State Budget

Derrick A. Max
June 24, 2023

Work isn’t just about a paycheck. At its core, work is about freedom, accomplishment, respect, human dignity, and even companionship.  Work gives purpose and is essential to a thriving community, and thriving communities are essential to a thriving state.  That is why it is not surprising to see Gov. Youngkin focus so...

Stephen D. Haner
June 22, 2023

Renewable energy donor Clean Virginia Fund was the biggest winner in Tuesday’s primaries, going head to head against Dominion Energy Virginia in several nomination contests and often winning.  Senior incumbent Democrats with strong Green New Deal voting records went down to defeat, because good wasn’t good enough. Come Election Day in November, the contrast...

Derrick A. Max
June 15, 2023

There are few issues with more economic consensus than the negative impacts of the minimum wage.  Originally designed to mimic racially discriminatory laws in other countries, the minimum wage continues to be a means of picking certain classes and geographic locations over others.  For example, the minimum wage benefits the high-cost-of-living areas in...

Derrick A. Max
June 12, 2023

Over the last few years, homeschooling has grown in Virginia by almost 40 percent. In fact, homeschoolers in Virginia now account for almost 60,000 students — making homeschooling the fifth largest school district in the Commonwealth. Because homeschoolers are self-funded, this saves Virginia’s state and local governments almost $800 million per year. More importantly,...

Stephen D. Haner
June 9, 2023

Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board voted Wednesday to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, keeping Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s promise to eliminate the related carbon tax that has been imposed on electricity ratepayers under RGGI since January 2021. It was a step long advocated by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for...

Stephen D. Haner
June 5, 2023

Because the federal government cannot operate without constantly borrowing money, members of Congress in both parties recently held their noses and voted for a compromise budget and borrowing deal. That need not and should not happen now in Virginia. There is no similar pressure in Virginia, even though the June...

Stephen D. Haner
May 23, 2023

Given a choice between an energy future that is a) dependent on generation using sun, wind or falling water, or b) dependent on thermal sources using fossil fuels or uranium, or c) a combination of both, which do Americans prefer?  Should it surprise anybody that the answer is both? Reliance...

Stephen D. Haner
May 19, 2023

Virginian Mark Christie is using his position on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a national pulpit to preach a message of energy reliability doom, and he is being heard. It helps that he is not alone in spreading the alarm.  It also helps that he is basing his warning...

Stephen D. Haner
May 11, 2023

One four-hour public hearing was not enough. Virginia Beach City Council wants another such debate before it votes on a wind company’s request to bring power cables ashore at Sandbridge Beach. Last week’s hearing on Kitty Hawk North’s application for an easement to bury cables apparently was not covered by any Hampton...

Stephen D. Haner
May 8, 2023

Simpler is usually better.  Monthly electric bills for many Virginians are about to get less complex, and in the short run also lower.  Will that lower cost be long term?  It is too soon to tell. On July 1 Dominion Virginia Power will stop collecting separate monthly payments on its...