This will come as no surprise to anybody familiar with American history, but those Damn Yankees are at it again, this time pushing an energy “reform” bill that mandates billions of dollars in higher energy bills for residents of the sunny South.
The bill includes a requirement that utilities generate at least15 percent of their energy using renewable energy generation methods like windmills and solar energy. Residents of Southern states like Virginia, Tennessee and Texas that have less of the needed resources to generate energy using those methods than other states will see substantial rate hikes.
American Electric Power, a utilities industry group, estimates the 15 percent renewables mandate will cost Virginia residents $1.1 billion by 2030, while the mandate will cost Texas residents $700 million and Oklahoma residents $900 million.
