A House subcommittee considered HB 20 68, a measure that patrons said was meant to preserve local land-use authority over certain energy generation projects and thereby maintain localities'ability to secure developer contributions for schools, fire and rescue, and other local needs.

The bill's sponsor offered and the committee accepted a line amendment that narrowed the measure to "solar-powered and wind-powered electricity generation, including energy storage projects and data centers" rather than a broader set of land-use topics.

Delegate Garrett, the patron, emphasized that the intent was to keep decisions about local land use in the hands of local governments so those localities could extract proffers that fund public services. "The ability to make local land use decisions is a very real tool to help them extract these profits," Garrett said, noting examples from Buckingham and other counties.

Support came from the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and Prince William County leadership; the Virginia Agribusiness Council also associated with support. The Home Builders Association raised questions about the role of state regulatory agencies such as DEQ and the Army Corps in permitting and how the bill would interact with existing state or federal permits.

After substitute motions and debate, the committee voted 5-3 to lay the bill on the table. The clerk recorded the vote, and the chair thanked the patron for the presentation.