The Charleston City Council passed a resolution this week urging state lawmakers to legalize on-site Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). On the same day, the Jefferson County Development Authority issued a letter to state legislative leaders with the same message.
Charleston and Jefferson County join the City of Morgantown, the City of Bluefield, and the Huntington Mayor’s Office in support of PPAs, a widely available method to finance distributed energy generation projects such as rooftop solar or landfill biogas. Most states allow PPAs, including Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
“These latest shows of support from local leaders confirm that West Virginians recognize the benefits of generating affordable renewable energy in their communities,” said Autumn Long, West Virginia program director for Solar United Neighbors. “But a bill to legalize on-site PPAs, Senate Bill 611, has been stalled in the Senate Economic Development Committee for weeks.”
“This week is the last chance for the bill to move forward during this legislative session. We are calling on Senate President Carmichael to convene a special committee meeting to give SB 611 a fair hearing before it’s too late,” Long said. Click here to email or call Sen. President Carmichael today.
The City of Charleston resolution No. 277-20 cites tax and money savings, job creation, and attracting corporations with mandates to use renewable and alternative energy among the reasons for the legislature to legalize on-site PPAs.
The Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA) also cited those reasons. “Jefferson County and West Virginia need to be in a position to attract these corporations to ensure our residents have access to good-paying jobs and to increase and diversify the tax base.
“Finally, the JCDA sees this legislation as an opportunity for county and municipal governments, as well as local school boards, to consider entering power purchase agreements as a strategy for reducing their utility expenses and saving money for local taxpayers,” the letter says.