Dennis Markatos-Soriano: Gulf disaster calls for sustainable transportation revolution

Contributors

Column by Dennis Markatos-Soriano Submit guest columns: [email protected]   The oil drilling explosion that killed 11 people on April 20th and the spill now killing massive amounts of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico is a sign. It’s a sign of how bad our nation’s oil addiction has gotten and of how much we need…

Ken Plum: A Gordian knot

Ken Plum

Column by Ken Plum www.kenplum.com   According to an ancient Greek legend, oracles told the people of Phrygia that the next person who came into town riding in an ox cart would be their king. When a poor peasant named Gordius arrived with his wife in an ox cart, the lucky man was named king.

Ken Plum: No movement on transportation

Ken Plum

Column by Ken Plum www.kenplum.com   Ask any of the residents of Northern Virginia to name the top two or three major challenges facing the region and virtually all will include traffic congestion. Yet with this well defined need and the election of a new governor who ran with a “transportation plan,” the legislature adjourned…

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…

Lawmaker Dispatches: Monday, Feb. 15

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Featured: Mary Margaret Whipple, Rob Bell Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple: Crossover www.vasenatedems.com Tomorrow is “crossover day” down here in Richmond, meaning each chamber must act on all pending legislation if they want it considered by the other. Consequently, your Senate Democratic Caucus is working hard to pass our priority legislation and send it to our…

State of the Union: A Virginia perspective

Chris Graham

  Edited by Chris Graham [email protected] Everything you wanted to know about the State of the Union, but were afraid to ask. We have the full texts and videos of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Republican response. We also have reactions from Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, congressmen…

Sierra Club: McDonnell misses ‘big picture’ on drilling

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   Staff Report News Tips: [email protected] The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club today issued its response to Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell’s recent letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding Virginia offshore drilling and lease sale. “In his rush to accelerate Virginia offshore drilling, Mr. McDonnell is not considering the big picture,” said Glen Besa, director…

Earth Talk | Wind power

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Dear EarthTalk: I don’t understand why many people oppose wind power just because they have to look at the turbines. If you ask me, wind turbines are much nicer-looking than coal-fired, waste-to-energy or nuclear power plants. – Michael Hart, via e-mail Whether it’s a wind farm, a coal-fired power plant, a nuclear reactor or even…

VPT InDepth | Road worriers

Chris Graham

You’re Pierce Homer, the Secretary of Transportation in Virginia. For five years, you’ve been overseeing reforms at the Virginia Department of Transportation that have six in seven projects completed on time and on budget, nearly three times the rate of efficiency that we saw out of VDOT from the Allen and Gilmore administrations. You’ve seen…