GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 276, which directs the State Corporation Commission to study the feasibility of an energy upgrade program.

While the State Corporation Commission is the proper venue to study the creation of such a program, this bill skews the results of such a study toward recommendations designed to benefit private interests at the expense of utility customers. This study should be conducted without bias toward any conclusion or private party.

Additionally, the scope of this study is very limited and would produce results that are not comprehensive. Merely studying the feasibility of a program without consideration of ratepayer impacts, potential cost shifts, and other risks as deemed relevant limits the Commission's review and would deliver incomplete information to the General Assembly.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.