---
type: "Bill"
title: "Nuclear energy; considered a clean energy source."
description: "Nuclear energy; considered a clean energy source. Provides that for the purposes of the Commonwealth Energy Policy, in any clean energy initiative or carbon-free energy initiative undertaken, overseen, regulated, or permitted by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, nuclear energy shall be considered to be a clean energy source."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 817"
citation: "Virginia SB 817 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr."]
version_count: 3
action_count: 28
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e227a1b2-df57-4729-ae06-2c3462adb521"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB817"
source_hash: "6998df010e28197932567754f0e75080001b901b19bba90302c61576261a1d26"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 817 (2020) — Nuclear energy; considered a clean energy source.

Nuclear energy; considered a clean energy source. Provides that for the purposes of the Commonwealth Energy Policy, in any clean energy initiative or carbon-free energy initiative undertaken, overseen, regulated, or permitted by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, nuclear energy shall be considered to be a clean energy source.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0960)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0960)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB817ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB817ER)
3. **Impact statement from DPB (SB817)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB817)

## Votes

- Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Labor and Commerce (14-Y 6-N) — **14–6** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (65-Y 35-N) — **64–35** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 4-N) — **5–4** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr. — primary (person)
- Bryce E. Reeves — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20105123D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-10** Assigned C&L sub: Energy `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-13** Impact statement from DPB (SB817)
- **2020-01-20** Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-22** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-23** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2020-01-24** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-13** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-14** Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #3 `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 4-N)
- **2020-02-20** Reported from Labor and Commerce (14-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-24** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-25** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-26** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-27** Pending question ordered
- **2020-02-27** Passed House (65-Y 35-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-27** VOTE: Passage (65-Y 35-N)
- **2020-03-04** Enrolled
- **2020-03-04** Impact statement from DPB (SB817ER)
- **2020-03-05** Signed by President
- **2020-03-05** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-09** Approved by Governor-Chapter 960 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e227a1b2-df57-4729-ae06-2c3462adb521`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).