# Virginia HB1491: Electric utilities; construction of new overhead transmission lines, siting requirements.

Virginia HB1491, Electric utilities; construction of new overhead transmission lines, siting requirements., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by JJ Singh (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0866)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1491-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB1491
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Electric utilities; construction of new overhead transmission lines, siting requirements.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-23
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0866)
- Sponsor: JJ Singh (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 7 (176 yes, 43 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 6

## Summary

Electric utilities; construction of certain electrical transmission lines; siting requirements. Requires the State Corporation Commission, in order to approve the construction of an electrical transmission line of 138 kilovolts or more, to determine that the corridor or route chosen for the line will avoid or reasonably minimize adverse impact to the greatest extent reasonably practicable on dwelling houses. For overhead transmission lines of 500 kilovolts or more constructed by Dominion Energy Virginia, the bill directs the Commission to prioritize approving corridors or routes for construction for which the center is located farther than 150 feet from any dwelling house, public or private school building, day care, or place of worship unless no other practicable alternative exists.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Coordinated planning with environmental agencies: benefit, low. The Commission signs a written agreement with the Department of Environmental Quality to coordinate environmental reviews of power plants and related facilities. If a project is in a locality flagged for Tribal consultation, that information is included. Applicants who need both a certificate and a…
- More notice and local hearings on power lines: benefit, low. No line of 138 kilovolts or more is built without Commission approval and at least 30 days’ public notice. The Commission must mail notices to local governments and to property owners along the proposed route. Notices must include a route description and a GIS map, and the Commission posts the map…
- Routes must reduce harm near homes: benefit, low. The Commission approves a new transmission line only if it is needed and its route avoids or reasonably minimizes harm to homes, scenic and historic places, Tribal cultural resources, and the environment. Applicants must show verified studies that justify the line and explain how they reduced impac…
- Some small projects skip these rules: mixed, low. Small renewable energy projects by regulated utilities that have a DEQ permit by rule are exempt from this section’s siting and approval rules. Also, if a transmission line does not require a state certificate of public convenience and necessity, this section’s approval is not required. These exemp…
- State approval overrides local zoning: mixed, low. When the Commission approves a transmission line under this law, that approval also satisfies the cited state statute and local zoning rules for that line. Projects no longer need separate local zoning approval. This can speed construction but reduces local control over final siting conditions.
- Stronger review, fewer duplicate permits: mixed, low. The Commission now weighs environmental effects, economic development, and service reliability when approving electric utility projects. It relies on valid federal, state, or local environmental permits and does not add extra conditions on issues those permits already cover. In areas that were rate…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: JJ Singh (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-12 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 39 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 37 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor | pass | 15 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 62 | 35 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute | pass | 17 | 5 |   |
| 2026-02-05 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 6 | 2 |   |

## Actions (33)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0866) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 866 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-04-06: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1491) (House)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1491ER) (House)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Passed Senate (39-Y 1-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Passed by for the day (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1491) (House)
- 2026-03-09: Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-13: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-02-13: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-13: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-12: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-10: Committee substitute printed 26107224D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-10: Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (17-Y 5-N) (House)
- 2026-02-05: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-02-05: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N) (House)
- 2026-01-29: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB1491) (House)
- 2026-01-28: Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 (House)
- 2026-01-23: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-01-23: Presented and ordered printed 26104454D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223240.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223239.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213589.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213588.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138740.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138739.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132226.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132225.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131659.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131658.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-23: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095532.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095531.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223240.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223239.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213589.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213588.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138740.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1138739.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132226.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132225.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131659.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1131658.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095532.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095531.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1491-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).