Virginia’s electricity sources are actively hurting us. Not only is one-third of our energy outsourced from external sources, but natural gas contributes more to Virginia’s grid than all renewable energy sources combined. The unreliability of fossil fuel prices leads to rampant increases in energy costs for homeowners and businesses alike, so it’s clear that immediate change is needed.

Most net-zero plans in Virginia have a relaxed deadline from 2045 to 2050. Not only are these deadlines too late to make serious improvements to the environment, but they also lack the initiative to go through. What we need is strict legislation with a clear plan and deadline. This petition serves as Virginia’s initiative.

Former president of the United States, Barack Obama, agrees that climate change is a serious issue. Our clean energy plan can mitigate the effects of climate change by preventing the use of fossil fuels, a proven cause of climate change.
(2:31) "This summer, I saw the effects of climate change in our northernmost state, Alaska, where the sea is already swallowing villages and eroding shorelines, where permafrost thaws and the tundra burns, where glaciers are melting at a pace unprecedented in modern times."

Thankfully, there is hope on the horizon! Virginia is planning to construct the world’s first commercially-viable nuclear fusion plant in Chesterfield county. This will provide 400 megawatts of electricity to American homes. Nuclear fusion is vastly different from nuclear fission, which is the process used in the typical nuclear plants many have heard of. Fusion involves forcing atoms together to generate energy, which is the same process that powers the Sun, while fission involves splitting atoms apart. Fusion is significantly safer than fission because fusion reactors cannot melt down, explode, or generate harmful byproducts. It is completely safe.

Although electric vehicles struggle with long-distance travel, there’s a brand-new technology that could drastically improve EV viability: solid state batteries. These batteries last longer, charge quicker, and are several orders of magnitude less flammable. This technology is in some cars already using a technology called semi-solid state batteries, which combine the current liquid batteries with the new solid-state technology. The technology is very promising. Virginia should chip in to advance research in this field.

The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates already passed a multitude of bills that will improve sustainability. Below is a list of some of the energy bills signed into law.

SB382 - Improves solar accessibility for homeowners
HB395 - Implement small and portable solar panels to save electricity costs 
SB598 - Nuclear fusion counts towards sustainable energy goals. Helpful for reaching clean energy goals
SB254 and SB255 - Improved solar coverage

Our initiative seeks for rigid energy goals that require immediate action. Here is our proposition:

• Virginia’s energy grid should be composed of 100% renewable sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric, etc.) by 2035.
• At least a 70% reduction in total carbon emissions by 2040.
• Provide funding to scientific institutions which combat climate change.
• Financially incentivize private corporations to enact climate-friendly policies or reach certain climate goals by the end of the year.
• Force energy companies to comply with climate regulations. Penalize them if criteria are not met by the given deadline.
• Require buildings to comply with renewable energy standards.
• Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use in farms.
• Expand public transportation throughout the state and convert buses to electric vehicles.
• Improved statewide passenger train routes. This will reduce transport emissions by lightening automobile traffic.

Each signature is another call to action. Your help is needed, and our goals can be attainable at the click of a button! Thank you for your time, and we look forward to a brighter future for Virginia.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Lillian. "5th Anniversary of the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Virginia Conservation Network, 1 July 2025, vcnva.org/virginia-clean-economy-act-5th-anniversary/. Accessed 22 May 2026.

Arlington County Department of Environmental Services. "Arlington County 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory." Arlington County 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 17 Feb. 2026, pp. 1-59. PDF.

Chesterfield on Point. "Learn more about the fusion energy plant planned in Chesterfield." Chesterfeld, 19 Dec. 2024, www.chesterfield.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/5634 Accessed 26 May 2026.

Dominion Energy Editors, editor. "Dominion Energy Sets New Goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2050." Dominion Energy, 11 Feb. 2020, investors.dominionenergy.com/news/press-release-details/2020/ Dominion-Energy-Sets-New-Goal-of-Net-Zero-Emissions-by-2050/default.aspx. Accessed 22 May 2026.

"Greenhouse Gas Inventory." Arlington Virginia, www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability/AIRE/Greenhouse-Gas-Inventory Accessed 26 May 2026.

Kothari, Suvrat. "All Current And Upcoming EVs With Solid-State Batteries." InsideEVs, Motorsport Network, 5 Jan. 2026, insideevs.com/news/771402/every-solid-state-battery-ev/. Accessed 26 May 2026.

Nordenstam, Olof. "Electricity in Virginia in 2025." Low Carbon Power, lowcarbonpower.org/region/Virginia. Accessed 22 May 2026. 

U.S Energy Information Administration Editors. “Short-Term Energy Outlook.” U.S Energy Information Administration, 12 May 2026, www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/elec_coal_renew.php