Cross-posted from Article XI.
The Virginia Sierra Club recently announced its intentions to attend the second Virginia Energy Conference, held by our dirty energy-loving governor, Bob McDonnell. The conference will be held on October 17-19 and anyone in favor of clean, renewable sources of energy for VA are encouraged to attend.
For all of his promises to the contrary, Gov. McDonnell has focused his administrations attention on bolstering VA’s coal, gas, oil, and nuclear commitments to the exclusion of renewables.
We can of course discuss the political cronyism that’s obviously taking place, but the more important issues are the human and environmental ramifications that a continued reliance on nonrenewable sources of energy will have in VA.
First, committing to more “domestic” sources of nonrenewable energy will almost inevitably mean higher rates of diseases and illnesses related to the increased domestic production of nonrenewable energy. That is, more Virginians will become sick or die.
Secondly, Virginia’s various and invaluable ecosystems will take unparalleled “shocks” that may lead to their irreversible decline.
The issue of uranium mining in southern Virginia is a great example.
Since uranium mining has never been done in a climate like ours, no one can say with a comfortable degree of certainty that such an endeavor will be benign in terms of human and environmental health.
But solar and wind power, just to give 2 examples, are benign sources of energy.
While Gov. McDonnell is rewarding his friends who aided in his election, he is doing so to the neglect of the interests of all other Virginians and their natural environment.
This hardly seems like “representation.”
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
