The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is now named the Virginia Department of Energy The name change was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Ralph Northam in April and it became official on Friday. Officials say the agency’s name change and reorganization follows the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act which establishes a mandatory renewable portfolio standard to achieve 30 percent renewable energy by 2030. It also calls for a carbon-free electric grid by 2045.