Roanoke Democrat Sam Rasoul announced Monday that he is introducing legislation to address the climate change emergency.
Del. Rasoul’s bill, the Green New Deal Act, HB 77, is part of a suite of bills developed by Green New Deal Virginia, a broad coalition of more than 60 grassroots organizations co-founded in 2018 by Rasoul and Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-Prince William County.
“The Green New Deal Act puts working families and vulnerable communities – not special interests – front and center. Our voters spoke loud and clear in November that they are ready for change. We have an opportunity for Virginia to lead the way in providing real and practical solutions for the economic, environmental, and social crises,” Rasoul said.
Provisions of the bill include:
- Clean energy mandates that require retail electric suppliers in Virginia to generate 100% of the electricity sold from clean energy resources by 2036.
- A moratorium on new major fossil fuel projects starting in 2021, including any new generating facility, export terminal, or pipeline that relies on any fossil fuel resource or expansion of any existing such facility.
- Development of a Climate Action Plan for Virginia by 2022.
- Establishment of minimum energy efficiency goals for buildings in Virginia that improves energy efficiency by 2.4% per year starting in 2020 and 36% by 2035.
- Development of robust job training programs to transition workers from the fossil fuel industry, including development of trade programs in high schools and community colleges.
- Strong labor protections for workers in the clean energy sector, including mandatory project labor agreements, prevailing wage guarantees, protecting the right to organize a union, transitional assistance, and retirement benefits.
- Environmental justice protections for communities that historically have borne the brunt of environmental hazards, including requirements that fund clean energy projects and the conversion to renewable energy that target such communities.
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Chris Graham
