Sunday, April 05, 2009
Editorial: Wannabe 'energy governor'
Virginia will never be the 'energy capital of America' with McDonnell's single-minded focus on coal, oil and other fossil fuels.
From the RoundTable blog
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As he officially launched his campaign for governor, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell put a lot of emphasis on energy.
In a Roanoke appearance, he said he wanted to be the "energy governor" and turn Virginia into the "energy capital of America."
If those are genuine ambitions, McDonnell needs to broaden his attention beyond the fossil fuels that have been his focus so far.
The Republican candidate excoriated his Democratic opponents for not getting on board with his push to open Virginia to offshore drilling. He's also talking a lot about Virginia's coal.
By necessity, fossil fuels will remain the base source of energy for America's foreseeable future. But McDonnell needs to realize that if Virginia wants to become the energy capital of America, the commonwealth must look to the future of renewable energy. The state simply doesn't have huge reserves of fossil fuels.
Take coal, for example. The National Mining Association estimates that Virginia has about 770 million tons of recoverable coal. Compare that to the 17.6 billion tons in West Virginia, or the 75 billion tons in Wyoming.
Oil is perhaps worse. In an online chart of proven reserves published by the U.S. Department of Energy, Virginia doesn't even merit an entry. Even if the most optimistic estimates of offshore reserves prove accurate, Virginia would be a minor player.
McDonnell's Democratic rivals are doing a better job of training their focus on renewable energy.
Former Del. Brian Moran came out against a new coal-fired power plant in Surry County and proposed a mandate for 25 percent of Virginia's energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.
Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe's stated goal is to make Virginia "the number one renewable energy state in the country." He released a detailed plan to back up the ambition.
Sen. Creigh Deeds championed legislation to help Virginia homeowners convert to green energy systems through local loan programs.
McDonnell hasn't even proposed putting windmills on offshore drilling platforms.
Green energy will take time to develop, and incentives will be necessary -- especially with the global recession forcing down the price of oil.
It will take visionary leadership to help the commonwealth focus on renewable energy, conservation and other 21st century approaches to meeting the state's and nation's energy needs.
So far, McDonnell is proposing an energy plan that seems far more suited to the 1950s. Virginia will never be the nation's energy capital with that kind of thinking.
