Amid Transition To Clean Energy, DMME Is Now Virginia Energy
As of October 1, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has officially been renamed the Virginia Department of Energy.
The name change reflects a changing energy landscape in Virginia, as the state aims toward a carbon-free electric grid.
The Department of Energy has introduced new clean energy initiatives, including one which repurposes land formerly used for mining.
Since 1985, Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has regulated the state’s mining industry, ensuring that coal, mineral, gas and oil workers were kept safe and that mining sites were in compliance with environmental standards.
But much has changed since 1985. In the first years of DMME’s existence, Virginia’s coal production peaked, with 46.6 million tons of coal coming out of the state in 1990. On the other hand, just 9.9 million tons of coal were mined in Virginia last year, and the legislature voted this year to phase out coal tax credits, which a recent JLARC report classified as irrelevant. Mining increasingly seems like a thing of the past, especially after 2020’s passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which established a mandatory energy efficiency resource standard and paves the way to a carbon-free electric grid.
Energy is transforming in Virginia, and the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is getting a new name to reflect these changes. As of October 1, DMME is now officially known as the Virginia Department of Energy, or Virginia Energy. The name change is the result of legislation passed by the General Assembly earlier this year and signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam in April.
More than just a change in name, the department has undergone reorganization throughout this year in order to focus on clean energy initiatives.
A new Virginia Energy program established in January known as the Innovative Reclamation Program works to support economic development on land previously used for mining. The program also works with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to repurpose brownfields throughout the state to support clean energy production goals. Virginia Energy also administers funds from the federal government used to develop and repurpose abandoned mine lands. Currently, the department is reclaiming an abandoned mine in Buchanan County; work which officials say will protect 22 homes in the community from landslides and drainage issues.
Another clean energy initiative within Virginia Energy assists localities throughout the state in establishing green banks. Green banks receive funding from a mix of private and governmental sources, which is then used as an investment to support clean energy projects. Facilitating private investment in projects that meet public clean energy goals, green banks work to create healthier communities with stronger jobs. The law authorizing the establishment of green banks went into effect on July 1 of this year. Virginia Energy is also currently in the process of exploring the viability of creating a statewide green bank to support local green banks.
Renewable energy sources have now eclipsed coal in powering Virginia’s electricity. With state law mandating that 30% of energy come from renewable sources by the end of the decade, Virginia is in a much different place than it was when the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy was first established. With a new name to reflect changes in the state and within the department, Virginia Energy is now positioned to deliver cleaner, more cost-effective energy to all residents of the Commonwealth.