Will Virginia forge its own path on carbon regulation?
At the end of this month, a working group convened last year by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and tasked with recommending “concrete steps” to reduce carbon pollution from Virginia’s power plants will deliver its report to the governor’s desk.
And in the final months of the governor’s term, environmental groups are expecting McAuliffe to deliver what they see as an unfulfilled campaign pledge for meaningful action at the state level in the fight against climate change.
“We helped bring him to the governor’s mansion,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, at a sparsely attended news conference Tuesday at the Capitol Square Bell Tower. “Now, at the end of that process, it is time for the governor to act. We’ve heard enough rhetoric; we’ve heard enough words. Now we need action, bold action by the governor to address climate change.”
The working group created by Executive Order 57, which McAuliffe signed in June, was led by Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward and included Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore; Department of Environmental Quality Director David Paylor; Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Director John Warren; and John Daniel, a deputy attorney general for commerce, environment and technology.
Read more (Richmond Times Dispatch)
