Author: Steve Haner
-
The SCC Decides: Dominion’s Rates and Profits Go Up, New Rules on Data Centers
by Steve Haner, The massive data centers behind a growing energy crunch in Virginia will begin to pay substantially more for electricity in Dominion Energy’s territory, but not until 2027. The State Corporation Commission’s (SCC) approval of a new rate structure for the largest users will probably only intensify debates about what is their “fair…
-
Gas Approval Infuriates a Huge Donor to Democrats, Elates Another
by Steve Haner, The State Corporation Commission (SCC) was able to approve Dominion Energy Virginia’s application for a needed natural gas generation facility because the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) includes a safety valve. If energy reliability is threatened, the prohibitions on natural gas at the heart of that law can be waived. One of…
-
High Cost Kills One, Maybe Two Clean Economy Act Projects
by Steve Haner Citing the high cost, the Virginia State Corporation Commission on Friday denied a request to add a battery project to the Appalachian Power Company grid. In the same decision, an out-of-state wind project for Appalachian was approved, but only if it qualifies for major federal tax credits to keep down the cost. Without those tax credits,…
-
New Ways to Soak the Rich, But Tax Hikes Coming Will Be Broader
By Steve Haner, As a new Democratic Party trifecta looms in Virginia, a progressive policy group has floated a long list of old and new ways to soak Virginia’s upper income residents through taxes in order to fund additional state spending. The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis doesn’t use the word “spending,” of course, but speaks of “investments” in…
-
Enhanced Trifecta Gives Democrats Full Control of Energy Laws
By Steve Haner, The return of the political trifecta Democrats enjoyed during the 2020 and 2021 General Assembly sessions – now bolstered with a 64-36 majority in the House of Delegates – leaves the question of how to deal with Virginia’s energy issues entirely in their hands. Only if the Democrats suffer a significant…
-
Jones’ Advice on Inflicting Pain Implemented by Warner, Kaine
“Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.” That was former Delegate Jay Jones’ deep political insight, seeking to justify his assertion that the children of the Speaker of the House should die so Democrats could prevail. Is that not exactly what Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are now putting…
-
Democrats Rush Back to Gerrymander Virginia, If We Let Them
By Chris Braunlich, You have to be pretty confident – no, make that “arrogant” – to tell 2,770,704 Virginia voters that you’re willing to stick it to them. But that’s exactly what Virginia House and Senate Democratic leaders appear ready to do at 4:00 pm on Monday, all in the cause of enhancing political power and rejecting…
-
Authentic Abigail on Dumping the Anti-Gerrymander Rule
When they show you who they are, believe them. That clip, first noticed on X back in August, struck me as a bit of “authentic Abigail,” especially the tone when discussing Republicans. There goes the moderate mask. Perhaps even then there was a quiet plan to try to do what she said couldn’t be done, overturn the…
-
IRP Part 2: Dominion Bill Projections Just Keep Exploding
By Steve Haner, Two years ago, Dominion Energy Virginia predicted that by 2035 a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity would pay $174 per month. That represented a 50% increase over the first 15 years of compliance with the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The current bill, just five years into the age of VCEA, is…
-
Dominion Says VCEA Compliance Means Many New Nukes
By Steve Haner, If or when Dominion Energy Virginia complies with the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) and closes its hydrocarbon generation units, the best way to power Virginia will be a truly massive amount of new nuclear power. That comes from the latest iteration of Dominion’s ever-adjusting integrated resource plan (IRP), filed with the…
-
Don’t Bet Against Virginia’s Economy
By Derrick Max, If you only read the headlines, you might think Virginia’s economy is teetering on the brink. A recent Cardinal News story declared that the Commonwealth’s GDP growth has fallen from 6.2 percent to 1.7 percent, and touted warning signs spelled out in “three new (economic) reports” that claim to show serious trouble ahead.…
-
Democrats Dominate Energy Discussions With GOP MIA
By Steve Haner, “The energy bills are…” shouts the emcee on the stage. “Too damn high” comes the immediate response from a crowded meeting room in the east end of Richmond October 16. That call and response mantra constantly punctuated a long and creative presentation on Virginia’s energy dilemma from the point of view of the activist group Clean Virginia. The point of view varies greatly from the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s views on why…
-
UVA’s Weldon Cooper Backpedals on Economic Gloom Yet Again
By Steve Haner, In April, economic prognosticators at the University of Virginia published a prediction that Virginia would lose 32,000 jobs during 2025. The Al Gore-like jeremiad was promptly adopted by Virginia Democrats who used it in speeches and advertising to claim Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and his chosen successor, Winsome Earle-Sears, were mismanaging the economy.…
-
Spanberger, Hashmi Have Massive Leads in Campaign Funds
By Steve Haner, Two of the three Republicans running for statewide office in Virginia this year are being crushed in the fundraising contest. Only Jason Miyares, the incumbent Republican candidate for Attorney General, has raised more funds than his Democratic opponent, Jay Jones. All campaigns had a deadline of Wednesday night to report on their…
-
If Trump’s Foibles are Election Fodder, Why Not His Wins?
By Derrick Max, When I wrote recently that “Virginia’s elections should be about Virginia’s future, not a referendum on President Trump,” I meant it. For months, liberals have tried to nationalize Virginia election – forgoing discussions about schools, taxes, energy, the Youngkin record — focusing instead on endless attacks on Donald Trump. And as the president…