{"id":423558,"date":"2026-01-28T10:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423558"},"modified":"2026-01-28T10:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:41:10","slug":"will-governor-spanberger-ever-demonstrate-moderation-or-rational-thinking-on-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423558","title":{"rendered":"Will Governor Spanberger ever demonstrate moderation or rational thinking on energy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Driessen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

After four years of Republican Executive Branch rule, Democrats again control Virginia\u2019s Executive Branch and its Senate and House of Delegates. What can Virginians expect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Abigail Spanberger<\/a> campaigned as a moderate and said energy<\/em> efficiency and affordability<\/em> would be central to her first legislative session. Democratic strategist Ben Tribbett expected \u201ca measured approach\u201d from her, instead of \u201cradical change.\u201d Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said, \u201cVoters put [Democrats] in charge to focus on affordability and bring some rationality and stability\u201d to the fore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans feared Democrats would push high-tax, big-spending, heavy-regulation policies that would reduce energy affordability, stall economic growth, hurt small businesses and families, and impair school choice, voting and, safety. They worried that the energized, aggressive leftist base that helped Democrats win the 2025 elections would drive radical changes on multiple fronts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initial legislative and other proposals<\/a> suggest that \u201cmoderation,\u201d \u201crationality,\u201d and \u201cstability\u201d are already  the exception<\/a>. Early actions<\/a> certainly underscore this<\/a>, as do Conservation Network recommendations on 58 House and Senate<\/a> energy, climate, and environment bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I follow other issues<\/a>, I focus on whether energy, climate change, and environmental policies meet sound scientific and economic standards, and how they affect health, jobs, and living standards. At this stage in the process, multiple Democrat policies, actions, and bills are so radical and costly that voters and energy consumers, governor and state legislators, and agency heads need to revamp or trash them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* The governor\u2019s plan to rejoin<\/a> the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will ensure that Team Spanberger hears only \u201cprogressive\u201d perspectives on climate and weather dangers, renewable energy benefits, and whether a few US states can alter major global trends. Efficiency and affordability will suffer, with billions in new costs<\/a> passed on to consumers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth\u2019s climate has changed frequently throughout history, and the Ice Ages, Medieval Warm Period, and Little Ice Age dwarf anything happening today. Average global temperatures<\/a> and sea levels<\/a> have increased only slightly in 100 years. Hurricane frequency and intensity<\/a> show little change since 1865, no Category 3-5 hurricanes struck the USA from 10\/2005 to 08\/2017 (a record), and tornado frequency and intensity<\/a> have declined<\/em> since 1950.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China emits one-third<\/a> of the world\u2019s greenhouse gases, more than all historically developed nations combined. India and Indonesia account for another tenth. They\u2019re building coal-fired power plants at a one-per-week clip. Even if all RGGI states eliminated their fossil fuel use and GHG emissions, there\u2019d be no global reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewable energy involves mining, pollution,<\/a> and child labor<\/a> at unprecedented levels; results in huge installations across croplands, scenic areas, and wildlife habitats; kills 1,000,000 birds and bats annually nationwide; and impairs electricity reliability and affordability<\/a>. Poor families get slammed hardest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Governor Spanberger and many legislators support expanded wind and solar electricity generation, including photovoltaic panels on homes, solar canopies in parking lots, and industrial installations on hundreds or thousands of acres. These systems will certainly generate power, but only 25-30% of the year \u2013 7-8 hours per average day \u2013 at unpredictable times, for unpredictable lengths of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When stacked or stored for long times outdoors or in warehouses or damaged by weather, panels often crack<\/a> \u2013 letting in water and seeping out toxics that can pollute soils, streams, and groundwater. Leakage can also result in reduced electricity generation and even fires<\/a>. Converters (to turn DC into AC current) can also pose fire hazards; so can home backup power batteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* House Bill 214<\/a> would support local flood resiliency grants. But it\u2019s largely based on assumptions that \u201crecurrent\u201d flooding results from climate-driven rising sea levels and increasing rainfall. However, NOAA data showing a doubling in the rate of sea level rise in recent decades puts the new rise at one-eighth inch per year<\/em> \u2013 and a total of just 9 inches since 1880<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, perceived sea level rise is often due to land subsidence<\/em><\/a> in Norfolk, Virginia, and elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* To account for intermittent power generation due to unpredictable wind and sunshine, HB 895 would revise<\/a> the Virginia Clean Economy Act<\/a> to increase utility grid-scale battery storage requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy must construct or procure some 135 Gigawatt-hours (135,000 Megawatt-hours) of short, medium, and long-duration grid-scale storage capacity. (Virginia homes, businesses, hospitals, data centers, and other users currently consume over 270 GW-h per average day<\/em>; much more during extreme heat or cold.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mandated totals depend on<\/a> how many batteries are 4-hour or 10-hour or still nonexistent 24-hour, and whether they export their full nameplate storage value \u2013 or only a more realistic 80 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What storage would be required for the predicted January 24-26 weekend snow and ice storms and near-zero cold<\/em>, with no solar and zero to minimal wind? Blackouts could be widespread and long-term. Families could literally freeze to death in the dark \u2013 if Virginia lacks adequate coal, gas and nuclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* The governor also supports giving the State Corporation Commission more authority to review grid efficiency and limit unnecessary transmission line construction. But how can it limit transmission line construction while installing all the proposed and mandated wind, solar and battery equipment? Far better to build gas and nuclear power plants close to power-hungry data centers and cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 13-state (including Virginia) PJM Interconnection<\/a> already faces serious energy security threats<\/a>: significant shortfalls in critically needed dispatchable electricity, soaring prices, and Pennsylvania losing new generation to neighboring states with clearer, faster approval rules. Virginia government take note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Renewable energy promoters claim wind and solar power costs (and thus consumer prices) are now on par with or lower than coal, gas or nuclear electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These claims focus on initial costs<\/em> of installing turbines and panels. They leave out the enormous costs of constructing, maintaining and operating duplicative <\/em>coal- and gas-fired backup power plants that must operate 24\/7 on idle and be ready to go full-throttle every time wind and sunshine are insufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backup batteries are even more costly. HB 895 directs Dominion to have 64,000 MW-h of 4-hour batteries, which would cost around $33 billion<\/a>. Sufficient additional batteries would multiply that 5-10x.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grid-scale backup batteries also carry significant fire and toxic emission<\/a> risks, as with the 300-megawatt battery inferno at Moss Landing, California<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lobbyists and legislators likewise gloss over subsidies via taxes and hidden charges on electric bills \u2013 and payments to utilities for not<\/em> producing electricity when they must shut down because of high winds or because overall generation exceeds supply or grid capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t mention the exorbitant cost of replacing Atlantic Ocean wind turbines every 10-20 years, due to salt spray and storms; replacing huge solar panel installations destroyed by hailstorms<\/a>; or building hundred-mile-long transmission lines at $1-8 million per mile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia\u2019s governor, legislators, and regulators need to pause their stampede of laws, rules, regulations, and spending \u2013 including nearly 2,400 legislative bills<\/a> so far. But like too many other Democrats, they seem incapable of \u2013 or opposed to \u2013 thoughtful analysis and debate, common sense, moderation, attention to energy, ecological, and economic reality \u2026 and genuine concern for the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo Adnan Masri, Creative Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After four years of Republican Executive Branch rule, Democrats again control Virginia\u2019s Executive Branch and its Senate and House of Delegates. What can Virginians expect?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":423564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvY2xpbWF0ZS1zY2llbmNlLnByZXNzXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI2XC8wMVwvMEFRTW9ZQVFKT256SGl1NmtIT3ZKUnRvQnlhb2hzLV9WeHV4SGJZbkRoMDgwNHFob1NSNEw2Z3BtTEpkXzRETm5sSHhLYU5CTmNvNG03NVIzQUE5T3JYbUdSLVh1eDVKcElVdUJqUW0xSVhwVEtUbC1lWGowbHFSczdmME5PQ1ZSLTEtMTAyNHg1NDkuanBlZyIsInR4dCI6IldpbGwgR292ZXJub3IgU3BhbmJlcmdlciBldmVyIGRlbW9uc3RyYXRlIG1vZGVyYXRpb24gb3IgcmF0aW9uYWwgdGhpbmtpbmcgb24gZW5lcmd5PyIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNTU4MTI0NDl9.6qrM3suZvZPaWG0BOhpgSRzOSlmsde3YfE9wMyHPMGsMQ"},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818341,691818056,691840966,691840968,691840967,691820038,691819094,691818417,691818728],"class_list":{"0":"post-423558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-governor-abigail-spanberger","11":"tag-heavy-regulation-policies","12":"tag-high-tax","13":"tag-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative","14":"tag-renewable-green-energy","15":"tag-virginia","16":"tag-wind-and-solar","18":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQMoYAQJOnzHiu6kHOvJRtoByaohs-_VxuxHbYnDh0804qhoSR4L6gpmLJd_4DNnlHxKaNBNco4m75R3AA9OrXmGR-Xux5JpIUuBjQm1IXpTKTl-eXj0lqRs7f0NOCVR-1.jpeg?fit=1766%2C946&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1MbA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":406863,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=406863","url_meta":{"origin":423558,"position":0},"title":"Virginia could pay $500 million per year in higher electricity costs if Spanberger wins gov race","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Virginia voters should know that if Abigail Spanberger becomes their next governor, they will be staring back at\u00a0$500 million in higher electricity costs each year, according to a\u00a0new report\u00a0from the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.","rel":"","context":"In \"Abigail Spanberger\"","block_context":{"text":"Abigail Spanberger","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=abigail-spanberger"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-07-082436.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-07-082436.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-07-082436.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-07-082436.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0Screenshot-2025-10-07-082436.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":422923,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=422923","url_meta":{"origin":423558,"position":1},"title":"Virginia Rejoins the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Virginia\u2019s new governor, Abigail Spanberger, announced that Virginia will rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), falsely claiming that the state\u2019s withdrawal from the program increased costs. 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