Posted By HR Partnership on July 21, 2009

Senator Mark Warner-VA and Chelsea Harnish, Regional Coordinator for Central and Southern VA at Chesapeake Climate Action Network with a “Putting a Cap on It” banner, a message to Congress supporting a science-based cap on carbon in 2009.

by Jamie Nicole Atkinson, Hampton Roads Partnership Intern and a Master of Public Policy Candidate for 2010 at The College of William & Mary

On Friday July 10th, Senator Mark Warner hosted nearly 500 people at the Virginia Summit on Energy Opportunities at Hampton University, which is currently undergoing a “green” revolution. As alternative energy sources were the topic of the day, the location was particularly appropriate for the summit. As explained by the University’s president, Dr. William R. Harvey, the goal is to switch from a coal-powered steam system to an entirely geothermal system, eliminating 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Senator Warner expressed five reasons for this event, the first of which was job creation in what he sees as the next big industry. Just as AOL made Northern Virginia an Internet heavyweight, attracting alternative energy businesses could propel Hampton Roads to the forefront of the green energy industry. In today’s economy, that could be monumental for the region’s prosperity.

Secondly, national defense is also heavily dependent upon finding viable alternative energy sources. Each year, the U.S. imports billions of dollars in oil from openly anti-American countries, leaving us in an extremely vulnerable and precarious position. Procuring a homegrown energy source could significantly improve our independence and national security.

Third, climate change has emerged as one of the most controversial issues of late. The details have been debated ad nauseum, but the fact of the matter is that our actions affect the environment and switching to greener energy sources will enable us to preserve the world in which we live for our children’s futures.

Fourth, energy conservation is crucial for the immediate future. Alternative energy sources, as a new industry, will not be able to satisfy our energy needs right away. By conserving energy now, we provide those in the alternative energy industry time to develop the new technologies necessary for weaning ourselves from traditional fuel sources. One way to conserve existing energy sources is to institute smart grid technology in Virginia to improve energy efficiency.

Another strategy for conserving energy is to weatherize homes. 40% of carbon emissions are from buildings and can be reduced by encouraging weatherization. Hampton Roads currently operates the largest weatherization program in Virginia. Some homeowners may not be able to afford the upgrades necessary for weatherizing their homes, but stimulus funds and federal grants are available to facilitate this transition. Additionally, Dominion Power and Virginia Natural Gas are helping to finance weatherization services across the region. By weatherizing low-income housing, tax dollars can be saved in the long run.

The final raison d’être of the summit was to facilitate networking among those in the alternative energy and traditional energy industries to encourage innovation, collaboration, and pooling of financial resources. By bringing the right people together, progress towards greener energy solutions can be realized.

As the Senator said, “Energy does not have a Democratic or Republican solution.” It only has an American solution. Finding this solution, or at least initiating the search, was the primary goal of this summit.

For more information, please see http://warner.senate.gov/energy.

Photos courtesy of Eileen Levandoski, Hampton Roads Conservation Coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter

Categories: Government & Citizens, Research & Technology
Tags: Energy, Hampton, Warner