News from the South - Virginia News Feed
Kilgore, Va. House GOP members slam Spanberger’s newly unveiled energy plan
by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury
June 12, 2025
After Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger released her energy plan for the state this week, Virginia House GOP members wasted no time bashing it. Her plan emphasizes fair cost share, efficiency projects, and supporting a pilot program to handle peak energy consumption times.
“Her plan leans heavily on demand-side management: programmable thermostats, weatherization programs, utility subsidies, and incentives to reduce consumption during peak hours. That might sound reasonable in theory, but here’s the problem: managing scarcity isn’t a solution — it’s a symptom of failure,” an op-ed penned by House GOP leaders and members read.
The demand-side management they referenced is a recently-passed pilot program that requires utility companies to petition the State Corporation Commission to consider how to optimize energy use during peak times, by using virtual power plants, peak-shaving, and other incentives. Dominion is set to go before the Commission on July 15 to present its electric distribution grid plans for the pilot program.
The pilot allows homes and businesses to opt in to have their thermostats, appliances and solar arrays controlled during high-demand times. Spanberger’s plan also emphasizes weatherization of homes to limit energy waste and aims to reduce the need for additional power plants and transmission lines. Republican House lawmakers pushed back against those measures.
“No one wants to sit through a July heatwave hoping their A/C unit is grid-compliant, or that their A/C won’t be the one that someone in Richmond decides that it needs to shut off to save the grid. No one should have to worry that peak-hour surcharges or remote-control thermostats are going to make their daily life harder and more expensive,” the Republican legislators’ letter read.
Ten of the GOP House members who signed on to the letter voted in favor of Senate Bill 1100 in this year’s legislative session, which allowed the pilot program to move forward. Dels. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, Wren Williams, R-Patrick, Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery, Ian Lovejoy, R-Prince William, Geary Higgins, R-Loudoun, Paul Milde, R-Stafford, Mark Earley, R-Chesterfield, Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack, Chad Green, R-York, and Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, added their signatures to House GOP Leader Del. Terry Kilgore’s.
Kilgore, recently selected as House Republicans’ caucus leader, sponsored a bill in 2023 that capped Dominion’s profit margin, and this year, will allow the SCC to manage the profit margin rates. The General Assembly has also recently passed legislation aimed at expanding the state’s market for Small Modular Reactors, a nuclear energy source that’s still being developed and hasn’t yet been deployed anywhere in the United States.
Virginia lawmakers pass competing proposals to encourage small modular reactor development
A House GOP spokesperson said the members who voted in favor of SB 1011 are more interested in ramping up energy production in the state to meet increasing energy needs.
Spanberger’s plan doesn’t rule out new energy projects coming to the state to help meet demand, and touts the use of “advanced energy technologies” like “modular nuclear reactors, fusion, geothermal, and hydrogen.” The framework also states her administration will “ensure regulatory agencies in Virginia such as DEQ and VDOT are adequately staffed to deliver timely responses to permit applications.” The GOP letter said they are in favor of speeding up permitting for all energy sources, not just renewable ones.
Spanberger’s energy outline doesn’t go into details on plans to expand natural gas, nuclear, wind, or solar energy sources. It does lay out ideas to ensure the SCC works with stakeholders on efficiency methods to cut back on energy use – something the GOP members took issue with.
“You don’t solve an energy shortage by asking people to get used to less. You solve it by building more power,” the letter said.
Utility rates in the PJM markets have steadily increased in recent years as brownouts in the summer months have become a growing concern. Virginia was rated as the state that received the most electricity from other states in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. GOP House members want to shift away from this heavy import of energy and boost Virginia as a player in the energy production market.
In 2020, the General Assembly passed the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act that put the commonwealth into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Participating states can buy allowances of carbon emissions, and the proceeds are returned to the state for flood and energy projects. Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled Virginia from RGGI, framing the additional cost to consumers for the program as a hidden tax. The withdrawal was later found to be unlawful by the courts. The state’s inclusion in the program is on hold while appeals play out in the legal system.
Spanberger’s plan suggests negotiating a deal to get the state back in on RGGI and use funding for efficiency projects.
Judge deems Youngkin’s actions to withdraw Virginia from RGGI ‘unlawful’
“Abigail consistently hears from Virginians who are facing high energy bills, and she knows affordable energy is essential for driving economic growth. That’s why her plan to make Virginians’ energy bills more affordable includes increasing local electricity generation and speeding up the timeline to bring new projects online,” a spokesperson for Spanberger said in a statement. “As Governor, Abigail will be focused on making Virginia more affordable — and she looks forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans alike to make it happen.”
Last week, Republican candidate for governor Winsome Earle-Sears said on the campaign trail that she wants to bolster the state’s energy profile through expanding fossil fuels and nuclear energy, according to the Prince William Times, to meet the state’s surging energy needs.
Data centers in Virginia have “substantially driven up energy demand in the state, and demand is forecast to continue growing for the foreseeable future,” a 2024 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report found. Earle-Sears didn’t mention data centers specifically, but acknowledged that Virginia’s electricity demands have led the commonwealth to import 40% of its electricity from other states. Her administration, she said, would push for an all-of-the-above energy approach, an echo of Youngkin’s energy platform.
Earle-Sears did not respond to the Mercury’s request to elaborate on her energy platform.
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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.
The post Kilgore, Va. House GOP members slam Spanberger’s newly unveiled energy plan appeared first on 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 primarily reports on the competing energy plans of Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger and Republican House members in Virginia, presenting both viewpoints with contextual background and quotes. The language is largely factual but shows a slight lean toward Democratic perspectives by emphasizing Spanberger’s focus on energy efficiency, affordability, and renewable technologies while framing GOP objections as resistance to managing scarcity rather than solutions. It highlights Democratic efforts to negotiate reentry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and references court rulings favoring environmental measures. Republican positions are presented mainly through critiques of demand-side management and a preference for increased energy production. Overall, the piece leans mildly toward Center-Left through its framing and choice of details, without being overtly partisan.
News from the South - Virginia News Feed
Firefighter accused of flooding baseball field after ball hit into station lot | NBC4 Washington
SUMMARY: A firefighter is under investigation after flooding a baseball field connected to Blair High School near University Boulevard and the Beltway. Players from the T-Bolts team said a ball hit a fire truck, and shortly after, a fire engine sprayed water onto the outfield, ruining the field right after days of rain. One player tried to stop the water but was met with hostility. The Montgomery County Fire Department apologized, calling the disruption regrettable for players and families. The Montgomery County Park Police are investigating, but it’s unclear if the firefighter has been placed on leave.
A youth baseball coach says a firefighter flooded a baseball field after a ball was hit into the neighboring fire station’s parking lot, hitting a pickup. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
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News from the South - Virginia News Feed
Virginia takes steps to bring advanced nuclear reactor to Wise County
by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury
July 18, 2025
As Virginia wrestles with high energy demands and deadlines to switch to zero-carbon emission energy production, Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week announced funding to take the first steps towards building an advanced nuclear reactor in the southwest region of the state.
Wise County is the focus of a combined grant of $197,500 to search for private investment and federal funding to prepare the area for an advanced nuclear reactor. The area will be studied to find what kind of advanced nuclear reactor would best serve the region, how it would be funded, and if it could be used for research and power at the University of Virginia Wise.
“This study is going to look at all the possibilities. What do we need? Does it help with data center development? But also we’re in a unique position to where you have an institution of higher education right there,” said Duane Miller, executive director of LENOWISCO Planning District Commission.
There have been discussions of a reactor coming to the area for some time as funding has been sought out. Members of the public have expressed concern over nuclear power coming to their doorstep. Miller said this study process will have a public education and interaction period before any project is allowed to move forward. A reactor will be years away from construction in the area, but there is a lot to understand about the growing interest in the new-age small reactors.
What are advanced nuclear reactors?
The third generation of nuclear power facilities are considered advanced nuclear reactors. Most of the designs are small modular reactors, only generating a maximum of 300 MW. They are less costly than a full-sized reactor, driving interest in their development, and they are able to provide power in more remote areas. They are also touted as safer than full-sized reactors due to safety measures that can automatically stop a meltdown.
There are four main types of reactors that the U.S. Department of Energy lays out.
-Advanced small modular water-cooled reactor (SMR), which uses water as a coolant and is smaller than a traditional light water reactor.
-Liquid metal-cooled fast reactors use sodium or lead as a coolant instead of water, allowing the coolant to operate at higher temperature and lower pressures.
-Gas-cooled reactors use flowing gas to cool them and are designed for higher temperatures.
-Molten salt reactors use molten fluoride or chloride salts as coolant.
There are currently no reactors of these designs in operation in the United States, but several states have cleared the way for the construction of new smaller reactors.
There are dozens of companies racing to have their designs approved as the interest in kickstarting the nuclear industry again in the U.S. grows. A 2024 Pew Research survey showed that 56% of Americans are in support of expanding nuclear energy. That is significantly lower than the interest in expanding solar and wind, which are at 78% and 72%, respectively. Public interest in those renewable energy sources has significantly dropped since 2020, mainly from Republicans who are shifting focus to nuclear, according to the survey.
Having an advanced nuclear reactor online and producing power is still years off, with the first ones projected to power up in the 2030s. There are multiple advanced reactors in construction already in other states. TerraPower is building a molten salt reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming. It has 345 MW capacity and can power more than 250,000 homes. The company aims to have it online early in the next decade.
How are advanced nuclear reactors approved?
On the local level, a roadmap has to be created, which is being done with the grant funding, to show options for placement, investors, and workforce development. Permitting by the county requires multiple public meetings and votes. State legislation has already been passed to allow utilities to comp some of the development costs of advanced nuclear reactors by passing the costs to consumers.
On a federal level, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in charge of licensing and regulating commercial nuclear power plants. Applicants have to undergo a safety, environmental, and antitrust review. There are public meetings held near the site to go over the findings of the reviews.
Only one of the third generation reactor designs have been approved by the NRC, with others working through the process. Fourth generation designs are also in the works. The NRC then visits and approves individual sites for reactors based on various requirements and environmental impacts.
The reviews include looking at site characteristics, design of the nuclear plant, how the plant would respond to hypothetical accidents, what could be emitted from the plant to impact the environment, and other emergency plans.
As there are dozens of designs floating around for these advanced nuclear reactors, the NRC also has to approve the designs in order to move forward with the application.
President Donald Trump has also been pushing for the small reactors to get up and running in the country. In May, he signed an executive order to direct the federal government to develop policies to expedite investment and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.
The order also allows the Department of Defense to have a say in the approval of these new reactors on federal lands, taking some of the power away from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which has had the sole power in the past. This comes as a major political push for nuclear reactors takes center stage in national debates about energy production
Why Wise County?
Southwest Virginia once was a bustling energy producer in the heyday of coal production. Department of Energy Secretary Glenn Davis said he anticipates thousands of jobs could be created through the advanced nuclear reactor industry.
“Southwest Virginia was the energy capital of the East Coast, and it is sitting in a prime position to lead this new energy resurgence,” Davis said. “It’s perfectly situated, so we’re just trying to make sure we’re out in front of it, and getting the ball rolling.”
The state is not only considering producing nuclear energy, but Davis said there is interest in bringing manufacturing of the reactors to the commonwealth. He hopes to have some announcements by the end of the year.
Miller explained that like much of the rest of the state, there is a growing demand for reliable power sources. They are in support of an “all of the above” portfolio for energy production, an echo of the energy platform of Gov. Glenn Youngkin. With data centers popping up in their region, he believes that wind and solar power won’t be enough to meet demand.
“What we’re looking at right now, at least at the outset, would be something to help provide power…for UV-Wise but also to provide power for data center development at the adjacent data center park at the Lonesome Pine Technology park,” Miller said.
He said the region also wants to provide research opportunities at the university to aid in training students for the nuclear workforce as the industry grows.
With the university and workforce that is no stranger to energy production, Davis believes the region would benefit from small reactor manufacturing. The grant funds will be focused on bringing one project online, while the state separately works to secure manufacturing facilities.
What comes next for the Wise County project?
The Virginia Innovative Nuclear Hub is assisting local leaders and stakeholders in making a roadmap of the type of reactor that would be needed in that region to meet their future growth aspirations.
“When you’re deploying nuclear, you have a lot of licensing, you have site prep, you have to be able to figure out how you’re going to connect to the grid or not connect to the grid or whatever the case is,” said Jeff Whitt, director of Virginia Innovative Nuclear.
Whitt has decades of experience in the nuclear industry. He believes that Virginia is optimally positioned to develop these emerging reactors to manage energy needs.
“Deploying nuclear technology in a highly regulated, highly licensed regime with somewhat complex supply chain demands, it takes time and some organizations will be more mature in being able to do that than others will,” Whitt said.
Miller wants to assure the community of Wise County that this project can’t be rushed through the permitting process and there will be multiple chances for the public to learn about advanced nuclear reactors and how it could look in their communities.
The roadmap will be developed over the coming months while the state also applies for federal assistance to begin early implementation for a project. Davis said there are two other advanced nuclear reactor sites proposed near the North Anna nuclear reactor site, which aim to come online in the early 2030s. The Wise County reactor would be online around the same time, should permitting and investment go through.
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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.
The post Virginia takes steps to bring advanced nuclear reactor to Wise County appeared first on 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: Centrist
This article presents a largely factual and balanced overview of Virginia’s exploration of advanced nuclear reactors, including perspectives from government officials, industry leaders, and the public. While it mentions support from Republican figures like Gov. Glenn Youngkin and President Donald Trump, the reporting remains neutral in tone and avoids partisan framing. It includes data from sources like Pew Research and the Department of Energy without editorializing, and it presents both benefits and public concerns about nuclear energy. The overall approach is informational rather than ideological, aligning with a centrist reporting stance.
News from the South - Virginia News Feed
What ‘El Boogie' FBI agent accused of Maryland rapes said in his defense | NBC4 Washington
SUMMARY: A Maryland FBI agent, Eduardo Valdivia, accused of sexually assaulting three women, testified in his defense, admitting to hiding evidence like condoms and wiping devices but insisting all encounters were consensual. Prosecutors allege he used the alias “El Boogie” and ran tattoo studios to lure women, promising modeling contracts before assaulting and filming them, then using the footage as blackmail. Valdivia described adult-themed photoshoots and claimed women were not forced, but victims said they felt trapped and scared. Previously acquitted of attempted murder, Valdivia now faces 18 charges, including felony rape, risking decades in prison. He is suspended without pay by the FBI.
Accused of rape, an FBI agent who went by El Boogie and Lalo Brown online testified in his defense. He called the encounters consensual but admitted to deleting photos and videos. News4’s Aimee Cho shares details from the courtroom.
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