Of the 147 bills that Virginia Conservation Network took a position on this session, 65 bills addressed energy and climate policy for the Commonwealth. Our Partners advocated for policies that 

• Defend our key climate policies
• Unlock more local, community solar
• Take initial steps to regulate data center’s impacts

See the wins and missed opportunities for climate & energy policy below. You can see the outcomes of all of VCN’s bill and budget positions on our Bill Tracker.

Virginia is committed by law to powering the Commonwealth with 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 through the passage of the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). The VCEA is Virginia’s core climate policy and the strongest of Southeastern states, establishing Virginia as a leader in the transition to clean energy. 

A major win from this session was the passage of dozens of bills that will strengthen our commitment to a 100% clean energy future by supporting local community energy, accelerating the transition to clean energy, and defeating all attempts to reverse our plan to a clean, healthy, and affordable energy future.

Fred Garber under Shenandoah Valley Electric Coop solar array in Mt. Jackson, Shenandoah County. Photo by Nancy Sorrells.

Local, community solar will play a key role in transitioning Virginia to a carbon free grid and is an affordable and readily available solution to address Virginia’s growing energy demand. Continuing to rely on expensive oil and gas plants will lock Virginia into releasing harmful pollutants into the air that cause health problems like asthma, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer for generations to come. 

The passage of the Community Access to Renewable Energy (CARE) package will work together to unlock more local solar projects:

• Increase the amount of solar that can be built on rooftops and previously disturbed lands like industrial developments, parking lots, landfills, and quarries. (HB1883 / SB1040).
• Establish a Virtual Power Plant pilot program that will meet peak power demand with clean energy instead of polluting power plants (HB2346 / SB 1100).
• Create a Clean Energy Apprenticeship program to provide training and prevailing wages for clean energy jobs (HB2356 / SB852).

Learn more about the Community Access to Renewable Energy (CARE) Act and the importance of maximizing Virginia’s distributed solar policies on our Bill of the Day post.

At a time when many Virginia families are struggling to pay high electricity bills due to high fuel costs, local community solar can provide grid-wide benefits that lower costs for ratepayers. Local solar decarbonizes Virginia’s power sector while helping to meet demand, increasing grid resilience by decreasing strain on transmission lines, and lowering pressure to burn fossil fuels at power plants during peak demand hours. 

Legislators passed several more bills along with the CARE package that support local, community solar. These bills will:

• Set a target to prioritize solar at public schools (HB1934 / SB1192). 

• Allow localities to require solar canopies be built over certain new parking areas (HB2037).

• Expand participation options for residents to join multi-family shared solar programs (HB2090).
• Spread out the costs of solar projects connecting to the grid more fairly (HB2266 / SB1058).

The Virginia Clean Economy Act outlines a clear path to achieving this zero-carbon future by mandating the retirement of fossil fuel generators; requiring the construction of solar, wind, and battery storage; gradually increasing our reliance on zero-carbon electricity sources; and instructing utilities to meet energy efficiency standards. 

Legislators passed 5 bills to further support the Virginia Clean Economy Act. These bills will:

• Improve utilities’ Integrated Resource Planning process to allow for more robust and meaningful stakeholder input and to account for the costs of fossil fuel pollution (HB2413 / SB1021).
• Create the Offshore Wind Industry Workforce Program to create jobs, boost Virginia’s offshore wind industry, and promote economic growth in Hampton Roads (HB1616).
• Require Virginia’s electric utilities to submit comprehensive workforce plans when constructing renewable energy facilities to enhance renewable energy development and workforce considerations (SB823).
• Establish the Low-Income Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force to look at how more low-income households can enroll in energy efficiency and weatherization programs to use energy more efficiently and reduce their utility bills (HB1935 / SB777).
• Increase the targets for energy storage, which when paired with clean energy sources like solar, is critical for providing reliable power to the grid (HB2537 / SB1394).

One huge win from this session was in defeating 13 bills that tried to repeal, weaken, undermine, or outright repeal our core climate policy: the Virginia Clean Economy Act. See all of the bills we opposed and defeated that would have undermined the VCEA on our Bill of the Day post.

Gainesville Data Center in Prince William county, Virginia. Photo by Hugh Kenny.

The rapidly growing data center industry is creating an unprecedented spike in Virginia energy demand over the next ten years that will have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts on our energy bills, our natural resources, and our climate. Virginia is already the home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world with significantly more slated for construction. 

One of the biggest losses for our environment this session was the defeat of several common-sense regulations for the massive and rapidly growing data center industry. Defeated  bills would have:

• Shared water and energy usage information to state decision-makers and the public for planning
• Minimized unreasonable bill increases for ratepayers
• Reserved tax incentives for environmentally responsible facilities

The good news is that one policy to reform the data center industry passed: companion bills HB1601 / SB1449 will allow localities to require a site assessment on data centers’ noise impact on nearby homes and school buildings. While a small win, this policy also sets precedent through existing code that can allow localities to consider impacts on water, agriculture, parks, historic sites, and forests if they wish.

Learn more about all of the bills addressing data centers from this session on our Bill of the Day post.

Bills that passed the General Assembly now head to the Governor’s desk for him to sign, amend, or veto bills by March 24th. Legislators will make a final vote on amended bills during Veto Session on April 2nd to determine which bills will officially become law starting on July 1st, 2025. 

Be the first to know about new environmental legislation: register for our virtual General Assembly Recap on Thursday, April 3rd, from 12-1:30 PM. You’ll hear the inside scoop from environmental policy experts about the conservation community’s biggest victories, the missed opportunities, and any surprise outcomes from the 2025 General Assembly session.

See the outcomes of other environmental policies from the 2025 General Assembly session below: