Being mentioned in the same breath as Cheney, Bush, Inhofe, and Barton is never good, but that is exactly what the Washingtonian did with Governor Tim Kaine as part of their list of the top ten local politicians that are not doing good for the environment. The Washingtonian minced no words, essentially calling the Governor a hypocrite for his support of emissions reductions while still remaining a strong proponent of “dirty energy.” It is Kaine’s steadfast support of Dominion’s controversial Wise County coal plant that got the Governor listed as a “Dirty Rotten Scoundrel.”

Over the last month, the heat on Kaine has really been turned up. He has been dogged at nearly every public appearance and has been the subject of numerous articles relating to Dominion Power’s controversial coal proposal. His public position is that even though we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move away from coal, the $1.8 billion investment in new coal generation is a step in the right direction.

Other politicians and governing bodies have questioned the wisdom of building a new coal plant when better technologies exist, including the Metro Washington Council of Governments, Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, the City of Blacksburg, Albermarle County, the City of Charlottesville, Fairfax Chairman Gerry Connolly, and Former Arlington Chairman Paul Ferguson.

One can only assume that the onslaught on the Governor will continue for as long as he is the highest profile support of Dominion’s plans (and recipient of $250,000 of Dominion’s money).

If Gov. Kaine wants to keep his reputation intact, it may be beneficial for him to take a long look in the mirror and ask himself what he wants next in life. To be forever labeled a “dirty rotten scoundrel” and associated with Dominion Power and a controversial coal plant, or to be praised by the environmental community for his leadership and forward thinking by stopping new coal.

The choice is up to you Gov. Kaine.