Dominion Power’s wind and solar facade

By Ivy Main. Originally published in The Washington Post, December 30, 2011. Reprinted with permission of the author.

Perhaps you remember the Dominion Power print ads that ran last year. Big, glossy spreads showing seagrass bending in the breeze, with a picture of a wind turbine and the words, “Natural. Abundant. Renewable. Wind. That’s why we’re harnessing it to help power Virginia’s energy future.”

Only, it turns out, it isn’t. It never was. Forced to reveal the energy sources the company uses to meet Virginia’s voluntary renewable portfolio standards, Dominion admitted that its customers in Virginia are getting precisely zero wind power.

How about solar energy? Nope. Nada. Zilch.

And yet Dominion will be collecting millions of extra dollars from its ratepayers as a reward for meeting the goals of the state’s renewable portfolio standard, or RPS.

Mind you, Dominion isn’t required to include renewable energy among the generation sources it uses. It can choose to forgo the extra “basis points” (cash) awarded for meeting benchmarks. But if it meets the goals, by statute it is allowed to collect millions of ratepayers’ dollars for doing so.

So if Virginia has a goal for renewable energy and Dominion is pocketing money for meeting it, what is it selling us?

In addition to some hydropower projects that long predate the RPS law, Dominion uses some Virginia biomass (i.e., wood); to make up the rest, it buys “renewable energy certificates” from other companies that give it credit for energy produced elsewhere. The list of these certificates, released this fall in litigation before the Virginia State Corporation Commission, shows they relate to hydropower, biomass or landfill gas-to-energy, with the majority of them pre-World War II projects, and none of them placed in service in the past 10 years. Most states won’t accept these renewable energy certificates for their RPS laws, so they are very cheap.

Yes, the Dominion family owns some wind farms, one just across the state line in West Virginia. But we aren’t getting a single electron of that energy, because Dominion sells it to other states that have much tougher standards for what counts as renewable energy. For us in Virginia, Dominion buys cheap certificates that no one else wants.

That’s a great deal for Dominion. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, $1.7 million could buy enough of these certificates to satisfy Dominion’s 2010 RPS targets, qualifying the company to collect an extra $76 million over two years from its ratepayers.

If Dominion actually builds the solar projects in Virginia that it says it plans to, it has said that it will sell certificates for the energy they produce into another state with a serious RPS, so it can maximize profit. Under the rules of the game, though, the buyer elsewhere will then be recognized as the owner of the renewable energy. Dominion could not also claim to be supplying its Virginia customers with wind or solar.

That explains why Dominion’s interest in Virginia wind and solar seems limited to its desire for great ad copy. But it doesn’t explain the company’s hostility to anyone else investing in Virginia renewables. The State Corporation Commission recently granted Dominion’s request to impose a “standby” charge of up to $60 per month on customers who install solar projects in the 10- to 20-kilowatt range (about twice the size of an average home’s usage). It’s enough to make these projects uneconomic and destroy the market for them. At a time when Dominion claims we need to build more power to meet demand, it is doing its best to keep small businesses from doing precisely that.

Even worse is its treatment of a Staunton-based solar company called Secure Futures, which has stepped up to the plate to put solar installations on university campuses, using a third-party power purchase agreement to ease financing. This summer, Dominion hit Secure Futures with “cease and desist” letters, claiming it can’t legally sell solar power to Washington and Lee University within Dominion’s exclusive service territory under Virginia law. Dominion, you understand, will not sell solar power to Washington and Lee, but it seems determined to make sure no one else does, either.

So watch for Dominion’s next renewable energy ad campaign, which will probably feature sunshine and promises of solar for Virginia. Just don’t make the mistake of believing it.

The writer is vice chair of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.

American Injustice

Racism and injustice are alive and thriving in communities, not only in Florida, but all across America. Bruce Springsteen reminds us in a song from the year 2000, "American Skin": "...you can get killed just for living in your American skin...."

Clearly, if the Florida case has been a black neighborhood watch man who killed a white teenager there would have been a quick arrest, high bail, and a spectacular trial showing the community's outrage. Lady Justice's only blindness is that American justice is not blind.

Earlier this year the General Assembly defeated Delegate Dickie Bell's Castle Doctrine Bill because it was overly vague and lacked bipartisan support. Bell promises to tighten the legislation and reintroduce it next year. While many people can support the notion self-defense of one's home, these bills are often the first step to enacting "Stand Your Ground" laws such as the one in Florida. Twenty-four states have a Stand Your Ground law on the books and the NRA is supporting passage of similar laws in all 50 states. With the "get tough" mentality of the majority in the House of Delegates and the muscle of the NRA, passing not only a Castle Doctrine bill but of a Stand Your Ground bill, is a distinct possibility.

In this clip, attorney Jonathan Turley explains the dangers inherent in passage of over-broad, poorly written self-defense legislation that may legally allow an irresponsible or vengeful person to use deadly force without justification.

Delegate Bell and the General Assembly should use extreme caution and heed the lessons of the Florida tragedy and other cases when reconsidering a Castle Doctrine bill and possibly considering a Stand Your Ground bill. In this regard, Common Law, with centuries of accumulated wisdom, has served the Commonwealth well. As recent events have confirmed, these vague new bills open the door to unintended and deadly consequences that make a sham of our deeply held American value of justice.

Bobblehead Bob Ignores Defense Spending

Source: The International Institute for Strategic Studies

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R) stopped by Rowe's Restaurant earlier this week to talk with "leaders" (i.e. GOP activists) about spending and regulations, and I'd imagine, his reelection. Of course, he went after Medicare and entitlements and attacked the GOP's favorite boogeyman, the EPA. 

But singing in the GOP chorus apparently means the congressman will ignore the outsized defense budget of the United States. The numbers in the chart speak for themselves, but if you want more of the dirty details, check out the press release of the The International Institute for Strategic Studies. Does the military of the U.S. really need to be so out of proportion to the rest of the world? Could its size and our unwanted presence in so many places actually make us an inviting target and much less safe? If Goodlatte is serious about reducing the debt,  Pentagon spending should be on the table, too.

A career politician, Goodlatte is being challenged by Karen Kwiatkowski for the Republican nomination. Kwiatkowski is way off the rails with many of her beliefs, but at least the former Air Force officer is willing to question some defense spending and polices, saying "I believe that the number of military bases, the amount of military spending, and the number of men and women in uniform deployed around the world do not always make us safer...." She also believes that our military should not be committed to fight unless "...wars are constitutionally declared by the Congress...."

Virginia Gets a F in State Integrity Grades

According to a just released study of integrity in state governments, State Integrity Investigation, the Commonwealth of Virginia gets a big fat F and ranks 47th in the nation. The study is a first-of-its-kind, data-driven assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states. No state got an A and only five states scored as high as a B.

Surprisingly New Jersey received the highest score, in part because political scandals in recent years have resulted in some of the toughest laws in the nation being passed. Other states in the top five are Connecticut, Washington, California, and Nebraska. Nineteen states got Cs and 18 received Ds. Eight states earned failing grades.

So while our elected officials tell us they are "citizen legislators" who represent our views and that processes in the General Assembly are transparent and open, the truth is a good bit murkier. The back room deals on legislation and selection of judges, the influence of political money especially by big players like Dominion Resources, gerrymandering, toothless ethics laws, mismanagement of VRS, and lack of access to (what should be) public information give rise to the suspicion that Virginia government isn't really a "commonwealth" but is more of a government of, by, and for those in the power elite.

The fox is running the hen house. 

Good conservation news in the Shenandoah Valley

Valley Conservation Council just sent out their 2011 Annual Report along with their February newsletter, Vision, and both contain great news for conservation efforts in the region. The headliner story - "Region Has Four of the Top Five Conservation Counties for 2011" touts the hard work and successes in acreage conserved by private landowners in cooperation with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF). Leading the list is Rockbridge County (11 new easements in 2011 comprising 2,260 acres bringing the county's total to 35,200 acres) and Bath County (eight new easements comprising 2,567 acres bringing their total to 23,956 acres).  Augusta County (17,777 cumulative acres) and Highland County (11,284 cumulative acres) are also in the Commonwealth's top five.

New Mole Hill Easement
in Rockingham County.
Photo from VCC website.

Virginia's largest agricultural county, Rockingham, is far behind its neighbors to the south with only 3,721 acres in conservation easements with the VOF. But the good news for 2011 is that seven new easements totaling 1,066 acres were added, a 40% increase. Keep in mind that other organizations like the Virginia Department of Forestry have easements (including one of 1,000 acres in Rockingham) that are not included in the totals.

The newsletter and annual report highlight other important work of VCC, which has focused on local and regional policies that, while allowing for inevitable growth, promote minimal impacts on the Shenandoah Valley region's environmental, agricultural, historical, and cultural heritage. You may not own land to place in an easement or be able to attend VCC's programs, but you can donate to their important work that helps sustain what we love about the Valley! Lots of small donations add up... and that ain't chicken feed.

Wind farm a "win, win"

The recent news that Apex Wind Energy, a Charlottesville company, is huntin' and peckin' at the Augusta Regional Landfill as a possible wind farm should be applauded and encouraged by residents of Augusta County as well as the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. If studies prove favorable, Apex may lease plots on the landfill to build 15 or so wind turbines, providing a multi-use function at what is basically a single use facility (there is a law enforcement shooting range at the site). The lease will provide a new revenue stream to cash strapped local governments and the wind farm will be a showcase of government/business partnerships and highlight the potential of renewable energy right here in the Shenandoah Valley.

Landfills have a finite lifespan and there are limited uses once the site is closed. Many landfills are simply capped and closed and never used for any productive purpose. We've all heard landfills being converted and having a new and different life - for example Mount Trashmore, a Virginia Beach park, and some localities have installed solar panels at closed landfills. The wind farm would provide a "forever" use for the Augusta Regional Landfill that wouldn't necessarily preclude other potential development that might arise in the future.

Apex has considerable experience in wind power technology having worked on projects in 21 states and seems to be a growing and successful firm. Over the past two years Apex has acquired interests in various renewable energy companies and recently raised $10 million in venture capital. In short, Apex isn't some unproven start-up without a solid track record.

As the Chairman of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors, Tracy Pyles, noted, "We would be able to take what is a huge burial site and turn it into a revenue producer for our county. That's just win-win across the board." I'd say it is something to crow about!

Prestigious colleges do it... should the Commonwealth follow suit?

It seems everything is for sale in the U.S.A. Seeing a chance to make $2,000 Dixie State College of Utah is doing it. So is the University of Colorado. Even Harvard Law School does it. And what is the it they are all cashing in on? Selling naming rights to bathrooms and even to individual stalls... hope they have the best toilet paper available.

So, I guess it should come as no surprise that the General Assembly is following the selling naming rights idea as a way to raise (according to the Governor's Office) up to $100 million a year. After Lt. Governor Bolling cast a tie-breaking vote, a bill to sell naming rights to highways, bridges, and tunnels is heading to the governor's desk.

Many Virginia highways are currently named for people and events celebrating Virginia's rich history. Bridges are named for fallen police officers and military heroes who gave their all for the safety of our communities. This practice lends dignity to the Commonwealth. It might even teach a little history - more than once I've Googled a name I read on a highway sign.

GEICO Squealing Pig Memorial Bridge?

Something stinks about both of these money-making ideas. The "Highest Bidder" bridge just seems... well... demeaning and wrong. I hope the governor will reject this idea.