www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-11 15:37:00
(The Center Square) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed multiple clean energy bills this session, as a new report ranked Virginia 23rd in the nation for energy affordability thanks to its diverse power mix.
A new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council credits Virginia’s relatively low electricity prices to its heavy reliance on natural gas and nuclear power, which together supply nearly 90% of the commonwealth’s energy.
Thereportshows that 56% of Virginia’s electricity comes from natural gas, followed by 32% from nuclear power and just 5% from solar and other renewables.
Despite that mix, lawmakers passed a slate of clean energy bills this session to expand solar access, improve energy planning and support low-income households. “Virginia’s energy policy framework includes a hat-trick of a Renewable Portfolio Standard, Cap-and-Trade policy, and a net metering policy,” the report states. “Despite these policies that encourage the adoption of solar energy by making it more economically viable for consumers, solar energy remains at only 5% of total electricity contribution.”
One of the vetoed proposals wasHouse Bill 1935,which would have created a task force to improve access to energy efficiency upgrades and weatherization services for low-income households.
House Bill 2413would have expanded Virginia’s utility planning process by requiring more public input, longer-term forecasting and clean energy considerations. Youngkin vetoed it, arguing the State Corporation Commission already has authority over those plans.
Senate Bill 823also would have required utilities like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to submit detailed workforce development plans when building renewable energy facilities, “giving priority to the hiring, apprenticeship, and training of local workers, workers from historically economically disadvantaged communities, and veterans.”
House Bill 1616would have created a workforce development program to support offshore wind jobs in Hampton Roads, but the governor rejected it, saying the bill duplicated existing efforts.
House Bill 2537,which would raise Virginia’s energy storage targets and require the development of local model ordinances, remains under review after lawmakers rejected the governor’s proposed substitute. He now has until May 2 to take final action.
House Bill 1883,which updates renewable portfolio standard rules for Dominion Energy and clarifies what qualifies as solar energy under state law, is also awaiting final action after lawmakers rejected the governor’s proposed changes. He has until May 2 to approve, veto, or amend the bill again.
At the same time, Dominion Energy is seeking approval to build a$4.5 billion natural gas plantin Chesterfield County, drawing criticism that it could lock Virginians into decades of higher energy costs.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-11 12:53:52
SUMMARY: Tomorrow night, a memorial will be held at Hillstone Apartments in Southeast to mark 25 years since Susan Gross’s 1999 murder near Union Station, DC. Susan, 24, was found stabbed to death in her basement apartment. Police arrested 70-year-old George Mudd, a neighbor, after DNA evidence was rediscovered last year. The cold case had stalled partly because the FBI lost crucial DNA data. Susan’s friends appreciate the arrest but remain upset by past media portrayals focusing unfairly on her former dancing job. Despite the tragedy, they hope the new coverage reflects her more accurately and respectfully.
Loved ones of Susan Cvengros are speaking out about how news coverage of the cold case made much out of the fact that she previously worked as a dancer at a club in Georgetown. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.
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Federal funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in Virginia is temporarily blocked due to a new provision in Congress’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed by President Trump, which halts Medicaid payments for up to a year. Planned Parenthood sued and won a two-week restraining order, with further hearings set for July 21. About 700-800 Virginia patients use Medicaid monthly at these clinics, which provide services beyond abortion, including contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing. Nearly 30% of abortions at Virginia clinics are for out-of-state patients, as neighboring states have tightened abortion laws. The funding freeze affects essential reproductive health care for low-income families.
Federal funding to Planned Parenthood facilities in Virginia and across the nation are tied up in legal battles for the time being. A provision in Congress’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Donald Trump last week would block Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for up to a year.
Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over the provision on Monday and a district court judge granted the organization a two-week restraining order against the federal government. On Friday, the Department of Justice called the judge’s order unlawful and asked for it to be withdrawn, saying the judge “didn’t follow procedure and should have given the government’s lawyers time to respond before ruling,” States Newsroom reported.
In the commonwealth, about 700 to 800 patients per month use Medicaid to pay for services, said RaeAnn Pickett, communications director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. The organization’s clinics serve around 25,000 patients overall per year at its facilities around the state, she said.
The next set of arguments in Planned Parenthood’s case will occur on July 21 and determine whether a longer pause will be granted. Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that some clinics in the country have posted notices on their websites alerting patients they can no longer accept Medicaid in order to comply with the law.
While the national organization has drawn ire from anti-abortion advocates and many Republicans over the years for ending pregnancies, that is just one of the health care services the group provides. Planned Parenthood clinics around the nation also offer cancer screenings, sexual health testing, contraception and breast exams.
The most recent data from 2023, Pickett said, shows that Virginia’s centers provided contraception to over 12,000 patients, conducted more than 12,000 sexually transmitted disease tests, performed nearly 1,300 breast exams and performed 705 cervical cancer screenings (which yielded 53 abnormal results, prompting patients to seek follow-up care).
“Every cancer that goes undetected, every STI that goes untreated, every patient who can’t get birth control or abortion care when they need it — all of it is on their hands,” Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia director Jamie Lockart said in a statement as Congress was passing the reconciliation bill.
Federal law has long prohibited Medicaid coverage from funding abortions, save for specific circumstances. The organization emphasizes that targeting Medicaid funding being used in its facilities will actually affect other components of reproductive health care that low-income families rely on.
“The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government’s spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment,” the organization said in the filing.
Earlier this year, three Planned Parenthood clinics in Virginia were affected by the Trump administration’s freeze on Title X funding — a decades-old federal program that helps extremely low income families access family planning care at little to no cost. That equaled about 11,000 Virginia patients who were subject to higher costs for care.
In states like Virginia without tight restrictions or bans on abortion, organizations like Planned Parenthood have been a critical access point for travelers seeking abortions.
Pickett said that close to 30% of abortions provided by Planned Parenthood are from out-of-state patients — meaning that about 3,000 people are traveling for care. Overall abortion providers in Virginia have reported a rise in out-of-state patients in recent years, as surrounding states have enacted restrictions or near-total bans on the procedure.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article provides detailed coverage of Planned Parenthood’s legal battle over Medicaid funding, highlighting the organization’s role in providing broad healthcare services beyond abortion. The language emphasizes the negative consequences of funding restrictions on low-income patients and reproductive health access, and it includes supportive quotes from Planned Parenthood representatives. While factual in reporting legal developments, the framing and choice of details subtly align with a center-left perspective by focusing on access to healthcare, the impact on marginalized groups, and criticizing government actions seen as punitive toward Planned Parenthood.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-07-10 19:19:54
SUMMARY: Chief Meteorologist Tim Panda reports a quiet start to the 2025 hurricane season on July 10th, with both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins showing little activity despite nearing the peak in early to mid-September. A notable historical reference was Hurricane Dennis, a weakening Category 4 that hit Pensacola as a Category 3 on this date in 2005. Currently, high pressure and dry air suppress storms in the Atlantic, though some tropical waves are present near Africa. The Northern Gulf shows a low 20% chance of development in the next two weeks. The East Pacific is also quiet after an active start.
While there’s not much tropical activity at the moment, Chief Meteorologist Tim Pandajis looks even further into the future using the latest long-range models.
