Governor Wants Virginia To Be An 'Energy Capital'

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell hopes to make the commonwealth the energy capitol of the east coast and he hosted his annual Conference on Energy this week to work toward that goal.

One workshop was dedicated to developing a K-12 and post-secondary education curriculum that helps direct the next generation of students toward energy development. Another workshop addressed de-regulation in Virginia. 

There were also many discussions about how to utilize an approach that capitalizes on nuclear, wind, coal, solar, natural gas and oil.

"Most of the governor's accomplishments occur after the governor leaves, and if the next administration allows follows-up with what Governor McDonnell does, Virginia will be on its way to becoming the East Coast capitol of energy," said energy consultant and former Virginia Del. Chris Saxman, who was attending the conference.

Environmentalists, however, believe there's still too much focus on fossil fuels Glen Besa with the Sierra club admits companies are making strides in reducing toxic emissions in the utilization of coal, but he feels the McDonnell administration ignores the viability of wind and solar. 

If Virginia hesitates, as other states develop wind farms and large scale projects, Besa warns, the Commonwealth will fall behind in its quest for energy dominance.