Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has established the Virginia Energy Council, which will assist in the development and implementation of a cohesive, comprehensive, and aggressive energy strategy for Virginia and deliver recommendations for the Virginia Energy Plan. The Plan will be submitted to the General Assembly on October 1, 2014.
Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones will chair the Council.
Speaking about the executive order, Governor McAuliffe commented: “Virginia must develop an aggressive strategy to protect existing jobs in our energy industries while positioning the Commonwealth to be a leader in new energy technologies. An innovative energy strategy will enable us to attract the best businesses and entrepreneurs to Virginia, create more jobs in growing industries, and lead a 21 st Century Virginia economy. As we move forward with this process, the Virginia Energy Council will be an important partner as we work toward meeting our energy goals.”
The Virginia Energy Plan will address the objectives of the Commonwealth Energy Policy set forth in the Code of Virginia .
These objectives include:
To achieve these objectives, it is critical that the Commonwealth engage the private sector, localities, and other interested stakeholders to develop significant and meaningful energy policies.
The Virginia Energy Council is charged with working to update the Virginia Energy Plan. Duties of the Council include: