Virginia Beach Residents Fighting Wind Project Cables
Opposition to offshore wind is stirring in Virginia Beach, but the focus is on a North Carolina proposal that will bring its power ashore at Sandbridge Beach, not the Dominion Energy Virginia project which is adjacent to the state’s largest city. Private energy developer Avangrid Renewables LLC still needs a key easement from Virginia Beach City Council […]
Welcome, Dr. Coons! Let’s Talk Math
In K-12 education, can Virginia lead the nation? If that’s the goal, in my view as a career educator, Dr. Lisa Coons is the best possible choice as our new state Superintendent. As Chief Academic Officer in Tennessee, the programs she guided to help teachers improve reading instruction are among the best in the nation. […]
How Broken is Virginia’s Energy Regulatory System?
Let Us Count the Ways How badly broken is Virginia’s energy regulatory system? One recent State Corporation Commission decision on Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed next wave of solar projects illustrates several of the problems. The projects are unimportant, routine. What matters are the policy failures revealed. Only the rich can look at the future and yawn. Virtually all of the […]
Youngkin Seeks Competitive Bid on Future Ocean Wind
Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has proposed a stronger requirement in state law that any second wave of offshore wind serving Virginia be subjected to a competitive procurement process, rather than simply allowing Dominion Energy Virginia to build it with all the costs and risks imposed on its customers. The planned 176-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind […]
Consumer Cost Estimates Rise Higher for Green Economy
Customer cost projections for compliance with the Virginia Clean Economy Act have increased again from the first such estimates made in 2020. The bill for 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity from Dominion Energy Virginia to power a home for a month may rise almost $100, or 83%, by 2035. Dominion residential customers were already paying $288 […]
Under RGGI, Virginia Releases More CO2, Not Less
Since Virginia joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) compact at the start of 2021, according to data reported by the U.S. Energy Information Agency, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to provide electricity to customers in the state has grown. Despite two years of RGGI caps and taxes, total CO2 emissions did not shrink, […]
SCC Oversight Returned, But Lower Electric Bills Unlikely
The final version of a regulatory revision for Dominion Energy Virginia restores State Corporation Commission authority over the utility’s profit margin and rates, a major goal for Governor Glenn Youngkin (R). It was also the highest priority in a detailed energy policy put forward by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. Of the aggressive goals set out in Dominion’s initial […]
In Final Week, Uncertainty Clouds Energy Bills
With adjournment less than a week away, the 2023 General Assembly is a mixed bag for electricity consumers, with the Assembly seeming to release control to regulators in some areas but continuing to assert its tight control in others. Dominion Energy Virginia’s legislation to sweeten its authorized profit margin, which will not lower customer bills despite claims […]
Virginia’s Math SOLs: Science-Based — or Common Core?
Parents depend on schools to prepare their children with the skills needed in the global economy. In Virginia public schools, K-12 instruction is governed the Standards of Learning (SOLs). Between 1995 and 2015, our math SOLs were based on “best practices” identified by scientists who study how the brain learns mathematics. Listening to cognitive experts […]
House should hold the line on tax cuts
“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,” country singer Kenny Rogers sang in his classic hit, The Gambler. In other words, playing a winning hand is just as important as cutting your losses. Members of the House of Delegates should remember that bit of homespun wisdom when it comes to […]