If Colorado, a bigger coal-producing state than Virginia, can do this, why can't we?
When Colorado voters were deciding whether to require that 10 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable fuels, the state's largest utility fought the proposal, warning that any shift from coal and natural gas would be costly, uncertain and unwise.Then a funny thing happened. The ballot initiative passed, and Xcel Energy met the requirement eight years ahead of schedule. And at the government's urging, its executives quickly agreed to double the target, to 20 percent.
In Colorado -- a state historically known for natural gas and fights over drilling -- wind and solar power are fast becoming prominent parts of the energy mix. Wind capacity has quadrupled in the past 18 months, according to Gov. Bill Ritter (D), and Xcel has become the largest provider of wind power in the nation.
Now, it doesn't have to be wind necessarily in Virginia, although there's tremendous wind potential off our coasts. But the main lesson from Colorado is that the Colorado state government, despite kicking and screaming from Xcel - their equivalent of Dominion Virginia Power - imposed a MANDATORY renewable portfolio standard (RPS), and the utility not only reached it but exceeded it. In fact, Xcel now wishes it hadn't opposed the push for an ambitious RPS, to the point that now it's even endorsed DOUBLING the RPS to 20% by 2020.
And no, the sky didn't fall nor did the world come to an end when Coloradans told Xcel to change its ways. To the contrary, Xcel is doing just fine, renewable power is booming in Colorado, the industry is bringing THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS to the state ("Vestas, a Danish wind turbine company...announced Friday the construction of two more manufacturing plants and 1,350 new jobs, bringing the company's total in Colorado to 2,450. ConocoPhillips announced this year that it will locate its alternative-fuels research operation in the state"), and basically everyone is better off. Is this a no-brainer or not?
Again, keep in mind that all this is occurring in a state that produces MORE coal than Virgina, not to mention more oil and natural gas. And it's also taking place in a politically "purple" state like ours.
The big difference? Leadership, backbone, courage. Along those lines, I would strongly urge Gov. Kaine to speak with Gov. Ritter of Colorado and find out how he's done it. Then, do the same thing - with modifications, obviously, since Virginia is not the same state as Colorado - right here in the Commonwealth. The fact is, this really isn't THAT hard, although it might be uncomfortable given that Dominion's contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kaine (and many other Virginia politicians) over the years. Dominion is even hosting a major shindig in Colorado Sunday evening "honoring Governor Tim Kaine."
Is that nauseating or what? How about the Virginia delegation take a stand by boycotting that event, or by attending and letting Dominion know that what's been happening in Colorado is going to happen in Virginia as well, whether Dominion ("Global warming starts here") likes it or not!