Category: Energy
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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…
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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…
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“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”…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Two Virginia Wind Energy Grants Cancelled by Trump’s DOT
by Steve Haner President Donald Trump’s war on the offshore wind industry has finally reached Virginia with the cancellation of two U.S. Department of Transportation grants intended to help develop Hampton Roads as a hub for that now-endangered industry. The decision was announced Friday. There still has been no attempt, and not even any public…
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Data Industry Giants Split on Proposed Future Rates
By Steve Haner Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed changes to how and how much it charges data centers for electricity appear to have divided the industry, based on testimony filed at the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC). The utility’s ideas are in general being supported — with some caveats — by the Office of the Attorney…
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All Dominion’s Solar Plants Are Failing Their Energy Promises
by Steve Haner Every solar facility in Dominion Energy Virginia’s expanding fleet of silicone panels is failing to perform up to its initial energy promises, according to a State Corporation Commission staff analysis. In many cases the shortfalls are dramatic. The data popped up in testimony that is part of the utility’s application for a…
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SCC Raises Dominion Wind Price, Exempts PIPP Participants
by Steve Haner The four-part rate hike hitting Dominion Energy Virginia bills by September 1 is now five parts. The increase of more than $14 on a 1,000-kilowatt hour residential bill will now be just under $17 instead. The price we are paying for Dominion’s offshore wind project is also going up. The expected additional…
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What Goes Around, Comes Around
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Richmond Times-Dispatch had an interesting article about Mark Christie. Christie served a member of Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for 20 years until Trump appointed him to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in his first term. In January, Trump named Christie to head FERC. Then, in June, Trump fired Christie without…
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To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A Virginia corporation is one of a handful of companies involved in developing an energy alternative that, if successful, will render the debates over solar, wind, and fossil fuels moot. The alternative is miniaturized nuclear power. Not to be confused with the small modular reactors (SMRs) being explored by Dominion Energy, these reactors,…