Energy

Making Virginia the Nation's Energy Leader

One of the ways in which we can help get our economy moving again is by making Virginia the nation’s leader in developing new and traditional forms of energy.  This will help America lessen its dependence on foreign sources of energy and achieve a higher level of energy security, while at the same time creating jobs and enabling Virginia to achieve a higher level of economic security.

Bill’s More Energy, More Jobs  program includes the following initiatives:

• Expanding Traditional Forms of Energy - Bill is a strong supporter of the responsible expansion of traditional forms of energy in Virginia, including nuclear power and clean coal technologies.  . 
• Expanding Renewable Sources of Energy - Bill is also a strong supporter of making Virginia the nation’s leader in expanding renewable forms of energy, such as wind energy, solar energy and bio-fuels. 
  
• Developing Virginia's Energy Future - Bill believes that Virginia should lead the effort to develop new and emerging sources of energy.  He supports transforming our colleges and universities into incubators for research and development of the next generation of energy sources, and he is working with state and local economic development organizations to recruit new energy businesses to Virginia. 
• Pursuing Responsible Conservation Measures - Bill also believes that we can do more to conserve energy in Virginia.  Bill supports responsible energy conservation measures that are based on sound science with proven effects that are properly balanced between the need for energy conservation and economic development.

Bolling Supports the Exploration and Development of Virginia's Offshore Energy Resources

Bill is a strong supporter of moving forward with the exploration and development of Virginia’s offshore energy resources.  The federal government has scheduled a lease sale off the coast of Virginia for 2011.  This lease sale is the first step in authorizing a private company to begin the process of exploring and developing oil and natural gas 50 miles off the coast of Virginia.  This lease sale would make Virginia the first state along the Atlantic seaboard to move forward with offshore energy development, and it would have a huge economic impact on Virginia. 

Bill has proposed taking the money that we generate from the development of our offshore energy resources and dedicating it to the completion of important infrastructure projects in Virginia, such as the construction and maintenance of our highway system.  This is one way in which we can build a transportation system for the 21st century without raising taxes on Virginia’s families and businesses.