Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a "Clean Path" for Virginia to comply with the Clean Power Plan by transitioning from voluntary to mandatory renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and implementing a mass-based carbon emissions-trading program. The analysis suggests this approach would reduce CO2 emissions by 77 million tons through 2030 compared to a reference case, lower typical residential electricity bills by 5% by 2030, and generate an average of $241 million in annual auction revenue for state investments. The report highlights Virginia's current underutilization of its renewable potential, noting that non-hydro renewables accounted for only 2.8% of electricity generation in 2014.

• Virginia's current renewable energy deployment is low relative to its potential; non-hydro renewables provided only 2.8% of the state's electricity generation in 2014, and the state had only 15 MW of installed solar at the time of reporting.
• The proposed "Clean Path" Case—which includes a mandatory Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) and Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)—would result in 6,163 MW of new wind and solar capacity by 2030, representing a more than 20-fold increase in combined solar and wind capacity from 2012 levels.
• Implementing the Clean Path Case is projected to reduce the typical Virginia resident's electricity bills by 5% in 2030, resulting in an annual savings of $77 compared to a reference case with no new policies.
• The Clean Path Case would significantly reduce pollution, avoiding 77 million tons of CO2 through 2030 and reducing SO2 and NOx emissions by 43% and 33% respectively by 2030 compared to the Reference Case.
• The combined carbon and health benefits from avoiding CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions under the Clean Path Case are estimated at $343 million on average each year, totaling $2.6 billion cumulatively through 2030.
• A mass-based emissions-trading program with auctioned allowances could generate average annual revenues of $241 million from 2022 to 2030, which could be used for coastal infrastructure, green banks, environmental justice communities, and coal-dependent regions.

APA

Richardson, J., Bailie, A., & Cleetus, R. (2016). Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/virginia-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf

Chicago

Richardson, Jeremy, Alison Bailie, and Rachel Cleetus. Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/virginia-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Richardson |first1=Jeremy |last2=Bailie |first2=Alison |last3=Cleetus |first3=Rachel |title=Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=February 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/virginia-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{richardson2016meetingand, author = {Richardson, Jeremy and Bailie, Alison and Cleetus, Rachel}, title = {{Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/virginia-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }