Friday, October 5, 2012

Environmentally minded protest Gov. McDonnell’s energy conference, call for clean energy


On Wednesday evening, environmentally minded protesters gathered outside of The Governor’s Energy Conference to urge the attendees to support increases in wind and solar power development and a reduction in fossil fuel use.

The previous day, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) defended the energy conference as representative of Virginia’s energy industry. According to McDonnell, over 90% of Virginia’s electricity is produced by nuclear power or coal plants. But Bob, that’s precisely the point of the environmental protesters!

The Governor’s Energy Conference is a three-day conference that environmentalists in Virginia have lamented as deficient in advocates for “green energy” while tall on representatives for the fossil fuel industries.[1]

Virginia director of Appalachian Voices[2] noted, “Unfortunately, these companies dominate Virginia’s energy policy, just as they dominate the conference agenda.”[3] What the protesters are protesting, therefore, is the dominant influence of fossil fuel advocates in Virginia and the reluctance of elected officials to spurn their old allies for cleaner sources of energy like wind and solar power.

In reference to the conferees at this year’s energy conference, McDonnell commented, “I think it’s a reasonable balance based on what we’re doing, and what we’re using.” But for a governor who has claimed the label of “all of the above,” it seems like an empty slogan when the sources of energy that aren’t present in Virginia are highlighted.[4]

Practically, Virginia’s fossil fuel use isn’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future. But what the protesters at the energy conference demand at a minimum is a more aggressive push by Virginia’s elected officials and private utilities in the direction of clean energy, at direction that has received much more lip-service than action.

With regards to wind power in particular, Virginia’s coast line holds immense potential for wind energy utilization.[5]

Virginia’s leaders know which way Virginia should be headed, but Virginia’s fossil fuel industry has polluted more than just Virginia’s air, it’s polluted Virginia’s political system as well.


[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/environmentalists-critical-mcdonnell-energy-confab
[2] http://appvoices.org/
[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/environmentalists-critical-mcdonnell-energy-confab
[4] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/environmentalists-critical-mcdonnell-energy-confab
[5] http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/03/virginia-offshore-wind-turbine-positioned-to-be-first-in-u-s

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