Today, following Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s announcement to begin a regulatory process to reduce carbon emissions in Virginia, Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia Tom Perriello released the following statement praising McAuliffe’s action and committing to boldness in tackling climate change as governor:
“Gov. McAuliffe’s bold move finally shifts Virginia into a 21st Century energy economy and gives us a better shot at good-paying jobs and at protecting our coastline and climate. This action is good for our climate, good for economic investment in clean energy development, and good for job creation across Virginia. As governor, I will look for every opportunity to take an ambitious approach to make Virginia a leader, not a follower, on clean energy, efficiency jobs, and protecting our rural heritage. This move could help force our utilities to evolve out of their outdated command-and-control model and prevent us from falling further behind neighboring states on clean energy business and job creation. Utility monopolies in Virginia, like Dominion, are holding us back from progress on this front, as they make multi-billion dollar investments in last-generation technologies and fossil fuels. Virginia should be at the forefront of the next generation of jobs, not stuck in the past, which is why I’m rejecting campaign contributions from Dominion and these utility corporations. With a new approach, we can put a lot of Virginians to work with efficiency investments and localized clean energy production, and this action today is an important step to jumpstart this process. In Congress, I supported cap-and-trade, which would have led to job creation in rural communities around alternate energy and put tradesmen and construction workers on the job. Boldness on climate change will open doors to innovation and economic opportunity, and as governor, I will spend four years advancing these important goals.”
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