Stand up for off-shore wind power!

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is taking public comment on leasing an area off the Virginia coast with huge wind energy potential. In addition to bringing good jobs to the Commonwealth, it is estimated that wind in this prime area could generate enough electricity for half a million homes.

Dominion Virginia Power, which has a long history of dragging its feet on renewable energy, could use its deep pockets to outbid competitors on these new offshore areas and then do nothing by sitting on the leases for years. That would mean no new job creation and dirtier air and water as Dominion continues to burn dirty coal to generate electricity.

Tell BOEM to require companies bidding on offshore wind leases that they must begin construction of turbines and infrastructure in a timely manner. Tell BOEM that delaying development of wind energy will hurt the state's economy and environment. Tell BOEM that now is the time to move to a 21st century clean energy economy.

Report: Coal Has Negative Impact on VA Budget

A recent report, The Impact of Coal on the Virginia State Budget released by Downstream Strategies, takes an in-depth look the costs and benefits of the coal industry in the Commonwealth. While coal plays a fairly small role in the overall Virginia economy, it does contribute revenues and provide jobs in the southwestern part of the state, primarily in Wise and Buchanan counties. Coal production in the state peaked in 1990 when it represented about 4.5% of the total U.S. output. Since then Virginia's contribution has declined to 2.2% of national output mostly because of a reduction in underground mining. Destructive mountaintop removal coal mining, which is cheaper and requires fewer employees, has increased 23% since 1990 but has declined some in recent years.

So, what is the impact of the coal industry on Virginia's budget? Downstream Strategies' report concludes:

Overall, when taking all revenues and expenditures into account, we estimate that the total net impact of the coal industry on the Virginia state budget in Fiscal Year 2009 amounted to a net cost to the Commonwealth of $21.9 million.

Of course, this net cost to the Commonwealth's budget does not factor in the lasting impact and damage to the environment and our health caused by mountaintop removal coal mining and of the degradation of air and water quality caused by burning coal to generate electricity.

During this session of the General Assembly lawmakers should eliminate tax and other budgetary provisions that make a shrinking coal industry a drain on state finances and concurrently legislators must move Virginia ahead in renewable wind and solar energy. My hopes are not high - typically in Richmond more effort is spent looking backwards rather than forwards - a view promoted by lobbyists of King Coal and Dominion Resources.

Dominion: Time to Move Virginia Forward

Dominion emits more industrial carbon and mercury pollution than any other utility in Virginia. Dominion has developed clean energy in neighboring states, yet in Virginia it relies on dirty fuels that produce mercury, smog, and soot pollution which contribute to developmental disabilities in children as well as asthma, heart attacks, and cancer.

Tell Dominion to lead the way toward a cleaner and better tomorrow with clean, renewable energy by creating 3,000 megawatts - enough to power 700,000 homes - of new Virginia-made wind and solar energy and energy efficiency by 2020.

Sign the Virginia Chapter Sierra Club petition today. And after you sign, pass the link on to friends and family.

Keep him center stage

In some ways I've been pleasantly surprised that Governor Bob McDonnell has been conservative, but relatively moderate, on some issues since taking office in January. He's a sharp politician and knows many Virginians are in the middle of the political spectrum and he has to work with a Virginia Senate controlled by the Democrats. But, CCC still believes McDonnell is a hard right conservative by ideology and he is being pulled towards stage right by the tea party whackos who are increasingly influential in the Virginia GOP and by "friends" like the extremist attorney general. Ken Cuccinelli is actually doing the governor a favor - as long as he's prowling the far right, McDonnell appears to be moderate by comparison.

So, in the hope that McDonnell will remain a somewhat pragmatic politician who knows the best political hay is in the middle of the field, I hopeful that his current town hall tour will fill his ears with more than right wing manure. Tonight (August 26) the governor will be at JMU Festival Conference and Student Center at 7:00 PM. In this format there will be time for only 12-15 speakers/questioners. If you plan on attending get there early and sign-up to speak - even so, it is likely his handlers will tilt the verbal questions to known conservative friends of the governor's policies.

If like me you cannot attend, or if you don't have the opportunity to speak, you can always leave comments at the governor's Reform Task Force website. Cluck, cluck... the site is slow loading today.

One issue the governor along with a local state senator will be pushing is privatization of the Commonwealth's liquor stores. I'm not opposed to the prospect of private liquor stores, but it is far from clear that this makes dollars and sense. There are two issues that I think are unresolved. The dollars don't seem to add up over time - it would be a real shame if a one-time cash infusion built a few roads and made the governor look like a hero only to have that funding stream dry up when he's out of office. Does it make sense to have more stores selling whiskey? Or would this lead to more DUIs or more hard liquor in underage bellies?

Earlier this year Governor McDonnell proposed closing five state parks and has sided with Ken Cuccinelli on the legal challenge to the EPA which questions global warming. Some right wingers want to privatize state parks. If we don't speak up, this administration may dismantle Virginia's parks and do nothing (or take steps backwards) on protecting our rivers, air, and the Chesapeake Bay. Here is what this bird is telling the task force:

• Do not privatize our state parks. Do not close state parks. Instead, assure adequate state funding to keep our parks some of the best in the nation. My family and many of our friends have too many fond memories of camping, of picnics, and of exploring our great state parks to let you or anybody shut them down or diminish their splendor.
• Get real about transportation by moving encouraging rail-freight solutions on I-81, smart investments in public transit including high speed rail, and encouraging local governments to have common sense regulations to end the sprawl that means more and more cars on the roads. VDOT must be fully accountable to all environmental regulations.
• Make Virginia a green model for the nation. A recent report indicates that many of Virginia's streams and rivers are impaired. Impaired rivers mean an impaired Chesapeake Bay. We need tougher regulations to assure our water supplies are going to be cleaner in the future than they are today. The governor supports off-shore drilling - now let's see enthusiastic support for off-shore wind energy and other green businesses. That's hard to do when your attorney general, to appease the right wing, is conducting witch hunts in his crusade against global warming.

The governor has shown he can be nudged to center stage on some issues. But only if common sense Virginians are willing to speak up... indeed, stand up... to keep Virginia moving forward.

Drill here, drill now?

For all the right wing rants about President Barack Obama being so far to the left, it is pretty clear (to all but them) that he occupies turf well in the mainstream. Healthcare reform, if you ignore the tainted tea baggers' distortions, brings only modest change that is still market-based (i.e. insurance companies still calling most of the shots). Despite the irrational fears hawked by the NRA and others, President Obama has done nothing that remotely diminishes gun rights.

And now, to the obvious delight of the "drill here, drill now" advocates including Governor Bob McDonnell, the president will open vast areas off the east coast to oil exploration and drilling. His announcement will come today at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and could mean lease sales beginning in 2012. As shown in the New York Times map, the first lease could be in a triangular tract about 50 miles off the Virginia coast. Don't go counting Virginia's royalties and looking for lower gas prices just yet - any oil and gas reserves are largely unknown because the seismic data are three decades old. Some estimates say two to three years of oil and gas (at current consumption rates) may be recoverable.

That's generally the same area where wind resources could provide sustainable, clean energy for decades, not just a few years. Maybe some smart engineers and politicians (?) can figure a good way for the oil/gas infrastructure to have a second green life finding answers to our energy needs blowing in the wind.

Blowin' In the Wind

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine joined his counterparts in Maryland and Delaware to announce a tri-state commitment to developing off-shore wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region. Governor Kaine stated:

With our extensive coastline and highly-educated workforce, Virginia is particularly well-suited to explore offshore wind energy opportunities. In these tough economic times, it's more important than ever that we invest in renewable energy sources that will create jobs and provide cleaner, more affordable energy for our families and communities. One of the best things we can do to lift ourselves out of a challenging economy today is to invest in a greener, cleaner tomorrow.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has long opposed off-shore oil drilling along the coast of the Commonwealth because of potential harm to our environment, it threatens commercial and sport fishing, and could have adverse impact on Virginia's vital tourism industry. The Sierra Club points out that off-shore oil drilling is even opposed by the U.S. Navy because it would interfere with unfettered access to the Virginia CAPES operating area.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has long advocated for development of off-shore wind energy resources along the eastern seaboard of the United States. In the clip below, Ivy Main, the Club's Renewable Energy Chair, explains that the east coast of the United States has enough proven wind energy to supply a significant portion of our electricity needs with a clean and renewable resource that poses none of the adverse effects that the "drill here, drill now" crowd would bring to our Atlantic seaboard.

Kudos to Governor Kaine as well as governors Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Jack Markell of Delaware for joining in this forward looking project. Hopefully it will mean green jobs, a cleaner environment, and be part of weaning our nation off dirty coal and help end our dependence on foreign oil bought from regimes who do not share our values. The answer to our energy needs is indeed, at least part of it, blowing in the wind... now if only the recent political ill-winds that chilled Virginia don't blow out this flicker of progress.

The Answer Is Blowin' In the Offshore Wind

Bob McDonnell and other Repugs are all for off-shore oil - drill here, drill now and all that feel good (to right wing nuts) BS. The reserves are unproven, the environmental and economic risks are very high, and even if it all works perfectly, oil/gas off the Virginia coast is a short term pipe dream having minimal impact on gas and oil prices in the Commonwealth. After all, petroleum prices are set on a global market and there is no guarantee any of it would find its way to a Henrico gas station. A drop in the bucket?

Fortunately the Commonwealth, under the leadership of Democrats like Governor Tim Kaine, is looking forward to a greener future that meets long term energy needs with clean and everlasting wind power. As the Governor said in his press release proclaiming the potential of off-shore wind in Virginia:

Wind power holds the potential to create new jobs and provide cheaper and cleaner energy to our citizens without having an adverse effect on the environment. I am looking forward to working with federal, state and local officials to begin the process of making Virginia a regional leader in clean energy.

Among the groups advocating for off-shore wind power is the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. In the video, Ivy Main, the club's renewable energy chair, explains how offshore wind turbines can help replace dirty fossil fuels as the major electric power source for the Atlantic coast states.

Bob McDonnell, Republicans, and all the drill here, drill now crowd are looking backwards and consigning Virginians to a future rooted in the past. A future of more global warming. A future of dependence on oil - most of which comes from foreign sources, many with terrorist ties. Only under the forward thinking leadership of Tim Kaine, Creigh Deeds, and other Democrats (with a strong assist from groups like the Sierra Club) is Virginia going to move forward. We either begin fixing our energy/environmental future now, or we'll leave a mess to our children's children.