energy in Virginia

• Over the summer, a working group [the Rubin Group] comprised of Virginia utility companies, solar energy industry representatives, and solar advocates met to discuss legislation to expand solar energy in Virginia and reached agreement on legislation that would expand opportunities for large, medium and small-scale solar projects in Virginia.

• This agreement would:

  • increase the upper limit of solar and wind projects in Virginia,

  • create a pilot program for community solar, and

  • expand agricultural net-metering.

• This agreement is an important first step to growing Virginia’s clean energy industries so that we can protect our environment and build a stronger Virginia economy.

SUPPORT: Increased Energy Efficiency Goals and IRP Transparency

• Energy efficiency programs in Virginia represent an under-utilized tool by which the state can reduce its total energy consumption and stimulate local economies through in-state job generation.

• Energy efficiency is tool for economic stimulus and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

The VERE Caucus has been a steady promoter of clean energy policies in Virginia. Their often-unrecognized efforts year after year have pushed renewable energy to the forefront. Consistent and persistent pressure by these brave legislators has created the movement we see today. If these efforts and Virginia’s energy future are important to you, please support these delegates when you vote on Tuesday.

Expanding clean energy in the Commonwealth matters, because it creates jobs, attracts businesses and helps move toward a more hardened grid, which can protect it from natural or man-made disasters.

Read the VERE Caucus’ full 2017 agenda here.

VOTE on November 7, 2017!