RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) – High electricity bills in western Virginia have gotten the attention of state lawmakers in Richmond.
Tuesday afternoon, the Virginia Senate joined the House of Delegates in passing legislation lawmakers hope will begin to address the issue.
Sen. Mark Peake (R-Lynchburg) introduced Senate Bill 1076 with Appalachian Power’s support. He said the measure would allow the utility to refinance some of its assets, to help keep rates down for the next 10 to 15 years.
“This is a start. I will ask you to pass it, so that we can continue this conversation,” Sen. Peake told his colleagues in the Senate. “We want to do more. We’re going to get with the House. We’ll do more. I’m going to work with the Senator from Charlottesville. We will do more to bring rates down.”
Sen. David Suetterlein (R- Roanoke County) was skeptical.
“This legislation would increase rates in a big way going forward,” Suetterlein said, “so I’ve got significant concerns about that.”
He said he hopes the Governor returns a different version of the bill that he can support.
The Senate approved Peake’s legislation with some additions.
The new language would prohibit rate increases in the months of December, January and February, and prevent service disconnections for non-payment of bills or fees between July first of this year and December 31st of next year.
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