At 2:00p.m. today, Governor Tim Kaine held a press conference in the Capitol complex’s Patrick Henry Building. Kaine used the meeting to announce the newest initiative underneath his Renew Virginia campaign: executive order #82, “Greening of State Government.” His announcement detailed a new (and mildly exciting) plan for encouraging gains in efficiency and conservation in state-owned buildings and by state employees. Applying primarily to state-level buildings, fleet vehicles and personnel, Kaine hopes that the initiative will show, “leadership that will inspire local governments,” to do the same.
Miles to Go Before We Sleep….
First I want to offer my sincere CONGRATULATIONS to my colleagues and neighbors working in Maryland. Maryland is clearly leading the way and setting the example for what other states can be doing in the absence of federal climate legislation.
I’d like however to focus on Virginia, which by stark contrast is anything but a leader on this issue. As many may be aware, the Virginia General Assembly reconvened for it’s one day veto session last week. The only real way to sum up the results of that one day session is with one word… disappointing.
We had a real opportunity to move Virginia towards the a clean energy future that is already available and affordable, it just needed a little legislative help. Some of you may have followed me on twitter last week giving the play by play of what went down and I decided to sit and think on it over the weekend before voicing my complete disappointment in our elected officials.
There are some champions to be highlighted and thanked before I go on:
Senator Donald McEachin- introduced a comprehensive piece of legislation on energy efficiency that would have saved consumers money on the electricity bills in the long run and created 10,000 plus jobs for the commonwealth and contained a strong mandatory target. (SB 1447)
Senator Mark Herring- introduced key components of the above bill (a mandatory 19% Efficiency goal for utilities) (SB 1440)
Delegate Albert Pollard- introduced a bill that would give utilities the same rate of return for investments in efficiency that they currently see for investments in coal. This bill passed and is an important step towards a clean energy economy but it is just the first step.
Senator Chap Petersen- introduced bills with strong targets on efficiency. Senator Petersen was also a vocal champion for moving Virginia forward and embracing a clean energy future.
Governor Tim Kaine- yeah that’s right, Governor Kaine endorsed legislation that contained mandatory efficiency targets at the beginning of the session and amended the weakened bills that came out of the session to include a 19% efficiency target.
These are the five BIG thank yous I feel I have to give before moving on to lastweek’s veto session.
Unfortunately, none of the legislation was able to make it out of the General Assembly with a mandatory efficiency standard. Utilities, like Dominion were able to make that a scary idea, because according to them it’s impossible to control the behavior of rate payers, despite the fact that mandatory efficiency measures have been successful in other states like California and Vermont (note that Vermont is a mostly rural state with mountains). But Governor Kaine stepped in and amended the legislation that passed to include a 19% target. This is far from where we started at the beginning of the session but still would have been a step forward, and would have put us a better place to start next legislative session. In my eyes this was the least we could do this session and claim victory.
Well, we couldn’t do that.
We were unable to pass a voluntary efficiency standard! It passed in the Senate with a close vote but I will briefly thank the senators that voted for the amendment. Barker, Colgan, Deeds, Edwards, Herring, Houck, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Petersen, Puckett, Puller, Reynolds, Saslaw, Ticer, Vogel, and Whipple all voted in support of the goal so thank you!
Then we went to the House. Delegate Pollard stood up and endorsed the Governor’s amendments to SB 1248 and was immediately countered by Delegate Hogan. Delegate Hogan that made false accusations in regards to the target, the most egregious being that Virginia already has a voluntary efficiency standard of 12% that we are not meeting so why set the bar higher. This is utterly absurd but stood uncontested. Virginia does not have a voluntary energy efficiency standard of any kind! We do however have a voluntary Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) of 12% but this is COMPLETELY different! I was shocked that no one contested this. He also threatened that efficiency is going to raise rates for consumers period. No mention of the fact that our current course will also raise rates and in fact will raise rates far more than efficiency. Delegate Pollard brought that issue up, but Hogan’s damage was done. The votes fluctuated a bit but ultimately the Gov’s amendments were defeated by 3 votes. 47-50 with 3 people abstaining. I’ve heard a lot of discussion that the ultimate demise was the result of a partisan battle in the House that was beyond our control. I find that hard to accept when I examined the vote count. There were Republicans voting for the amendments as well as Democrats voting against. Maybe it was a case of partisan politics I’ll list the vote count below and you can decide. The one thing I ask is if your Delegate voted against this simple amendment please give them a call and voice your disappointment that we were enable to push our cheapest fuel source here in Virignia…. Energy Efficiency.
It’s great that we got close, but we’ve certainly got our work cut out for us in Virginia next session.
YEAS–Alexander, Amundson, Armstrong, Athey, BaCote, Barlow, Bouchard, Brink, Bulova, Caputo, Dance, Ebbin, Eisenberg, Englin, Frederick, Hall, Herring, Howell, A.T., Hull, Lewis, Lingamfelter, Marsden, Marshall, R.G., Mathieson, McClellan, McQuinn, Melvin, Miller, P.J., Morrissey, Nichols, Plum, Poisson, Pollard, Rust, Scott, E.T., Scott, J.M., Shannon, Shuler, Sickles, Spruill, Toscano, Tyler, Valentine, Vanderhye, Ward, Ware, O., Watts–47.
NAYS–Abbitt, Albo, Bell, Bowling, Byron, Carrico, Cline, Cole, Cosgrove, Cox, Crockett-Stark, Fralin, Gilbert, Griffith, Hamilton, Hargrove, Hogan, Hugo, Iaquinto, Ingram, Janis, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, Kilgore, Knight, Landes, Lohr, Loupassi, Massie, May, Merricks, Miller, J.H., Morgan, Nixon, Nutter, O’Bannon, Oder, Orrock, Peace, Phillips, Pogge, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Saxman, Sherwood, Ware, R.L., Wright, Mr. Speaker–50.
ABSTENTIONS–0.
NOT VOTING–Gear, Marshall, D.W., Tata–3.
What Recession? Dominion Wants Raises, Guaranteed Profits
From The Green Miles
“The sustainability of our economic development successes are dependent on having a reliable energy source,” — Delacey Skinner, Gov. Tim Kaine’s communications director, talking about coal-fired power, March 31, 2008
I think of that quote every time I hear about how our continued dependence on coal-fired power is hurting consumers and businesses and leaving Virginians in the dark. The only thing dependable these days about coal-fired power is that it keeps getting more expensive. And the only thing reliable is Dominion’s guaranteed profits
RICHMOND, March 31 — Dominion Virginia Power is seeking to raise electricity rates 6.9 percent during the next 14 months to pay for equipment, salaries, plant construction and conservation projects. […]
Dominion said incremental increases proposed for Sept. 1 and Jan. 1 will pay for operating costs, power plants in Buckingham and Wise counties and conservation programs. The increase also includes a 13.5 percent profit for the company and its investors.
At a time when Virginia businesses are laying off workers, Dominion is asking them to divert more money away from their payrolls and towards Dominion’s payroll and profit.
The proposed 7 percent hike would be on top of the 18 percent rate increase we just got hit with in September. Oddly, the Washington Post article doesn’t mention the 1.5 percent fee Dominion quietly added in January to cover the cost of the new $2 billion coal-fired power plant in Wise County. Compounding the rate hikes, it would be more than a 28 percent total increase.
But surely our elected officials will take a stand for consumers … right?
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who does not have a formal role in reviewing the request, said Dominion officials informed him they would be seeking an increase.
“The SCC is a strong body with a great staff, and I think they will do due diligence on this,” he said. “It’s difficult because the cost of energy is going up.”
Wow. Dominion wants to raise customers’ energy bills more than 28 percent in the worst economy since the Great Depression, and all Gov. Kaine can muster is a shrugging “well, what’re ya gonna do”?
Our continuing dependence on dirty coal is taking money out of consumers’ pockets, costing Virginia jobs, stripping our natural resources, polluting our air, and warming our planet. Remember that the next time anyone tries to tell you we can’t switch to clean energy.
Driving Home Efficiency
This past Saturday I joined a dozen other hybrid owners on a gorgeous spring day to… Circle the Capitol in Richmond! Yes, you read that correctly, I woke up early and covered my friend’s Toyota Prius in streamers and balloons and battled downtown Richmond traffic and construction on Broad Street. I did this to send a message that was loud (horns were honked) and clear (in bold font across the side of each of our fuel efficient vehicles). We support Governor Kaine amending legislation that made it through the general assembly session to include the 19% efficiency target that his own Commission on Climate Change recommended this past fall.
Energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest and cheapest way to meet Virginia’s energy needs. With federal legislation in the works to regulate carbon to stave off the most devastating effects of climate change, the Commonwealth can’t afford to miss this opportunity. Energy efficiency equals tens of thousands of jobs for our state, how much longer do we plan to wait?
One Tiny Step Forward, Two Giant Steps Back
Yesterday Gov. Kaine applauded Virginia’s electrical co-ops for donating energy efficient lights to Virginia State Parks, hailing it as “a major step forward” for Virginia.
It’s great that Virginia is taking strides to be more energy efficient. Considering Virginia spent just $84,000 statewide on efficiency measures in 2006, compared with $400,000 in Alabama and Mississippi and $3.8 billion in North Carolina, we certainly need to be stepping up our commitment to efficiency.
It’s also great that this is a “major step.” What exactly does that mean? Continue reading
Virginia Environmental Organizations' Core Recommendations to the Governor's Commission on Climate Change
The Governor’s Commission on Climate Change is meeting tomorrow, October 23. The current plan falls shockingly short of what scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. Governor Kaine’s plan would return Virginia to 2000 emissions levels by 2025. Scientists, in comparison, say we must cut emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020! This means that by 2020 Virginia should reduce emissions 35% below the 2000 level. The Commission on Climate Change has the ability to increase those targets.
Virginia Environmental Organizations’ Core Recommendations to the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change
Secretary L. Preston Bryant, Chair and Members of the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change
Dear Mr. Secretary and Commission members,
We recognize that developing climate change policy recommendations is an extremely complex endeavor. The variety of sources of carbon emissions, combined with the even greater number of control measures, the uncertain economics, and the competing stakeholders make this a most difficult charge.
Continue reading
Can you spell c-o-a-l?
Essay by Mike Tidwell, published online at Grist
The dirty secret behind D.C.’s high-tech Virginia suburbs
There’s a chance the presidential election will come down to who wins the state of Virginia. And the key to winning Virginia comes down to who does well in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia. This area is an economic powerhouse where no fewer than one in three Virginia voters live. Just mention the words “northern Virginia” across the mid-Atlantic region and the hyphenated adjectives come back at you: Fast-growing, high-tech, well-educated, high-income.
No wonder the presidential candidates can’t seem to stay away from the area. Despite perennial traffic congestion, “NoVa” has that certain gleam of 21st century life, from the glitzy high-rises of Rosslyn to the corporate campuses around the Dulles airport to the performing arts stage at a place called Wolf Trap. Fairfax County alone, the heart of the region, has a higher percentage of high-tech workers than Silicon Valley.
Continue reading
Tax Holiday this weekend for Energy Star products
On the heels of the recent report released by ACEEE that shows that Virginians can reduce electricity demands by 20% in 20 years through efficiency measures, Gov Kaine has announced Virginia’s second annual sales tax holiday on energy efficient products. On Friday and Saturday of this week, Virginians will be exempt from paying sales tax on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense qualified products that cost $2,500 or less.
According to the ACEEE report, all of Virginia’s neighbors besides West Virginia rank higher in energy efficiency investments. Maryland, North Carolina and Washington DC all edge out Virginia, which is currently ranked at 32nd. As one of the most highly educated and wealthiest states in the nation, Virginia can do better. ACEEE recommends that Virginia enact strong policies that set strong targets, reduce peak demand and incentivize efficiency. Policies that have already been tested and proven in states like California, Oregon and Connecticut.
Instead, Virginia is building new, controversial and expensive coal plants like the one in Wise County. While Dominion has already asked for an 18% rate increase this year
Independent study shows that Virginia can provide for its energy needs to 2025 without building new coal plants
Press Statement
September 19, 2008Sarah Rispin Staff Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center, 434-977-4090
Kayti Wingfield Sierra Club, Virginia Chapter, 540-470-0643
Tom Cormons Appalachian Voices, 301-910-8973Richmond, Va. – The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) submitted a report today to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, following months of analysis, showing that energy efficiency is a cheap, accessible and low-impact way to provide for the lion’s share of the growth in Virginia’s projected energy use through 2025. The report says that, even taking policy constraints into account, and rolling out less than half of the energy-efficiency measures that are cost-effective given current electricity rates, Virginia can achieve almost 28 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in energy savings by 2025. At the same time, such a program would save ratepayers $15 billion in energy bills, pump $11 billion in investments into the Virginia economy, and create over 9,800 jobs in the state. This is more than double the rate of savings that Virginia’s 2007 electric utility restructuring legislation recommends.
Wise Energy for Virginia lauds the report, which shows clearly that energy efficiency
Kaine's coal plant is big controversy in Virginia
Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia is a big supporter of new coal combustion and offshore drilling. And he has done next to nothing for clean energy and efficiency. In fact, Kaine’s administration gave the final green light in June 2008 for the construction of a 585 megawatt coal plant in Wise County, Virginia that has no carbon capture capability whatsoever. Despite overwhelming opposition from all across the state, with concerned students and faith leaders and environmentalists turning out everywhere Kaine goes, the Gov. gave the thumbs up and