Commentary

Virginia's Energy Future

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

President Barack Obama declared a "Sputnik moment" for our country to recognize the dangers involved in our unquenchable need for oil and the civil unrest that marks the countries that supply us with petroleum.  He established as a goal that 80 percent of U.S. energy come from clean generation sources by 2035.  Just as engineers and scientists went to work in the 1960s to put us ahead in the space race, a massive effort is needed for our country to catch up with others in green technology and alternative energy sources and to free us from our dependence on foreign oil.

Edward L. Flippen, a Richmond attorney and energy regulation and policy expert, addressed our challenge in a recent opinion column for Virginia Business (www.virginiabusiness.com): "If there is an answer, it's the tried and tested American way.  We need to bring together our best and brightest to harness the limitless capabilities of our research institutions and invest whatever it takes.  The result would not be much different from the actual Sputnik experience:  the creation of billion-dollar industries, new technologies with applications heretofore unimaginable and, critically important in the fragile American economy, thousands of jobs."

This is not the first time that Virginians have been given this message.  When Terry McAuliffe ran for the nomination for governor of Virginia in 2009, he sounded the same theme of the importance of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, developing new green technologies, and creating jobs at the same time.  A recent article in Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) found that McAuliffe has followed through on his ideas even though he did not win the election.  "By starting an electric and hybrid car company called GreenTech Auto, investing in wind turbines, scouting out new technology throughout Asia to bring back home, and fighting to resuscitate a shuttered factory in Franklin, Virginia, McAuliffe is personally taking the strategic financial risks he believes the state needs to launch into the future."

The principal thrust of the current administration in Richmond is to push for offshore drilling.  The broader issues of environmental challenges and the creation of jobs in a green economy have been left unaddressed.  From my position on the House Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources Committee and my role on the Commission on Electric Utility Restructuring, I plan to continue to provide leadership for Virginia to seize the Sputnik moment to create a green economy, improve the quality of our environment, and create jobs.

I am pleased that Terry McAuliffe has agreed to join me in a discussion of those issues at my State of the Commonwealth Business Breakfast on June 7, 8:00 a.m., at the Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston.  I hope you can join us.  Write to me at kenplum@aol.comfor details.