“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

— President John F. Kennedy, Sept. 26, 1962
Rice University, Houston, Texas.

There is a great scene in the recent movie, First Man, where NASA technicians admit the mathematical formulas necessary to get us to the moon had not yet been developed. But they (including the Virginia women at Langley described in the film, Hidden Figures) nonetheless pressed ahead, and this weekend, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the dramatic landing and Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind.” In the 1960s, our scientists were propelled by a goal, and in a race against time. Some say we are now in a similar place in the energy field.

Independent of Trumpian tweets and conspiracy theories to the contrary, there is broad scientific agreement that climate change is happening rapidly, and most of its origins can be traced to human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. Wildfires, alterations in traditional weather patterns, the strength of hurricanes, ice pack melting, and coastal flooding are transforming public awareness. The imperative is clear; we must now confront the problem or it will overwhelm future generations. While the federal government, largely paralyzed by Trump climate deniers, sits idly by, good news is coming from various sources. [Read more…]

Forgive the imagery (and the irony), but the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is increasingly looking like an old automobile in need of a valve job – it is leaking serious oil, suffers by comparison to newer, more advanced models, and even if it can be made roadworthy, you and I will pay the bill for decades.

Several years ago, when this massive pipeline was proposed, I was skeptical but willing to listen. I recognized that our state legislature had no vote on the pipeline, but I nonetheless brought my serious concerns to the attention of Dominion, state agencies, and my constituents.  I worked with Nelson County homeowners in and around Wintergreen to ask Dominion to move the pipeline route, but we were rebuffed. We suggested many possible alternative routes, each of which would limit the environmental impact, but all of these were rejected. I formally asked that the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) adopt more stringent review of stream crossings, an approach that was only marginally accepted. I advanced a set of criteria that would allow the pipeline to gain my support, most of which have not been met. The proposed siting of the gas compression station at Union Hill is increasingly problematic. And my initial concern about the cost of the pipeline, much of which will be borne by the ratepayers, has only intensified.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

In short, what I heard when this was first presented about future energy needs requiring the building of this massive new pipeline has been undercut by developments over and over again. [Read more…]