McDonnell and Bolling Propose Energy Plan
McDonnell and Bolling Propose Energy Plan
“More Energy, More Jobs”: A Comprehensive Energy Plan for Virginia
MAKE VIRGINIA “ENERGY CAPITAL OF EAST COAST”
Call for Offshore Drilling; Clean Coal and Nuclear Power; Make Virginia a “Green Jobs Zone”; Research and Development of Alternative Energy Technology at Virginia Colleges and Universities; Make Southside and Southwest Virginia “America’s Energy Corridor”
Norfolk/Roanoke- Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Attorney General of Virginia, and Bill Bolling, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, announced their energy plan for the Commonwealth today. McDonnell held a morning press conference at The Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Bolling held a morning event at the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, located directly beside railroad tracks which transport coal from Southwest Virginia. The two then held a joint conference call with statewide media.
Speaking from Norfolk about the joint energy plan McDonnell noted, “This morning I traveled to Old Dominion University to launch our energy plan at The Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium. The Consortium is researching and developing the energy solutions of the future. However, to do this work for tomorrow they need the energy of today. And that is what our “More Energy, More Jobs” energy plan is about. We need more energy in Virginia at a reasonable price, and that means we must utilize all the resources available to us. Thankfully in Virginia the resources are plentiful, and if we fully develop them all we can be the “Energy Capital of the East Coast.”
McDonnell continued, “Right now Virginia is the second largest importer of electricity behind California. The time has come for bold action to harness the energy available to us today, while continuing to develop the energy sources of tomorrow. In a McDonnell administration we will safely drill offshore for natural gas and oil, and reap the significant economic benefits documented in recent studies. We will use a portion of the revenues from this effort to fund alternative and renewable energy research and development and a portion to fund transportation infrastructure. We will support Virginia’s coal industry which supplies 43% of our energy, creates thousands of jobs in Southwest Virginia and Hampton Roads, yet is under constant attack from national special interest groups. We will leverage Tobacco Commission funding to make Southside and Southwest Virginia a hub of energy research and development. We will expedite permitting and approval for new energy facilities to reduce bureaucratic delays in getting necessary projects underway. And we will make Virginia a national leader in the burgeoning field of green energy by establishing the Commonwealth as a “Green Jobs Zone” which will bring entrepreneurs, and the jobs they create, to Virginia. We need more energy, we need more jobs. We need our lights to stay on at an affordable price, while we develop our future energy sources. Our comprehensive energy plan will power the Virginia of today and tomorrow and create thousands of good paying jobs for our citizens in the process.”
In Roanoke, Lieutenant Governor Bolling stated, “As Governor and Lieutenant Governor we are committed to supporting a comprehensive energy policy - a policy that recognizes the importance of developing new sources of energy, like wind, solar, biofuels and the like; while at the same time doing more to expand traditional sources of energy like nuclear power, clean coal, oil and natural gas, all of which are in abundance in Virginia.”
Bolling added, “As we all know, the most important issue currently facing our state is the need to get our economy moving again and create the jobs Virginians need to protect their economic security. We are determined to do just that. At the same time, we all know that our nation faces another important challenge, the need to protect our national energy security. Fortunately, we have developed a strategy to help our nation enhance its national energy security, while at the same time helping Virginians protect their own economic security.
Highlights of the McDonnell/Bolling “More Energy, More Jobs” Energy Plan
—Explore and Drill for Oil and Natural Gas off Virginia’s Coast
—Support Virginia’s Coal and Nuclear Industries
—Expedite Permitting and Approval Processes for Energy Facilities
—Support Alternative and Renewable Forms of Energy and make Virginia a “Green Jobs Zone”
—Establish the Virginia Universities Clean Energy Development and Economic Stimulus Foundation
—Leverage Tobacco Commission Funds to Transform Southside and Southwest Virginia into America’s Energy Corridor
—Support Affordable Energy Efficient Improvements and Conservation
—Improve Energy Reliability and Affordability with SMART Grids and Buildings
A comprehensive briefing sheet will follow this release.
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Add AUTHORIZED BY BOB MCDONNELL. PAID FOR BY MCDONNELL FOR GOVERNOR.