Probably underreported news, but the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 6-1 in favor of HB 1349, the General Assembly brokered plan to tackle the Paris Climate Agreement, allowing energy firms such as Dominion the ability to charge higher rate to make the switch away from coal power and towards solar and wind alternatives.
The full decision can be read here. Dominion Energy — who was never a target of the lawsuit itself — met the news with the public relations version of a shrug:
“We are pleased the Court affirmed the constitutional and statutory authority of the General Assembly to make policy decisions for the Commonwealth; and it looks as if Virginia is headed towards a state version of the Clean Power Plan, which makes SB 1349 all the more relevant and appropriate.”
Why a shrug? Because the State Corporation Commission are the ones who set the rules of the game, not Dominion.
More than anything, one gets the sense that they are simply nodding at the news that they are following the rules of the game while doing all they can to make the transition away from fossil fuels.
President Trump earlier this year withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe pledged to keep Virginia within the terms of the agreement, despite objections from both the energy industry and Republicans.
