Miyares Challenges Secrecy
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) has moved to open to public inspection much of the secret data and analysis about Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. His petition filed with the State Corporation Commission April 29 comes about two weeks before formal hearings on the application begin in mid-May. Dominion is […]
Time for Public to Speak
“I urge you again to contact your Senators and Congressmen …. Tell them you believe this is an unequaled opportunity to help return America to prosperity and make government again the servant of the people.”— Ronald ReaganJuly 27, 1981 Richmond, like Washington, has always been a place where an “insider’s game” is played – not […]
GOP Should Support Bills to Strengthen SCC Oversight
In a House of Delegates committee meeting Tuesday, Republican delegates fell into an old and damaging pattern, casting vote after vote against bills that would strengthen regulatory oversight of a monopoly utility and better protect its millions of Virginia customers. Many of the same Republicans would be happy to mount a soapbox to preach against […]
The Jefferson Journal: Stop the Problem Before It Begins
With the General Assembly taking up policing reform in this summer’s special session, there should be at least one bill stopping a problem before it begins. Provisions commonly found in Collective Bargaining Ageements negotiated between governments and the local police union create obstacles to holding bad cops accountable. Unless the General Assembly takes action now, […]
Transparency and Accountability for EDA's
How transparent and accountable should Economic Development Authorities be to the public?That’s the fundamental issue raised by Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, who submitted a bill that would require local government approval for all EDA grants and budgets. That bill was defeated by one vote in the Senate’s local government committee, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch, but […]
Transparency and Market Competition in Virginia
With little fanfare and scant media attention, Virginia government became more transparent, efficient and business friendly on July 1 thanks to a new law authored by Delegate Jim LeMunyon (R-Fairfax). During the administration of George Allen, Virginia led a national trend to bring competition and private sector effectiveness to government services. One of Governor Allen’s […]
Are your local candidates pledged to Transparency in Government?
The Thomas Jefferson Institute asked that question of 513 candidates for local office in Virginia for whom email addresses were available, asking them to pledge to support efforts to make government more transparent for the voters. Sixty-four candidates took the pledge and signed the “2013 Government Transparency Pledge.” Michael Thompson, President of the Jefferson Institute […]
Spend the New Transportation Dollars Wisely!
Passage of the new transportation bill shifts the debate from a question of “Where are we going to get the money?” to “How are we going to spend the money?” Taxpayers need to make certain the new funds are spent in a way that relieves congestion and grows our economy. Here are some ideas for […]
Is Virginia's P3 Program at Risk?
(This article is reprinted by Surface Transportation Innovations, a monthly newsletter by Reason Foundation.) The state with the longest track record in public-private partnerships (P3s) for transportation infrastructure is clearly Virginia. It enacted the first workable general enabling legislation for P3s back in 1995 (the Public-Private Transportation Act—PPTA) and despite a few early stumbles, has generated substantial private capital […]
USDA Spy Proposal: So Much for Privacy
(Publishers note: Gary Baise is a nationally recognized environmental attorney who was a key part of the initial leadership team when the Environmental Protection Agency came into existence. He is a Virginia resident and the issues brought up in his columns are clearly of concern to all farmer, including those here in Virginia.) Washington has […]