( - promoted by Kenton Ngo)
Any Virginian who read blogs even occasionally a few months ago is familiar with the fuss about the Dominion coal plant near St. Paul, in Wise County. I've spent some time in Wise County, and I can safely say I'm against the plant. On a larger scale, Democrats and progressives from across the state came out against the plant and expressed their concern about the potential harm it could do to our environment (and Southwest Virginia's natural beauty). I think it is important that Virginia have a governor that supports stringent restrictions on pollution and pushes environmentally-friendly policies. Anita Kumar at the Washington Post reports that gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran is introducing an "agressive" new energy policy. Virginia currently has a voluntary goal of getting 12% of the state's power from renewable energy sources by 2025. Terry McAuliffe said recently he wants the 12% to be mandatory, not voluntary. Creigh Deeds recently joined Governor Kaine in supporting an increase to 15%. Brian Moran has the better plan. Moran is pushing for Virginia to get 25% of its energy from renewable resources by 2025. Virginia is one of only five states with voluntary standards. If Virginia enacts Brian Moran's plan, it will join the ranks of New York, Illionois, Maine, and others as one of the most environmentally friendly states. I wholeheartedly support this initiative. As a Southwest Virginian, coal is a part of my life whether I realize it daily or not. So it's understandably difficult to admit that eventually, we have to move away from coal. What will Southwest Virginia replace it with to keep our economy moving? One likely route is tourism. We have beautiful mountains and lakes. If our land and water is polluted and damaged, our tourism industry will take a hit before it is even out of its infancy stages. Southwest Virginia, and indeed Virginia as a whole, needs a truly environmentally progressive governor, and that's why I'm voting for Brian Moran. |
