McDonnell signs green energy legislation

Chris Graham

Edited by Chris Graham [email protected]   Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law a number of green energy bills passed by the General Assembly this session. A signing ceremony to mark the signings was held at Old Dominion University in Norfolk today. Among the measures receiving the governor’s signature was his legislation to provide a $500…

New nuclear energy is old news

AFP

And new projects are already under way, benefitting economies and creating jobs Column by Jarret Adams Submit guest columns: [email protected] Right now, nuclear energy is expanding around the world. According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 50 reactors under construction across the globe and another 130 (and counting) scheduled to come online over the…

Renewable energy: McDonnell’s secret jobs program?

AFP

    Column by Al Weed Submit guest columns: [email protected] Virginia guarantees its utilities a “fair and reasonable” profit and for that we should require clean energy production that creates jobs and helps clean up the Bay. Twenty-eight other states already have such requirements. Virginia today has a very modest request of its investor-owned utilities:…

RMH among recipients of waste-to-energy grants

AFP

   Staff Report News tips: [email protected] Gov. Tim Kaine today announced that $10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act State Energy Program is being awarded for 15 biomass and waste-to-energy projects. These grants will support $110 million in private investments statewide. The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy administers the ARRA funds for…

Virginia air is cleaner

AFP

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced significant improvements in Virginia’s air quality during the past decade. Between 1999 and 2009, the Commonwealth saw a 96 percent decrease in the number of days that exceeded the national air quality standard for ground-level ozone at monitoring stations statewide, with summer 2009 standing out as the best year…

Kaine uses Staunton Lowe’s as backdrop to talk energy efficiency

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the launch of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate program, a new program to encourage the purchase of high-efficiency appliances and products. The program will use $15 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment act to provide rebates to residential and commercial consumers on certain qualifying appliances…

Loan program to promote energy efficiency

AFP

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the recapitalization of the Commonwealth’s Energy Leasing Program, a loan program to finance energy efficiency projects in state agencies. The Commonwealth has secured $40 million in financing for the projects, including $10 million in capital from Grant Capital Management, a state-certified SWAM vendor. The loans are expected to be…

Public-private partnerships to fund green-energy projects at state agencies, universities

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced today that the Commonwealth will move forward with almost $25 million of green energy projects for state agencies and universities through the Public-Private Educational Facilities Infrastructure Act (PPEA). Funding for the projects will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and some of the projects will result in renewable…

Earth Talk | Energy-efficient appliances

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: I am considering upgrading some older appliances in my home. Where can I find information on which models are the most energy efficient? – Jonathan Duda, Olivebridge, N.Y. There has never been a better time to upgrade some of those older creaky appliances that are gobbling up much more energy (or water) than…

Page Shields | Can coal be clean?

Letters

With all of the controversy surrounding the construction of a coal plant in Wise County, VA it bears repeating that coal is not clean energy. The phrase “clean coal technology” fosters hope that scientists will find a way to take harmful elements, especially carbon, out of coal. Unfortunately this is a lost hope as the…