Pam Solo and Grant Smith: The Myth of Energy Independence

AFP

The definition of “energy independence” is evolving. Up to recently, it has meant the U.S. producing enough of our own oil so that we were not dependent on other nations for our energy needs. But now we’re in a world of oil interdependence. Oil markets know no national allegiance. Globalization and profit motive are altering a once patriotic concept into this: Producing enough oil and gas so that we export more to our trading partners than we import. While this new energy independence framework may help some companies’ profits, it stands to hurt many Americans’ pocketbooks, water supply, and overall health.

Warner: ‘All-of-the-above’ on energy policy

Chris Graham

Third in a four-part series What can Washington do about the near-record gas prices that a lot of us fear will cripple the economic recovery that has been slow in arriving anyway? In the short term, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., concedes, not much. “It’s not like America is paying a signficantly higher price for…

Federal agency moving forward with offshore wind energy plan

AFP

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced on Thursday that it is moving forward with the next step in offshore wind energy development off the Virginia coast. The BOEM is publishing the call for information and nominations aimed at industry interest in locations off the Virginia coast for commercial wind energy leases. The call is…

Kaine: ‘All of the above’ on energy

AFP

The black-white debate on energy production between Republicans and Democrats generally speaking comes down to the merits of oil production vs. clean energy. It doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition, though. “We need to use every domestic source that we have. But I think we ought to be preparing for a long-term shift toward…

Emily Briley: How America’s military is helping America with renewable energy

AFP

Antibiotics, jet travel, the Internet and GPS. Those are just a few things made possible by military investments that paved the way for mainstream commercial applications benefiting millions of Americans. The same process is going on with the military and renewable energy.  And what makes the process today all the more beneficial is the human…

Ken Plum: Virginia’s energy future

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…