RTO Insider detailed Virginia's opportunity to engage in bipartisan action on clean energy, citing AEE's Harry Godfrey. Read snippets below and the full story here. 

Democrats’ stunning electoral losses in Virginia’s recent elections could usher in new opportunities for bipartisan action on clean energy and create a model for the rest of the country, according to Ron Butler, state director of Conservatives for Clean Energy Virginia (CCE-VA)...

Making an economic and locally focused case for clean energy was a major theme in two conference sessions Tuesday: one on rural solar development in Virginia, and a second looking at the state’s solar market in general and the potential legislative challenges ahead with a new 52-48 Republican majority in the House of Delegates...

Harry Godfrey, executive director of Virginia Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), said the Democrat-led state Senate should serve as a firewall to stave off any repeal attempts. But he also stressed that solar industry advocates should “emphasize the job creation opportunities, the community investment opportunities and then the broader economic gains that are being made as a result of this [law], and as a result the business certainty the VCEA creates.”

The law is driving major economic development opportunities in the state, Godfrey said, drawing data centers and other energy-intensive businesses; for example, Microsoft’s planned expansion of its data center in southern Virginia. The companies are coming, Godfrey said, “because they are looking for states where they know they’re going to be able to effectively decarbonize their load, and the VCEA will help give them certainty and … manage their costs.”

Read the full story here.