Gov. Bob McDonnell signed 13 bills this week to promote statewide energy production, which he said would help make Virginia the "Energy Capital of the East Coast."
"We have sustained winds off of the Atlantic coast, bountiful coalfields in southwestern Virginia, rich natural gas deposits, along with some of the top scientists and research institutions in the world," McDonnell said in a statement released Tuesday. "We must work with industry and stakeholder groups to continue to aggressively work to harness these energy resources to provide affordable and reliable energy to our families and businesses."
Center for Politics spokesperson Geoffrey Skelley said McDonnell, in signing the series of energy bills, endorsed an "all of the above" strategy for energy solutions. Skelley added this strategy was surprisingly similar to President Barack Obama's.
"[The strategy is] encouraging investment and production of every type of energy production ... whether [the energy source] is renewable [or not]," Skelley said.
Several of the bills work to increase the use of natural gas by allowing for additional infrastructure capacity, according to the press release. Another bill aims to make the Commonwealth's cars more energy efficient with an Alternative Vehicle Conversion Fund.
"We will continue to develop all of Virginia's energy resources, even as we encounter roadblocks from a federal government that professes similar goals but has failed to follow up with actions," McDonnell said. "The Department of the Interior cancelled Virginia's scheduled offshore lease sale for 2011 ... and it left private capital that could be invested in expanding our domestic energy resources on the sidelines."
Skelley said the goals were relatively non-controversial, especially when compared to the state's contentious budget negotiations.
"Energy legislation was something everybody could get behind," he said.
-compiled by Abby Meredith
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