Gov. Bob McDonnell kicked off the second annual Governor's Conference on Energy in Richmond Monday to bring together private and public sector leaders to discuss the development of domestic energy resources. The conference has garnered heavy criticism from environmentalists who would like to see a larger emphasis on renewable energy sources.
The conference hosted a series of panels with contributions from leaders and innovators in the energy industry and regulatory agencies. Panelists focused on the future of nuclear energy, dependence on foreign oil and the development of coal, natural gas and renewable sources of energy.
"Energy is an extremely important issue," McDonnell said in a statement. "At a time when worldwide demand for energy is increasing, we are without a national energy policy. In order to ensure our energy security for decades to come, we must have leadership and consensus on this issue."
McDonnell endorsed an "all the above" approach, a strategy which both uses traditional energy sources and develops renewable ones, to ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply.
Although the conference addressed alternative sources of energy last year, environmentalists from organizations like the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club said the conference has not adequately featured or discussed renewable sources.
"The governor's energy conference has been focused primarily on dirty sources of energy - coal, off-shore drilling and nuclear power - with very limited time devoted to renewable energy," said Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.
The Virginia chapter held a "Funeral for the Mountains" outside the conference Monday to protest the destruction of mountains through the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining in the commonwealth.
Before McDonnell's speech on energy policy yesterday evening, the Virginia chapter presented a mock gubernatorial speech written by a volunteer from the Sierra Club to demonstrate what environmentalists "would like to hear."
"We've heard this speech before," Besa said, explaining that a speech he and environmentalists would like to hear would stress the importance of efficiency - "the cheapest form of energy" - above all else and then the subsidization, research and development of off-shore wind and solar power.
McDonnell spokesperson Taylor Thornley dismissed the environmental protests.
"Rhetoric by some aside, the fact is renewable energy and energy conservation will actually have outsized roles in this conference," she said in an email. "We won't hold our breath waiting for some to acknowledge those facts. After all, it might ruin their protest."
She said renewable sources of energy provide about 5.5 percent of electricity generated in Virginia, and that 11 of the 24 formal sessions at McDonnell's conference will focus on renewable sources of energy and energy conservation.
She added that the discussion reinforced McDonnell's "all the above" approach in an effort to develop Virginia's existing domestic resources, move toward independence and create jobs within the energy industries.
Conference speakers and panelists also include representatives from energy companies in Virginia such as Dominion Resources.
David Heacock, Dominion Nuclear president and chief nuclear officer, contributed to the conference on Monday. He explained the value of including energy providers in these discussions.
"As the leading energy company in Virginia with more than 2 million customers and electric generation stations across our service area, it is extremely important that we be involved in important conferences like the Governor's Energy Conference," he said in an email. "This is because we need to have a seat at the table and provide and receive input from government officials and elected leaders on the best ways to meet the Commonwealth's growing energy needs."
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