Quick Reminder: Please Submit a Comment Today (HB1491 + HB1487)

Hi everyone,

I am resending the message from yesterday about the bills Delegate JJ Singh is working to move to a vote in the House of Delegates.

The great news is it looks like we filled the speaking opportunities - thank you!

If you have not already, there is still time to submit written comments.

You can write your own, use what is below, or do a hybrid. It should only take a minute, and each one really does count.

Please take a few minutes to submit a comment today.

And please do not wait - I am not sure when they cut off submissions.

Thanks!

Our Delegate, JJ Singh, who has been a strong supporter and partner in our community efforts , is sponsoring two bills in the Virginia House that directly affect communities like ours and how high-voltage transmission lines are planned and built.

The public comment period is expected to begin around 5:00 PM , though the exact timing may vary slightly as the committee works through a series of bills.

These bills are aimed at giving residents and local governments more protection and more voice. They are not perfect - largely because Dominion and other well-funded special interests have pushed back aggressively - but they remain meaningful, common-sense first steps. Public support is critical to ensure they are not weakened further and have a real chance of advancing.

Quick summary of the bills

HB1491 - Transmission Line Siting Protections

• Applies to electric transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more .
• Requires the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to prioritize public health, safety, and environmental protection when approving routes.
• Prohibits approval of lines located within 150 feet of homes, schools, daycares, parks, recreational areas, or places of worship unless no other feasible alternative exists .
• Prohibits approval if a route would materially conflict with designated residential, open-space, or environmental protection areas in a local comprehensive plan.
• The legislation originally proposed a 500-foot buffer , which has already been reduced during the legislative process due to lobbying pressure.

Community support matters to ensure it is not reduced further and to give it a chance to even advance to a full vote.

HB1487 - Underground Transmission Line Pilot Program

• Creates a pilot program allowing the SCC to approve up to four qualifying 500 kV transmission projects to be built in whole or in part underground , with expedited review.
• Requires technical feasibility analysis, cost transparency, and local government support for underground placement.
• Requires localities choosing undergrounding to cover 50 percent of the marginal undergrounding cost within their jurisdiction.
• Extends the SCC’s final report deadline on the underground transmission pilot program from December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2033 , allowing for longer-term evaluation of costs, construction methods, and reliability.

Thank you to everyone who can take a few minutes to participate and help give Delegate Singh - and other delegates supporting this kind of common-sense action - the backing they need.

How you can help (it’s quick!)

👉 Submit comments here: https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/submit_testimony?meeting_id=20596

If you didn’t get a chance to register to speak, submitting a written comment still makes a difference!

Sample written comment

I am writing to express my support for HB1491 and HB1487 , which address how high-voltage electric transmission lines are planned and sited in Virginia.

HB1491 establishes clearer and more protective siting standards for transmission lines of 138 kilovolts or more. Requiring the State Corporation Commission to affirmatively prioritize public health, safety, and environmental protection, and to avoid routing lines close to homes, schools, and other sensitive areas unless no feasible alternative exists, reflects a reasonable and common-sense approach to infrastructure planning. These standards better align transmission siting with how communities actually live and grow, and with local comprehensive plans developed through public process.

HB1487 takes a complementary and forward-looking approach by expanding Virginia’s underground transmission pilot program. Allowing limited, qualifying 500 kV projects to be constructed underground where technically feasible - with cost transparency, local support, and shared financial responsibility - provides the Commonwealth with valuable real-world data and experience. Extending the pilot program’s reporting period through 2033 ensures that decisions about undergrounding are informed by long-term evidence rather than assumptions.

Taken together, these bills recognize that residential communities should not be treated as the default or easiest place to run major transmission infrastructure. They do not stop needed projects, but they do ensure that alternatives are genuinely evaluated and that communities are not simply the path of least resistance.

I urge the committee to support HB1491 and HB1487 and allow both bills to advance. Thank you for the opportunity to comment and for your consideration.