The Jefferson Journal
Commentary
Key Takeaways: Key Quote: One historic Canadian wildfire season released many times the amount of carbon Virginia’s electricity sector emits in a year. It likely also exceeded several decades of the maximum annual carbon reductions the Virginia Clean Economy Act is expected eventually to achieve. 7/17/2026 — The thick haze now covering...
Key Takeaways: Key Quote: “Virginia’s No. 3 ranking is a credit to the Commonwealth’s inherited strengths, not a blank check for Richmond to tax more, mandate more, and make it harder to do business here.” 7/9/2026 — Virginia’s climb in CNBC’s newest “Top States for Business” ranking — moving from No. 4 back...
Key Takeaways: 7/9/2026 — The 2025-26 Supreme Court term is now over, which means we are now witnessing the usual handwringing that passes for analysis of the decisions the Court handed down. The Court is woke. The Court is fascist. The Court is politicized. The Court is decadent and corrupt. Yawn. One of those decisions is Louisiana v....
Key Takeaways: 7/7/2026 — The July heat wave that pushed PJM toward record electricity demand should force Virginia policymakers to confront an uncomfortable truth: the electric grid does not run on mandates, slogans or wishful thinking. It runs on power that is available when people need it. During this heat wave, PJM...
Key Takeaways: 7/3/2026 — On July 4, 1826, Americans gathered across a still‑young republic to celebrate a milestone some believed we’d never reach: the fiftieth anniversary of independence. Church bells rang. Cannons fired. Citizens reflected on how far the country had come since that audacious summer in 1776. Then the news...
Key Takeaways: 7/1/2026 — The most important energy outcome of recent legislative wrestling over Virginia’s energy-focused state budget is what it didn’t include. Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) and the legislators did not meddle with the plan for Florida’s NextEra Energy to acquire Dominion Energy. The application for that transaction (it is...
6/29/2026 — Virginia is now facing one of the most dangerous habits in modern state government: using a must-pass budget to carry major policy changes that could not, or did not, move through the normal legislative process. Budgets have always contained some policy language. No one who has watched Virginia government closely would pretend...
6/26/2026 — Yesterday, the Virginia Board of Education voted by a near majority to reject a proposal to delay the implementation of more rigorous Standard of Learning cut scores. I was honored to testify before the Board, along with Arlington Democrat Todd Truitt — who really has been a leader on this important issue. A handful of...
6/23/2026 – The energy regulatory provisions buried in the final conference report on Virginia’s 2026-2028 budget, approved by the General Assembly Monday, are as complex and detailed as energy bills reviewed earlier during the regular session. They are also just as damaging. The data center industry was a particular target. The...
(Note to readers, the Virginia Board of Education needs to hear from you before Thursday’s meeting. Tell them not to delay implementing the already approved higher accountability standards. Email Secretary of Ed, Jeffery Smith – jeffery.smith@governor.virginia.gov, State Superintendent, Jenna Conway – jenna.conway@doe.virginia.gov, and Deputy Superintendent of Assessments, Performance and School Improvement, Anne Hyslop – anne.hyslop@doe.virginia.gov.)...