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Energy security and climate change demand real action, not shaky promise of ‘low-emission gas’
By Dan Grossman Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores the extent to which energy security is national security, not only in the U.S. but across the globe. With the current roiling of global energy markets, we need strong action to keep these resources in the pipes, rather than our atmosphere. Alarmingly, U.S. oil and gas operators […]
What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2?
Via The Conversation: A new omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.2, is quickly becoming the predominant source of infections amid rising cases around the world. Immunologists Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti of the University of South Carolina explain what makes it different from previous variants, whether there will be another surge in […]
Link between gas prices and presidential approval seems to be weakening
By Kyle Kondik With inflation at a roughly 40-year high, the electorate appears to be focusing on high prices. A Wall Street Journal poll released late last week showed that about half of voters named inflation and the economy as the top issue they want the federal government to address, far more than any other issue. More than […]
‘Flattening the curve’ of overdose deaths in Virginia
By Eisha Jain, Hunter Hewlett, Natalina Contoreggi, Caitlin Womack, Kevin Parham Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus, Americans have been subjected to a crash course in epidemiology. Phrases like “percent positivity” and ‘flattening the curve,’ once academic, are now common vernacular. Given our community’s newfound education in public health science, we should be gravely concerned about […]
We can unhook from oil and gas wars with solar
By Anthony Smith Full disclosure, I’m a reformed oil trader now hedging energy costs with solar for public serving entities. As it turns out, our company’s solar work is reducing our vulnerability to oil wars and creating clean energy jobs in coal country to support the transition to a renewable energy economy. In its early […]
Fully fund our schools
By Ella Shields I thought my middle school years would be filled with drama, craziness and immature boys. However, my experience at Binford Middle School in Richmond was difficult in other ways due to the facilities and lack of funding. When kids were given glue sticks for classroom work, they were told to share with […]
Virginia has become a climate leader. The Senate is right to ensure it stays that way.
By Anne Kelly The future economy of the U.S. Southeast is being built in Virginia. In just the last two years, the commonwealth has adopted a bevy of policies that are rapidly transforming it into the region’s leader on renewable energy and the electric vehicle future. Seizing this role was, of course, a climate imperative […]
Virginia deserves a comprehensive gun violence solution
By Valerie Slater Virginia communities deserve a comprehensive solution to the increase in violence that has come in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Richmond just suffered the highest number of homicides in 15 years, and cities around the commonwealth are similarly struggling. This violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, whose voices must also come first […]
Elected leaders need to stand up for election officials
By Chris Piper In 2018, when I was appointed commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, our focus was combating foreign interference in our elections, protecting our election systems from foreign attack and beginning to understand how social media was influencing our elections with mis/disinformation. But as I close out my term as commissioner, that […]
Partisan policies didn’t raise gas prices, and partisan sniping won’t lower them
By Hugh Jackson In 2020 the price of oil crashed, even falling to less than zero one day. Traders actually had to pay buyers to get them to take oil contracts off their hands. Oil companies would prefer not to sell oil unless they can make money off it. Oil companies are just funny that […]
Attacking climate action is bad policy, even worse politics
By Christopher Leyen A recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that we will see as much sea level rise in just the next three decades that we’ve experienced in the last century. In Hampton Roads, which is already seeing the fastest rate of sea level rise on the East Coast, an […]
Want to help those impacted by inflation? Pass a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit in Virginia.
By Addison Hunter Families across Virginia are facing the highest inflation rates in 40 years. Prices have increased across the board: Over the past year, a gallon of milk increased in cost by 26 cents, and gas went up by 83 cents per gallon. All the while, the cost of rent and energy bills have […]