On the (rail) road again?

After more than a half century of policies favoring highways, cars, and big oil it is time for all governments, including the Commonwealth of Virginia to get on board the train! Intercity passenger rail service can help ease crowded roads while weaning us from foreign oil and cleaning our air. Meredith Richards, a former Charlottesville city councilor lays out a compelling case for rail in "Intercity Passenger Rail in Virginia: What's on Track for Virginia?" in The Virginia News Letter. Breaking from policies of the past will take leadership - is our governor and General Assembly up to it?

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.

Sierra Club in the Valley

Snow Day! The Sierra Club has things going on in the Shenandoah Valley and across Virginia. Sit by the fire - mark your calendar for the these events and contact the officials to keep our Commonwealth green.

The Shenandoah Group of the Sierra Club is presenting the following program events. All meetings are free and open to the public. Contact shenandoah.group@gmail.com for more information

• "The State of the Shenandoah River: What We Need to Know and What We Can Do" will be presented by Jeff Kelbie of Shenandoah Riverkeeper on February 17, 7:30pm at Clementine Cafe, 153 South Main Street, Harrisonburg.
• Michael Testerman, Vice-Chair of Rail Solution will provide an overview of current transportation planning and efforts to develop the rail alternative to highway expansion. March 17, 7:30 PM at Clemtine Cafe, 153 South Main Street Harrisonburg.

The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter urges you to support Senate Bills 1447 (McEachin) and 1440 (Herring). Their legislation calls for a mandatory 19% reduction in projected energy demand by 2025 while rewarding utilities for their efficiency investments. This will create jobs and reduce our use of electricity. For more information and contact visit Article XI: To Preserve and Protect.

Finally, let officials at the George Washington National Forest know what you think as they develop their new plan. At 1.1 million acres, the GWNF is the largest National Forest in the eastern United States and is vital to Virginia's environmental and economic health. Tell them to write a plan to provide for species protection, for protecting downstream rivers and drinking water, maintaining its large tracts of roadless areas, and for low-impact recreational activities. More info. Comments may be made at GWNF or emailed to comments-southern-georgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us (put "Comment on George Washington Plan Revision" in the subject line.)

Scrambled Eggs

The Harrisonburg School Board presented a report clearing coaches in the case of alleged drug use among football players. The independent investigation suggested changes in school policy to help prevent future drug use among students. One recommendation - random drug tests. As CCC suggested in a prior post, the school board will not release the entire report, citing confidentiality of both students and staff.

About 250 people showed up at a wind energy forum sponsored by Shenandoah Forum to learn more about a proposal to put 130 turbines in the George Washington National Forest along the VA-WV line in Shenandoah, Rockingham, and Hardy counties. Opponents cite harm to bird and bat populations from the 400 foot tall structures and contend this site is not optimal for year-around electric generation. Supporters contend this is one of the better sites in the mid-Atlantic and that it can boost local economic activity through tourism. Last winter the Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the Sierra Club held a similar forum in Harrisonburg on the Highland County wind farm. CCC supports the development of properly sited wind turbines when environmental impacts are minimized. It is a small part of a national energy solution using renewable sources. We must avoid the NIMBY syndrome and keep an open mind when considering alternative energy sources.

Speaking of the local Sierra Club, they sponsored a forum on railroads at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton last night. The speaker, from Rail Solution, presented a detailed and interesting overview of rail options in Virginia, the entire I-81 corridor, and nationwide. Rail offers an efficient, safe, environmentally-friendly, and economically viable option to widening the interstate. Lots of facts and figures - almost too much to take in at once. Unfortunately, there were only about a dozen people present and no media coverage. Sam Rasoul, the Democratic candidate for House of Representatives, attended and asked probing questions about costs, public-private funding, and the European experience with high-speed rail.

And more on the transportation issue - Governor Kaine has called a special session of the General Assembly to deal with transportation funding. Kaine seems to be saying "Yes, we can" while the Republican House leadership says "No, we can't." The governor has proposed raising various taxes to raise funds for roads. CCC says raise the gas tax and dedicate it totally to road maintenance and construction. The Virginia gas tax is below the national average. Would an additional 5 or 10 cents even be noticed with $4/gallon gas? Plus, unlike the governor's tax hikes, the gas tax hits those who use the roads, including out-of-state motorists.

Cluck.