This Washington Post op-ed covers how the Virginia State Corporation Commission denied Walmart’s request to buy renewable energy generated by a third-party (not one of two regulated utilities) despite the fact that job creators across the commonwealth have espoused support for state policy enabling greater customer choice. The article references AEE's 2018 Virginia Jobs Fact Sheet. See excerpts below and the entire Washington Post op-ed here:

Sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive. More and more American companies are demanding renewable energy options to power their businesses. You can be sure that these demands are motivated by economics, not philanthropy…

The renewable energy industry itself is booming in Virginia. Recent statistics from Advanced Energy Economy, a coalition of advanced energy business, show that Virginia is home to nearly 100,000 jobs in wind, solar, efficiency and other advance energy industries. That is more jobs than exist in all of Virginia’s supermarkets, double the number employed by hotels and motels, and more than 10 times more than the two utilities in the state.

See the complete Washington Post story here.