VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Though Virginia’s future is bright as more jobs have come to the Commonwealth, Gov. Glenn Youngkin told a Virginia Energy Summit audience that something is lacking — power.
The governor said this is a critical time for the Commonwealth to be very clear-eyed on what it needs to do, where it needs to go, and what it needs to do in order to get there when it comes to clean energy production.
“When it comes to affordability, we have so much more work to do because we need so much more power,” Youngkin said.
He said the state is experiencing significant job growth, and is rated number one in education in the nation, but he believes the Commonwealth is falling behind when it comes to power generation capacity.
“We have to go now, and therefore, this cannot be a partisan issue because it’s a Virginia issue and the answer is clear,” Youngkin said. “We must embrace all of it because we need it.”
He said the state isn’t growing fast enough when it comes to power capacity for new businesses and companies wanting to come here.
“This Commonwealth that had gotten very comfortable with with stagnant growth is growing like crazy now,” Youngkin said, “and in fact, we see three times the growth in power demand in the states around us, and I think that will accelerate if we do our jobs right.”
He said the state is making progress, but believes there are not enough clean and reliable energy options in motion today in order to meet what he believes is Virginia’s destiny.
In the last year, the State Corporation Commission was reestablished, and unnecessary fees were taken away from monthly power bills for Virginians.
He also spoke about separation from California when it comes to electric vehicle mandates.
“If you want to buy an electric vehicle, buy one, but if you don’t, the government shouldn’t mandate it,” Youngkin said. “And we now will, of course, be subject to the federal guidelines, which are incredibly strict, but then that allows Virginians to make decisions for Virginians.”
He also touted the progress when it comes to offshore wind and said promoting the long-term interests of the Chesapeake Bay is important.
“Transparency and honesty matter, and we should talk about the way that we are going to promote the survival of these aspirations to make sure that the Chesapeake Bay is the cleanest, safest, most wonderful bay in the world,” Youngkin said.
The governor also said it’s time to recognize that the Virginia Clean Economy Act that was passed before his administration does not work for Virginia.
“It doesn’t work because the idea that we are going to establish a 40-year prescriptive, rigid plan in a dynamic world is so disconnected from the way that the world actually works that we must go turn it into a dynamic power plan for Virginia,” Youngkin said.
But he still believes more work needs to be done, and said that’s where innovation comes in.
“We have the smartest people capable of doing the most incredible things,” Youngkin said, “and that is where our secrets sauce is going to be found.”
He said Virginia imports more than 30% of its power from elsewhere, and he wants that to change.
“We need more gas, we need more solar and wind and we need nuclear,” Youngkin said. “And we are going to lead the nation here.”
Sen. Mark Warner was also at the Energy Summit in Virginia Beach and agrees that the Commonwealth needs to have a focus on nuclear energy. He said no state is better positioned when it comes to thinking about where clean energy is coming from than Virginia.