By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
The West Virginia Senate approved a bill Thursday designed to encourage retail customer investment in solar energy by exempting solar power purchase agreements from the state Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction.
In a 33-1 vote, the Senate signed off with little discussion on an amended version of House Bill 3310, which specifies that solar energy facilities located on and designed to meet only the electrical needs of the premises of a retail electric customer do not constitute a public service, nor is the output subject to a power purchase agreement with the retail electric customer.
The Senate Judiciary Committee made minor changes to the bill, which accordingly now goes before the House of Delegates for concurrence.
Sen. Richard Lindsay, D-Kanawha, recalled on the Senate floor prior to the bill’s passage Thursday that he had cosponsored a similar bill previously and that the Senate’s approval of the legislation was “a long time coming.” …
