McDonnell says Virginia should be East Coast energy hub
Dan Caldwell,Gov. Bob McDonnell and Pat Baker
TriCities.com
ABINGDON, Va. — Virginia could be the East Coast energy hub, Gov. Bob McDonnell told a group of lawyers, law students and energy industry representatives Monday.The governor spoke at the first biennial Natural Resources and Energy Law Symposium, hosted by the Appalachian School of Law and organized under the governor's administration. It was held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
"It makes perfect sense here in Southwest Virginia to be a national leader and international leader, when it comes to the future of energy," McDonnell said. "Especially when it comes to coal and natural gas and the other tremendous resources that you have down here. I have tried hard over the last couple of years to stake out the claim that Virginia is the East Coast hub or capital for energy. And rightly so, when you look at the God-given natural resources we have here in Virginia, from the marvelous reserves of coal and natural gas [to] the tremendous new technologies that are being developed in biomass and off-shore wind."
McDonnell said he thinks the state is poised to become a long-term leader in energy innovation.
"The more that America can become energy-independent, that is, using all of its resources here rather than importing things from other countries, the less likelihood we have to get into foreign entanglements that may not serve the long-term interests of America well," he said. "That's to me why this kind of seminar and these kinds of gatherings to focus on expanding America's energy footprint with red, white and blue homegrown energy, particularly using the resources that are found in Southwest Virginia, are so vitally important."
He said he doesn't think the rise of natural gas, which is cheaper to produce than coal, will necessarily end the need for coal as an energy producer.
"Coal is mined now in 23 states," the governor said, adding that Virginia is among the leaders in both volume and technology when it comes to coal production. "Forty-five percent of the energy that is generated in America still comes from coal. That is a remarkable number."
He said Southwest Virginia is an economic driver, not only for the region but across the state.
"And that's why looking at developing all these God-given natural resources here and making sure that we've got people that understand the law dealing with natural resources, to be able to make the regulatory structure work better here in Virginia ... is so important to the energy industry in Virginia," McDonnell said.
The conference kicked off the Appalachian School of Law's natural resources law program.
McDonnell said it would take everyone – lawyers, those in academia and the workforce – to develop and continue to grow energy opportunities in Southwest Virginia.
"I think this is a critically important issue, not just for national security but also for economic prosperity in Southwest Virginia and all over our state," he said.
"It makes perfect sense here in Southwest Virginia to be a national leader and international leader, when it comes to the future of energy," McDonnell said. "Especially when it comes to coal and natural gas and the other tremendous resources that you have down here. I have tried hard over the last couple of years to stake out the claim that Virginia is the East Coast hub or capital for energy. And rightly so, when you look at the God-given natural resources we have here in Virginia, from the marvelous reserves of coal and natural gas [to] the tremendous new technologies that are being developed in biomass and off-shore wind."
McDonnell said he thinks the state is poised to become a long-term leader in energy innovation.
"The more that America can become energy-independent, that is, using all of its resources here rather than importing things from other countries, the less likelihood we have to get into foreign entanglements that may not serve the long-term interests of America well," he said. "That's to me why this kind of seminar and these kinds of gatherings to focus on expanding America's energy footprint with red, white and blue homegrown energy, particularly using the resources that are found in Southwest Virginia, are so vitally important."
He said he doesn't think the rise of natural gas, which is cheaper to produce than coal, will necessarily end the need for coal as an energy producer.
"Coal is mined now in 23 states," the governor said, adding that Virginia is among the leaders in both volume and technology when it comes to coal production. "Forty-five percent of the energy that is generated in America still comes from coal. That is a remarkable number."
He said Southwest Virginia is an economic driver, not only for the region but across the state.
"And that's why looking at developing all these God-given natural resources here and making sure that we've got people that understand the law dealing with natural resources, to be able to make the regulatory structure work better here in Virginia ... is so important to the energy industry in Virginia," McDonnell said.
The conference kicked off the Appalachian School of Law's natural resources law program.
McDonnell said it would take everyone – lawyers, those in academia and the workforce – to develop and continue to grow energy opportunities in Southwest Virginia.
"I think this is a critically important issue, not just for national security but also for economic prosperity in Southwest Virginia and all over our state," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.