| RICHMOND – On February 22, the Virginia General Assembly passed Delegate Jason Ballard’s (R-Giles) HB 2621, known as the “APCo Rate Reduction Act.” HB 2621 passed on a vote of 98-0 in the House of Delegates and 39-0 in the Senate of Virginia.
Said Del. Ballard, “This legislation will provide the most significant electric bill relief to APCo customers in years. For too long, my constituents – and those throughout APCo territory – have suffered through unreasonably high electric bills that put people in the unwinnable position between paying their electric bill or putting food on the table.”
Ballard continued, “I give my sincere thanks to the entire Southwest Delegation of General Assembly members who helped get this bill across the finish line. HB 2621 is the only bill that provides meaningful financial relief for our constituents who are APCo customers.”
The APCo Rate Reduction Act includes several mechanisms that will provide APCo customers support. First, HB 2621 allows for securitization, which will provide relief on each customer’s monthly bill. There is a six-month moratorium on interest and late fees, as well as a nine-month moratorium on disconnect and reconnect fees, which will assist those among us who have the least means to pay. Importantly, there will be no increase in electric rates during the winter months (November through February). Similarly, APCo must propose seasonal rates which are meant to minimize the impact of cold winter months and high electricity usage. APCo must propose alternatives to current billing practices, which are designed to lessen the burden of high monthly bills during peak seasons. And finally, HB 2621 directs the State Corporation Commission to consider public input and comments during all rate cases.
Ballard concluded, “This was a heavy lift during a short legislative session. However, doing nothing was not an option. I appreciate every constituent who shared their story with my office – this is how to get things done in Richmond.”
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February 23, 2025 @ 11:26 am
thank goodness!!!
February 23, 2025 @ 1:05 pm
thank you Jason Ballard!
February 24, 2025 @ 8:32 am
I’m so happy someone is finally doing something about these ridiculous prices!!! Everytime I get a new electric bill I get so mad at the greed this co has !!!!! Thanks to all who are working together to bring them to a place of reality , I mean who in this day n time can afford elec bills like these have been !
February 24, 2025 @ 9:37 am
Population has doubled in the past two decades, demand for power per person has increased nearly five fold in that time. Despite what liberals think, solar and wind are not free, reasonable, or unlimited as they are based on petrol infrastructure. We complain when there’s brown outs on hot summer days (which seem to grow hotter yearly), we belly ache when the educated reasonable minded people try to bring lucid solutions such as mini-nuclear reactors to the area saying not in my backyard. We punish big companies that make literally every single thing we use and need to survive all made with…you guessed it…power. Then we complain when the very companies that provide this power, maintain it’s network, and litigate the public and the government for not doing it fairly or to spec? Either we want the free market or we don’t. We cannot have it unconditionally without penalty in some manner. Want cheap power on demand? Bring back coal, revert to life in the 1960s when the average home demand was less than 25% it is currently. Complain about the cost, is it reasonable to expect any business to actually eat the increases in cost of doing business? What would you say to the share holders, your linemen? Would you if you ran the company or any company? Probably not, you’d pass it along to the consumer. Can’t afford the bill? Stop eating out, stop buying frivolous nice to haves, stop the vices which cost you money, go back to one tv on at a time and no other devices, none of which existed 20 years ago. Sound fun? Doesn’t to me. It’s not the government’s job to regulate the power or any other industry unless of course we want it to take over said industries, and if that’s the case move to Russia. Write an op ed piece on the quality of life there. If not, increase your skills, get a better paying career, tighten the pants a bit in life, don’t add to the population which adds to the strain, and while yes a $200 energy bill will still be absurd, it won’t be unpayable. Quit complaining and employ the free market which we all control.
February 24, 2025 @ 10:34 am
Sounds like a great idea until you start to consider the potential long term effect.
Government should not be running business, but providing oversight to the business model.
To often our leaders interfer with business and the result can be devastating to the consumer.
Take for example the situation in California were the state limited rates for Pacific Power and the ill-effects on the consumer.
I would not want that situation in Virginia.
February 24, 2025 @ 12:14 pm
The main problem is the high cost of integrating all the so-called “free” energy from all those solar farms. The utility has a very difficult time accommodating the intermittent nature of solar and wind power. Germany has the highest electricity rates in the world because they got rid of nuclear, coal and natural gas generation. The US has had the largest reduction in greenhouse gases of any industrialized country, mainly because of a huge shift from coal to natural gas.
February 24, 2025 @ 6:31 pm
My dad worked for Apco for 37 and 1/2 years and after being a line supervisor for many years and driving around inspecting projects and supervising contractors ,he was forced out of the company. (Too Old and He said what was right instead of what they wanted to hear). They
assigned him to walk and read meters,(in very poor health) , for the remainder of his time, until they beat him down enough to make him leave the company. And He died very soon after. (Thank you apco). I watched it all happen with my very own eyes.
What I have observed over the years is that Apco applies for a new rate increase about every 3 weeks and the SCC approves everything they ask for. Do you think the SCC is representing citizens in this area. HELL NO. Do you think Apco may be fattening the pockets of the SCCs to make sure all request are approved? I would say that is more likely than not..
My settle up month , which was this month , was
$1,012.37. I get letters from apco that my bill is
2 and 1/2 times the average bill for a home my size with two residents. Have they got any suggestions on how to help me ? THEY DO NOT.
They expect us to just suck it up while High Management draws big salaries. They have a monopoly on the product they supply and they know it. I COMMEND Delegate Ballard for his
boldness on taking on this huge (monopolized) company and I have observed very little concern
from the House and the Senate, on how the constituents they represent are being treated.
at least as far as electric bills are concerned.
It appears that Democrats vote 100% for the Dems agenda and Republicans vote 100 % for republicans agenda. What about voting what is best for your constituents and the country? What a stupid way to run a government ? It is so sad to see politics at its worst !!!!!!