Blue candidate has green plan for Virginia

Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
Op-Ed
May 3, 2009
Edward Bentz

Terry McAuliffe, candidate for governor of Virginia, has recently released his comprehensive energy plan for Virginia. It is directed at job development through green energy development.

As McAuliffe puts it, "My business plan for Virginia is really a jobs plan."

The other Democratic candidates for governor are also offering green energy initiatives: For example, state Sen. Creigh Deeds sponsored bills in the most recent session of the General Assembly to help homeowners and localities finance the purchase of solar panels, and former Del. Brian Moran has likewise promised to boost incentives for solar power.

McAuliffe's energy plan is unique in its business-oriented focus on green jobs, especially in two often-overlooked areas of potential job creation: investments in increased efficiency, and exploitation of biomass energy alternatives that match Virginia's indigenous capabilities and resources.

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McAuliffe Releases New Ad Highlighting New Energy Ideas

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released a new television advertisement highlighting his ideas for harnessing new energy technology to create jobs and promote a cleaner environment throughout the Commonwealth.

"As Governor, I'll put my experience investing in the alternative energy field to work for all of Virginia," says McAuliffe in the ad. "We'll attract new business, create thousands of renewable energy jobs, and together we can build a stronger economy and a clearner environment."
The television ad will run on stations in the Richmond and Hampton Roads media markets. The ad can be viewed at http://www.terrymcauliffe.com/articles/new-tv-spot-highlights-new-energy-ideas.

McAuliffe Campaign Statement on Moran Campaign's Distortions of McAuliffe's Business Plan for Virginia

Today, McAuliffe campaign spokeswoman Elisabeth Smith released the following statement regarding the Moran campaign's distortions of McAuliffe's Business Plan for Virginia:

"It's disappointing that the Moran campaign has chosen to deliberately misrepresent Terry's Business Plan for Virginia, but we welcome the opportunity to clarify this part of his Plan.

"Terry's Plan sets out the ambitious goal of making Virginia a national leader in renewable energy - which means making sure that every part of Virginia benefits. For example, Terry's business plan includes proposals to turn agricultural waste into energy and make sure that rural areas in the commonwealth, especially those hardest hit by the economic downturn, have opportunities to bring in new green jobs.

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McAuliffe Highlights Support for Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Today, meeting with the owner of residential solar energy company Continuum Energy Solutions, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe discussed the need for Virginia to invest in energy efficiency. McAuliffe said he would work for a statewide policy requiring utilities to invest first in cost-effective energy efficiency before pursuing any new power plants.

"In our pursuit to make Virginia the number one green state in the country, we must remember that energy efficiency is the cheapest and easiest way for us to increase our energy independence and build our renewable energy sector," McAuliffe said. "Whether it's harnessing the wind off Virginia's coast or installing solar panels on homes and state buildings, we must encourage businesses and families to adopt clean and efficient energy sources."

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McAuliffe Visits I-95 Landfill, Discusses Waste-to-Energy Ideas

Standing at the Covanta Fairfax Energy Resource Recovery Complex with representatives from Covanta Energy and the Fairfax County Government, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe today discussed his ideas for remaking Virginia's landfills into energy producers. In 2006, Virginia imported 7.2 million tons of municipal solid waste, making it one of the leading importers of out-of-state waste. McAuliffe highlighted how this abundance of waste could be used to generate energy and create green jobs across the Commonwealth.

"Here in Virginia, we have enormous potential to become a national leader in renewable energy technology. But we must look to every corner of the Commonwealth to find the innovative solutions of tomorrow that will meet our energy needs of today," McAuliffe said. "That's why as governor I'll work to forge public-private sector partnerships to transform our landfills from 'dumps' to environmentally sound producers of new, inexpensive power."

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McAuliffe Unveils Business Plan for Virginia, Highlights Need for Comprehensive Energy Plan to Turn Economy Around

After holding eight economic roundtables with business and community leaders across Virginia, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe today unveiled the first portion of his "Business Plan for Virginia", which outlines his comprehensive and long-term plan for Virginia's energy future. The plan includes ideas gathered from people around the Commonwealth, which McAuliffe heard during the roundtables and from people writing in to his website. McAuliffe's plan will build a green economy in Virginia by making the commonwealth a destination for clean energy businesses and researchers, investing in efficiency and in clean, renewable sources of energy, and committing resources to training Virginia's workforce for the clean tech economy.

"My plan will make Virginia a national leader in renewable energy and create thousands of green jobs," McAuliffe said. "I'm taking the same approach to figuring out how to get our economy going again that I've taken with businesses I've started or turned around - I'm starting with a business plan for Virginia. Today, I'm unveiling the first chapter of my plan, which focuses on thinking differently about energy because one of the biggest challenges we face is how to meet a growing demand for energy in a way that is sustainable and environmentally responsible. And that means that some of the most promising areas for growing our economy are in the renewable energy field."

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Statement from Terry McAuliffe Regarding the End of the Legislative Session

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released the following statement regarding the end of the legislative session. McAuliffe cited the passage of several renewable energy bills, including legislation that would encourage energy efficiency, create economic incentives for biofuels, and promote the production of electric energy from waste [SB 1248; SB1186; HB2001; HB2576].

"This session, I was heartened to see Republicans and Democrats work together to pass several measures that will help Virginia move ahead on developing our renewable energy sector. Providing economic incentives for biofuels, encouraging increased energy efficiency, and promoting the conversion of solid waste to electricity will help develop this critical industry. While I believe that we need a mandatory renewable energy standard, these bills were a step in the right direction to make Virginia a national leader in renewable energy and create green jobs in the Commonwealth."

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McAuliffe Pitches Green Jobs to Spur Economy

Fauquier Times-Democrat
By Dan Roem
January 21, 2009

Perhaps it’s not fair to boil Terry McAuliffe’s candidacy for governor down to a single issue.

But the dominate message of McAuliffe’s relatively brief candidacy is economic revitalization through job creation.

“You want jobs, you want benefits,” McAuliffe told a small group of prospective voters at Foster’s Grille in Old Town Manassas earlier this month. “You want a good education.”

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