The Jefferson Journal: A Transparent Effort to Increase General Assembly Authority to Eliminate Hydrocarbon Fuels

By Steve Haner

9/26/2024 -- Any doubt that some members of the Virginia General Assembly's reconstituted electricity regulation commission intend on taking full control of our energy economy was dispelled at its second meeting Wednesday.  With that control, the goal is to then impose a full anti-hydrocarbon energy agenda.  Three proposed legislative initiatives were floated.  None were voted on, and opposition quickly surfaced from some other panel members and in comments, especially from the state's dominant electric utility. The three proposals (also available on the group's state website) were: A draft bill that would dictate a 13-point checklist of factors the regulatory State Corporation Commission would have to use in evaluating any application where it has the power to decide what is or is not in the public interest. Anti-hydrocarbon fuel provisions were prominent among the new elements. A staff white paper on a complete revision of the integrated resource plan process now in state law. One proposal was to override an SCC requirement that those plans offer an option that illustrates the lowest cost for meeting the energy needs, which invariably is a lower consumer cost than the plans which comply with the Virginia Clean Economy Act. It also proposed bringing transmission and distribution issues into what would be an "integrated system plan" and again adding emphasis on ending hydrocarbon energy.  A draft bill to change of the group's name from the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to the Virginia Energy Commission, with an expansion of its oversight authority to the entirety of the state's energy policy, which envisions ending the use of hydrocarbons in Virginia agriculture, transportation and new buildings along with electricity.  Chairman Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, argued the proposal on "in the public interest" determinations was simply an effort to promote more transparency from the State Corporation Commission. "Transparency" was his go to word often in the meeting, but to those in the room familiar with the current SCC practices, the intent to force radical change was what was most "transparent." But the draft was immediately challenged by Senator Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, who noted the General Assembly made some major reforms in the SCC's processes just two sessions ago and has finally appointed a full panel of SCC judges. "A lot of us have said for years we need to just let the SCC do its job." Dominion brought its main lawyer on SCC cases, Joseph K. Reid III of McGuireWoods, to challenge that proposal. "We don't believe the Commission's process is broken," he told the legislators and public members. "I'm not sure what problem this bill is trying to fix." Most of the elements enumerated in the bills, some of them quite vague, are the issues the SCC process examines, and any party to the case can introduce just about any issue it wants to advocate.  While SCC final orders seldom delve into all of them, before the final order there is a long hearing process, and a hearing officer does write a longer report that usually touches on every issue raised.  What the current process doesn't do is require the SCC to explicitly accept or reject and reveal how much weight it gave to every single argument or fact. And if required to do so – as a lawyer with Surovell's ability knows – it will create innumerable new opportunities for disappointed parties to appeal. The current process puts great weight on the traditional question when considering a new power plant or new transmission line. Is it needed, is the plan proposed reasonable and prudent, were alternatives considered, what will be the short term and long-term cost to consumer, has it received the needed environmental permits? To that the proposed bill would add, arguably with equal weight to prudent cost and necessity: All positive and negative effects on public health, public safety, and the environment, including the proposal's ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, transportation, or buildings. (Buildings? They contemplate "in the public interest" decisions on buildings at the SCC?) The effect of the proposal on a utility's ability to meet the goals of the renewable energy portfolio standard program. The social cost of carbon, as a benefit or a cost, whichever is appropriate. The "social cost of carbon" is the most important proposed new element. The dollar value used is subjective, controversial, and some believe it is imaginary. Determining that number and applying it to a cost-benefit formula will kill any future hydrocarbon proposal or transmission designed to serve a hydrocarbon plant and put a fat thumb on the scale in favor of wind, solar or battery projects. It might be neutral on a nuclear proposal.  But as Dominion's Reid pointed out, only hydrocarbon or nuclear proposals would face these tests. The draft bill concluded with a carve out for any project "where the relevant statutes expressly provide a standard for such determination or declare a project to be in the public interest."  That means all the solar, wind and battery projects already declared "in the public interest" by the Virginia Clean Economy Act need not be subjected to these new tests. Could the effort be more transparent? Surovell himself noted that the carve-out seemed a bit unfair and said it might change in a future draft. By the end of the meeting, Surovell was adding the bill might not be ready for the 2025 session at all.

Congressman Good Update: Democrat Spending Levels are Bankrupting Our Nation

The House voted this week to fund the government for the next three months, passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) after Congress once again failed to pass any of the twelve appropriations bills on time. While the House did pass five bills, the Senate passed ZERO. Unfortunately, this has been the pattern for 25 years, but it is even worse today because of the unprecedented $35 trillion in debt and the harmful policies still being funded from the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer regime. Furthermore, the CR expires on December 20, which means it sets us up for yet another multi-trillion-dollar massive omnibus spending bill before Christmas.
 
The House Freedom Caucus and I proposed a 6-month CR that would permit the will of the American people, as reflected on November 5, to determine how the government is funded for the balance of next year. In addition, the CR we proposed and supported included my friend Rep. Chip Roy's SAVE Act to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.  
 
Once the SAVE Act was removed and the timeline was shortened to three months, a CR held no redeeming qualities. Every Democrat and all but 82 Republicans supported this terrible business-as-usual CR, because the swamp in Washington clearly wants their massive Christmas omnibus spending bill without any policy changes or any election integrity measures.  

A temporary partial government shutdown, leveraging the Republican House majority for change in Washington, would be far preferable to continuing to bankrupt our country by funding the policies that are destroying America.

Recognizing the Importance of Pregnancy Centers Pregnancy centers provide mothers a safe place to turn to as they look for help, hope, and healing during challenging times. These centers and the individuals who work and volunteer at them deserve to be supported and recognized for the vital role they play in helping mothers and their families.    This week, I introduced H.Res. 1509, a resolution designating the week of November 11 as "National Pregnancy Center Week." Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the companion resolution in the Senate. I'm proud to stand with leaders like Senator Lee who are working to protect innocent life.    You can read more about the resolution here.

Biden-Harris FAFSA Fiasco This week in the Education and Workforce Committee, we held a hearing to discuss how the Biden-Harris Administration's changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) caused chaos for universities, parents, and most importantly, students. When bad policy decisions are made, it is always the American people that suffer.

Holding the Department of Labor Accountable Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx and I sent a letter to the Department of Labor demanding answers to the Biden-Harris Administration's botched release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' revision of job growth numbers.    Our letter emphasized the discrepancy between the Administration's claims of robust job growth and the reality that the economy was not performing as well as advertised. Not only did the newly released data indicate job growth was much weaker than first reported, but it also appears that this information was leaked to select Wall Street firms ahead of the public announcement, thus providing them with an unfair advantage. Given the Biden-Harris Administration's practice of regularly inflating and then revising job numbers, and recent reports of other leaks from the Department, our letter calls on the Department of Labor to explain their inaccurate communication with the public.    You can read the full letter here.

Immigration Reform Law Institute: Can Oklahoma Throw Illegal Aliens Out?

IRLI shows state's immigration law is not preempted

WASHINGTON—Last evening, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) filed a brief in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals defending Oklahoma's new immigration law, which is the target of a lawsuit brought by the Biden Administration.   Following the example of Texas, which in response to the border crisis passed a sweeping immigration law, Oklahoma recently passed a law that makes illegal entry or reentry into the United States a state crime. Under the law, aliens found guilty of that crime must leave Oklahoma within 72 hours. The federal government claims the law is preempted by federal immigration law.   In its brief, IRLI makes a unique argument, showing that the law, far from being preempted, is actually contemplated by the federal government's own criminal reentry statute, which makes it a federal crime to reenter the country after having been removed—including having been removed by agreeing to removal in a state court.   "This is yet another meritless lawsuit by an administration trying desperately to stop states from doing anything about a problem Biden steadfastly refuses to solve," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "Far from being inconsistent with this state law, federal immigration law explicitly gives effect to state removal laws such as this. We hope our brief, by bringing this feature of federal immigration law to the court's attention, convinces the court to uphold Oklahoma's effort to defend itself."   The case is United States v. Oklahoma, No. 24-6144 (Tenth Circuit).

Watch Derrick Anderson Debate Yevgeny Vindman

Watch Derrick Take on TV Debate-Dodging Yevgeny on October 2nd! Join Derrick Anderson on Wednesday, October 2nd in Fredericksburg as he takes on Yevgeny Vindman in a VA 07 debate. Of course, Vindman still won't do televised debates so we need everyone to come in person as this will be the only time when Vindman will have to answer for his far left radical agenda. Again — Vindman won't debate Derrick in front of the TV cameras so most of the district will miss it. The debate will begin at 7:00 PM. Please plan to arrive by 6:15 to ensure you get a seat. Sign up below to receive more details!

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AFP Action Endorses Derrick Anderson for Congress!

Senator Bryce Reeves to speak in Madison on October 15th

VA AG Special Counsel Maggie Cleary to speak in Madison on November 19th

Gary Bauer: Hatred of Trump Inspires Assassins, The New Normal Is Deranged

It's barely 24 hours after another assassination attempt against former President Trump, but this time, we are definitely not struggling to know what the shooter believes. His profile couldn't be clearer. Ryan Wesley Routh is a regular donor to Act Blue, a funding funnel to Democrats including Harris-Walz and to federal and state Democrat parties and candidates. 

Routh voted for Trump in 2016, but then he turned a 180 and dedicated himself to advancing the war in Ukraine – by trying to assemble a private, international army to fight for Kiev. He reportedly traveled to Ukraine. As recruiting for his private army started to peter out, he sought to attract fighters from Afghanistan to the front. All this activity brought him attention that, to say the least, is near impossible for a single citizen to garner. Both The New York Times and Newsweek interviewed him about his efforts to assemble a mercenary army for Ukraine. 

Is he a crazed loner? The investigation better be thorough. Many of his themes echo the main messages of today's Democrat nominees, who continue to call Trump a "threat to democracy." Routh's rhetoric tracks the language of Harris and Walz, and the relentless demagoguery of Biden before them. Worse has been the reaction since this latest shooting from other leading Democrats.

Alexander Vindman, a national security official who was a witness against Trump in his first impeachment trial, is running as a Democrat in a swing district in Virginia. Shortly after yesterday's attack, his wife Rachel put a mocking post on X, "No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon." Challenged about the flippancy of her remark, Mrs. Vindman went on a tirade attacking Trump for going to Arlington National Cemetery, where he attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the request of families who lost a child in the Biden/Harris disastrous retreat from Afghanistan.

A witch's brew is now steaming before our eyes. The verbal explosions and lies about Trump went mainstream long ago and are escalating. His opponents continue to deploy rhetoric that exacerbates the threat environment – not just against Trump but the entire constituency of his MAGA movement. Pro-lifers, advocates of the Second Amendment, defenders of America First – all are scorned as beyond the pale and enemies of fundamental freedoms or public safety. This rhetoric increases the daily threat level to Trump. At the same time, the Biden/Harris administration refuses to take the security steps necessary to prevent Trump from being killed. 

The left is suggesting that Trump himself is bringing on these attacks. Really? An assassin came within an inch of taking the life of Ronald Reagan, who carried 49 states a few years later. An assassin killed JFK and Martin Luther King, and two assassins came close with Gerald Ford, hardly a figure of controversy. What kind of people use vicious political rhetoric against Trump and conservatives and then blame the victims of the violence for causing the violence?

The left would love it if the growing threats against Trump caused him to limit his campaigning, rallies and political boldness. Some of the more radical leftists will applaud if the next assassination attempt succeeds. 

The New Normal Is Deranged

Having been in Washington for half a century now, I've pretty much gotten used to the normal distortions and exaggerations of political debate. It's a quadrennial favorite to label the GOP the "party of the rich." Never mind the Democrats hyping endorsements by their billionaires' club and the world's only billionaire pop star. Never mind Donald Trump proposing tax cuts for hourly employees, restaurant staff, and Social Security recipients. Calling the GOP the party of the rich is as false as cotton candy, but par for the course. We expect it every four years.  

What isn't normal is the barrage of statements about Trump that are not only false but slanderous and that have been repeatedly debunked only to surface again as if no one questions them. Time and again, leading Democrats and their pundit pals tell us Trump was elected because of Vladimir Putin, that he is a Hitler wannabe (somehow ardently defending Israel's right to exist), a man pledged to be a dictator on day one of a new administration, a man who promised a bloodbath if he didn't get elected again, a voucher for the character of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, a cynic who labeled America's war dead "suckers" and "losers." All of these charges and more are provably false, and most have been rebutted by sources that have little or no sympathy for Trump's actual policy positions on peace, energy policy, late-term abortion and other subjects that are the real fodder of political debate.

All appeals to these critics, many of them on the establishment left, continue to fall on deaf ears. If two assassination attempts, the latest by a man who had written publicly of his hope that Iran would assassinate Trump, don't succeed in persuading them to end their prattle about the death of democracy, what will?    

Miranda Devine at The New York Post has done the kind of against-the-headwinds journalism that, in normal times, would have garnered her a Pulitzer Prize. The Hunter Biden laptop was dismissed by nearly the entire national security nexus, but her gutty reporting proved to be 100% accurate.  Devine recounts how in the last week alone Harris called Trump responsible for "the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War" and running mate Tim Walz hit him as a "fascist" and a "threat to democracy" who will "put people's lives in danger." Devine asks the right question: "What will it take for these demented partisans to lower the temperature?"

Jordan Boyd over at The Federalist, a temperate conservative outlet, struck the same theme and pointed to even more examples of the major media's derangement. She cited NBC's Lester Holt, who in the hours just after yesterday's shooting segued from the attack and linked it to "fierce rhetoric" and "baseless claims" – from Trump and JD Vance! There is shamelessness and then there is depravity.  And this kind of willful blindness to the left's verbal outrages – a verbiage that can convince people like Ryan Wesley Routh that they will be hailed by millions of their fellow Americans as heroes and peacemakers – is nothing short of depraved.

Virginia, Your Voter Guide is Ready!

Virginia, Your Voter Guide is Ready Before you cast your ballot in the Virginia General Election, make sure you know where the candidates stand on the issues most important to you.    To get your personalized voter guide, enter your voting address on the home page at iVoterGuide.com.   Mark your calendar for Election Day!

Go to iVoterGuide.com

Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition

ELECTION CALENDAR

September

15

National Voter Registration Sunday

Learn More Below

20

First Day of In-Person Early Voting

October

15

Last Day to Register to Vote or Update Your Registration (HERE)

25

Last Day to Apply for a Ballot to be Mailed to You (HERE)

30

Night of Prayer for the Election

November

2

Last Day of Early Voting

5

Election Day

See HERE Where to Vote

7

High Tech Prayer Breakfast

www.hightechprayerbreakfast.org

Institute for Energy Research

250 Ways the Biden-Harris Administration, and their Allies, Have Made it Harder to Produce Oil & Gas   Summary: President Biden and Democrats have a plan for American energy: make it harder to produce and more expensive to purchase. Since Mr. Biden took office, his administration and its allies have taken over 250 actions deliberately designed to make it harder to produce energy here in America. A list of those actions, which includes a few high-profile actions taken in states like New York and California, appears here and can be downloaded in a PDF below.   Read More...

Download Here

IRLI Pursuing Springfield (OH) Police Records on Animal Abuse

Mass influx of Haitian migrants brings chaos to small community

WASHINGTON—The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) has initiated an investigation into the Springfield, Ohio, Police Division after numerous allegations from residents there about Haitian migrants committing acts of animal abuse.   Pursuant to the Ohio Open Records Law and submitted on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), IRLI sent a request to the Springfield police seeking all police reports, 911 calls, and recorded body-worn camera footage from any incident involving allegations of abuse or eating of cats, dogs, ducks or geese from and including March 1, 2024 through and including September 12, 2024.   Springfield has been the focus of national attention recently as the community of 60,000 has been overwhelmed over the last few years by more than 20,000 Haitian migrants who have been sent there by the federal government after being granted Temporary Protected Status.   At a town hall meeting in Springfield last month, local residents told city officials about alleged incidents of Haitian migrants engaged in reckless driving, harassing homeowners and, most notably, killing ducks, geese, cats, and other animals for the purpose of eating them.   The arrival of so many foreign nationals has become a safety threat to the community. In August 2023, a Haitian national driving without a license in Springfield caused a school bus to roll over, killing an 11-year-old boy and injuring 20 other children. Residents have also reported skyrocketing auto insurance premiums because of the number of traffic accidents involving Haitian migrants.   "This is what happens when the reckless mass migration policies of the Biden Administration are implemented," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "The national media has been quick to dismiss charges of animal abuse by migrants in Springfield, but the preponderance of accounts by local residents is too great to ignore. Since the media has abandoned its watchdog responsibility over government, we will pursue the facts here that the people of Springfield and the American public at large deserve to know."

INVITATION: Watch Derrick Anderson Take on Yevgeny Vindman at 2 Forums Next Week!

Watch Derrick Take on Yevgeny at 2 Forums! Join Derrick Anderson on Monday, September 16th in Fredericksburg and Tuesday, September, 17th in Prince William County as he takes on Yevgeny Vindman in 2 candidate forums. Yevgeny Vindman continues to dodge TV debates because he doesn't want to be held accountable for the lies about his military service. The Fredericksburg forum will take place at the Fredericksburg Convention Center located at 2371 Carl D Silver Pkwy Fredericksburg, VA  22401 and will begin at 6:00 PM. The Prince William County forum will take place at Metz Middle School located at 9950 Wellington Rd Manassas, VA 20110 and will begin at 6:30 PM Sign up below to receive more details!

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Reminder: Chief Ron Vitiello to Speak at MCRW Meeting on Tuesday