I am an advocate for renewable energy, and a strong supporter of offshore wind and solar in Virginia. Due to foot-dragging and business plans that are heavily biased in favor of fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources sources, Dominion Energy and AEP have prevented Virginia from becoming an early adopter of renewables. Thankfully, it appears that intransigence is beginning to crumble, and we seem to turning the ship around. I strongly support sensible incentives in support of rapid development of renewables and believe such will prove to be important building blocks in Virginia's economic growth going forward.

It should be noted, however, that even renewables do come with negative impacts, but it is my view that these liabilities are far outweighed by the positive impact brought by replacing fossil fuel energy production with solar and wind. I am in favor of developing Virginia's offshore wind, but would urge caution in placing wind facilities in mountain regions that are home to one of the most diverse biomes on the planet. By way of example, the proposed 80 MW Rocky Forge site appears to me to be of questionable utility in terms of production and comes with an unacceptable ecological burden. We should not build renewable energy unless it makes sense from both economic and ecologic standpoints.