Category: Business and Economy
-
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.…
-
What Democrats Will Pass First if Given Full Political Control
By Steve Haner, Predicting how Democrats will transform Virginia should they gain full control of state government in November’s election is easy. Just look through the list of 400 plus bills vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, most of them from 2024 and 2025. The progressive bills which reached Youngkin’s desk with unanimous or near…
-
“All of the Above” Abigail? She Did Say It.
By Steve Haner, Democratic nominee for Governor Abigail Spanberger told the October 9 statewide debate audience that she favors an “all of the above strategy” in addressing Virginia’s massive demand for new electricity in coming years. If she has used that phrase before in this campaign, it hasn’t made the record. “All of the above”…
-
A View from Delaware: States Caused PJM Price, Supply Problems
By David Stevenson, PJM Interconnection, the organization that manages the electric grid for 13 states including Delaware, has confirmed what the Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI) has long argued: state mandates are raising bills and straining reliability. Delaware policymakers now face a choice—continue policies that risk higher costs and outages or adopt measures that keep power…
-
“Clean” Energy Mandates are Raising Power Bills, Not Data Centers
By Steve Haner, No, Virginia, we cannot blame the data centers. The impact of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) on rising electricity bills is more significant and destined to grow. With the cost of living turning up in election polls as a top voter concern, a repeal of the VCEA is one step the…
-
A Million Reasons to Worry Either Way the Election Goes
By Steve Haner Democrat Jay Jones and Republican Jason Miyares have now both accepted more than $1 million each in campaign contributions from major players in Virginia’s energy wars. The job they both seek, Attorney General of Virginia, includes a duty to stand firm on behalf of Virginia’s energy consumers against the elephants in the…
-
If Politics Ruined PJM, is More Political Control the Fix? Maybe.
by Steve Haner State elected leaders want more control over the regional electricity marketplace that manages the power grid in Virginia and 12 other neighboring states. They have a point in their complaints about PJM Interconnection Inc.’s problems but they are also deeply engaged in blame shifting for higher energy costs. Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) was…
-
New Estimate of State Tax Cut with Conformity: $2.3 Billion in 3 years
By Steve Haner Virginia’s Department of Taxation has now released its estimates on the revenue changes that would result if the state’s tax laws were amended next year to conform to the new federal tax rules signed by President Donald Trump. To taxpayers, the question is will they get a big tax cut at the…
-
From Hong Kong to Hampton Roads — Financial Sense with Neena Moorjani
Jim Bacon launches the Oinkonomics podcast with Neena Moorjani, an advocate for financial literacy who volunteers on tax preparation and teaches practical money skills to low‑income and military families in Virginia Beach. You don’t have to be wealthy to build wealth in America, Neena says. The episode covers Neena’s immigrant background, the importance of starting savings…
-
The Times-Dispatch’s Slow Suicide Must Be Near Its End
The Richmond Times-Dispatch must be on its last legs. The out-of-town investors are just running some pricing algorithm to see how much addicted fools will pay to keep their access to a shrinking amount of information. There are many people, as we all know, who pay no attention to the billings that just show up on their…
-
More Evidence the VCEA Is Based On a False Premise
By Derrick Max For several years now, Virginians have been told that the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) is necessary to save Virginia and is a necessary step to save the planet. We’ve been told that rising seas, worsening storms, and other supposedly catastrophic impacts of man-made climate change justify a radical restructuring of Virginia’s…
-
SCC Staff Sees Need for More Gas Because Wind Will “Collapse”
by Steve Haner The staff of the State Corporation Commission (SCC) has concluded that Dominion Energy Virginia cannot meet the energy demands of our data- center based digital economy with renewable energy projects alone, and “does not oppose” adding natural gas. “It is unlikely, in Staff’s opinion, that renewable energy development alone will suffice to…
-
Electricity Carbon Tax Advocated by Spanberger Rises Again
By Steve Haner Based on the most recent carbon tax imposed on the member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), Virginians will pay about $500 million more per year for electricity if Virginia again becomes one of those member states. Your vote in November may determine that. Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger…
-
Do Offshore Wind Projects Pose National Security Hazard?
Enemy submarines and drones could exploit points of vulnerability, experts warn by Kevin Mooney Offshore wind projects could potentially enable foreign adversaries to hide submarines in U.S. territorial waters and penetrate U.S. air defenses, according to national security and energy policy analysts. For this reason alone, they would like to see President Donald Trump’s administration…