Election Day Is Approaching. Here’s Where Gubernatorial Candidates Stand On Energy
Democrat Terry McAuliffe has promised to accelerate Virginia’s transition to a carbon-free electrical grid, and has voiced support for expanding access to renewable energy.
Republican Glenn Youngkin is also supportive of renewables, but says natural gas and coal will remain in Virginia’s future to help power a strong economy.
Neither McAuliffe or Youngkin have publicly commented on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is nearing completion and would bring billions of cubic feet of natural gas into the state each day. This does not help to bring the state closer to its carbon-zero goals.
The Old Dominion’s energy landscape has seen several new developments in recent years, as the state reduces its reliance on fossil fuels and moves toward a clean energy future.
Virginia has quickly risen from the ranks to become one of the nation’s top states for new solar developments. And the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which is currently being constructed off the coast of Virginia Beach, will power up to 660,000 homes and create scores of jobs for Virginians. At the center of these clean energy developments is the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the state to reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In the midst of this transition to clean energy, Virginia now finds itself in the middle of an election that could shake up the composition of the House of Delegates, but also to select a new governor. The Democrats have nominated former Governor Terry McAuliffe to seek the office for a second non-consecutive four-year term, and running for the Republicans is Glenn Youngkin, who made a career as a private equity executive before turning his attention to politics. It’s a monumental moment for energy in Virginia, and whoever the Commonwealth elects on Nov. 3 will be pivotal in determining which direction Virginia goes over the next few years. Below, we take a look at where the candidates stand on energy.
Much of the energy policy contrasts drawn between McAuliffe and Youngkin throughout the campaign have been directly related to the Clean Economy Act. During the first gubernatorial debate, Youngkin said that had he been in office when the General Assembly passed the bill, he wouldn’t have signed it. The Republican cited concerns that a clean energy grid wouldn’t be able to meet the demands required for a strong economy, resulting in blackouts throughout the state. This concern is unfounded; clean energy, especially when generated and stored via distributed systems, bolsters the resilience of electrical grids and staves off blackouts. When millions of Texans experienced a blackout earlier this year, those utilizing distributed energy systems like rooftop solar and storage batteries were able to keep the power on.
McAuliffe, on the other hand, has promised during the campaign to decarbonize the state’s electrical grid by 2035, 15 years earlier than currently mandated by the Clean Economy Act.
Regardless of who moves into the Executive Mansion next year, it seems certain renewable energy will stay in Virginia. McAuliffe’s energy platform includes a commitment to expand residential and commercial access to solar energy, including via Power Purchase Agreements that are currently unavailable to many Virginians under current law and by expanding shared solar opportunities. McAuliffe has also committed to building up a burgeoning wind industry in Virginia.
Youngkin has also affirmed his support for wind and solar energy. However, he has said that it’s necessary to continue using natural gas and coal in Virginia in order to support a “rip-roaring economy.” Beyond what he has said during debates and media appearances, Youngkin has not made the specifics of his energy platform public.
Neither McAuliffe nor Youngkin has gone on record stating a position on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is nearing completion. The pipeline is estimated to deliver 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, raising alarms for supporters of a carbon-free electric grid. McAuliffe called the pipeline vital to Virginia’s economic interest when he was last governor, but like Youngkin, he hasn’t stated any specific plans for the future of the pipeline since announcing his candidacy.
To best serve the interest of all Virginians, both McAuliffe and Youngkin should oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline and all other pipeline proposals. Pipelines are costly, and come with risks to both human health and the environment. Additionally, pipelines increase reliance on fossil fuels, which runs counter to Virginia’s goal of a carbon-free electric grid.
The gubernatorial election on Nov. 3 will have enormous consequences for the future of clean energy in Virginia. It will fall upon Virginia’s next governor to either continue shepherding the state toward renewables, which, in addition to being cleaner and cheaper, also create strong jobs, or to maintain the state’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels. You can help shape the future of energy in Virginia by voting. You can vote early in-person now through Oct. 30. The final day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 22. Election Day is Nov. 2, which is also the final day to postmark absentee ballots.