On behalf of the members of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, we oppose the passage of HB74 - Electric utilities; recovery of development costs associated with small modular reactor. The Lynchburg region, along with Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance members BWXT and Framatome, is playing a critical role in developing commercialized small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide safe, reliable, carbon free, base-load electricity at a time when we need every electron on the grid. We have supported permitting and siting reforms over the last few years, to streamline the process in order to facilitate the deployment of more Virginia generated electricity to meet the growing demand for power. In 2024, the General Assembly approved a carefully crafted compromise on development costs for a small modular reactor which included a cost cap ($1.40 a month) and a sunset (2030). Customer protections are already built into the SMR project development cost recovery provisions. The SCC reviews this rider annually to assure transparency and accountability, like all riders.  While this legislation is focused on Dominion Energy's SMR project, it is likely the passage of this legislation would have negative impacts to AEP's SMR project development at Joshua Falls in Campbell County. Changing the rules on energy projects, whether while under development or under construction, makes it hard to have the predictability needed to proceed on building the power generation needed to serve Virginia’s growing electricity load. It will likely have the opposite effect of lowering the cost of electricity. Virginia is currently the second leading importer of electricity and urgently needs more power generation. Governor Spanberger noted in her inaugural address that part of reducing the cost of electricity was more in state power generation. Changing the rules in the middle of the process of developing a project is not the way to meet this goal and could affect investment in the future. We urge the Subcommittee to vote against the passage of HB74.

HB3 Why do we have to pay for another "group" to tell people they get free money to fix their homes? Why should I have to work 3x as hard for what little I get, because someone else isn't willing to work? HB67 Offshore wind isn't going anywhere. Why are we having this? This is useless. HB74 How about we can recover the costs of lobbying out of the executives' pay. The SCC keeps approving garbage, and if VEPCO was required to be as watched as the regular people are, and with public reporting for all their fraud and abuse, we'd have lower rates (removing the clean energy money sucking mandates). Stop taking VEPCO's money, you're paid off just like a crook and then vote for it. HB120 The SCC is supposed to protect us!! We don't need MORE layers of govt doing the same thing. Either the SCC is doing it or it isn't. It is not, so get rid of it.