"Energy independence is one of the single most important issues facing the United States today. To that end, I am dedicating a tremendous amount of time researching alternative sources of energy that could be utilized to relieve this dependence on foreign oil."

During the 2007 Session, Delegate Clarke Hogan introduced HB 3068, a bill that re-regulates Virginia’s electrical utilities while preventing dramatic rate increases like those experienced recently in Maryland. HB 3068 received strong bipartisan support and was later signed into law by the Governor. “We now have a framework for assuring a reliable and secure energy future for the Commonwealth,” said Delegate Hogan. “We can provide rate stability to electricity customers to prevent dramatic rate increases.”  Virginia’s legislature voted to deregulate the electrical industry in the mid-1990’s. The hope was that competition in a free market would drive down rates for consumers, but this has simply not occurred - instead electricity rates continue to rise.

At the same time, Virginia has experienced growth that is increasing the demand for electricity. It is estimated that during the next decade, Virginia will need 4,000 megawatts of new generating capacity to meet future demand - requiring the construction of new and bigger power generation plants. The difficulty in constructing new plants is in raising the tremendous amount of money required for construction.

Delegate Hogan’s HB 3068 addressed these issues by returning electrical utilities to a regulated environment. Utilities will be allowed to raise the large sums of capital needed while preventing massive rate increases.

Legislation for 2008 is still being finalized and will be posted to this site when available.