VB Dems

Adding insult to injury, Jeff McMoneybags, fresh from buying up the 8th Senate seat, will deliver the Senate Republican response to Kaine’s final address before the General Assembly tomorrow night. WTF?! Get over how disrespectful this is to our outgoing Governor, and try to imagine just exactly what McMoneybags is capable of saying, especially considering that Kaine’s speech will likely be reflective. No doubt the entire thing will be written for him, so hopefully McMoneybags’ arrogance and conceit will be kept in check.

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The rumor on the street was that Sen. Frank Wagner was conniving to get VB Mayor Sessoms to rescind VB’s resolution opposing uranium mining in southwest Virginia. The Beach did so (as did the City of Chesapeake) as our drinking water supply comes from Lake Gaston which is in the area of the proposed uranium mining.

Although there is still currently a moratorium in the Commonwealth on uranium mining, a legislative subcommittee did order a study of it. The State has contracted with the National Academy of Sciences, it’ll take 1.5 years to complete and would otherwise cost our cash-strapped state $1.4 million. “No problem,” says the wealthy special interests who have been allowed to underwrite the “study”.

Assuming that NAS can be trusted to not sway results to the benefit of its underwriters, there is still a huge problem with their study. It’s not site specific! And Virginia Beach’s Thomas Leahy, the city’s public utilities director, knows it and he’s not afraid to act on his doubts. Virginia is not Utah after all, where uranium mining faces a dry, arid environment. We’re practically tropical – so moist and spongy – ergo great concern for the State’s “study”.

The Virginian-Pilot reported today that the City is preparing to commission their own study on the effects to our drinking water should uranium mining near Lake Gaston be allowed. It’ll cost upwards of $437,000. And Sen. Frank Wagner is shitting in his pants. Getting Virginia Beach to come round to seeing this his way has vanished in the haze. Ha!

I love one of the comments on the Pilot article online. “Who does Wagner represent, Virginia Beach or the uranium industry?”, writes Chris33. Umm… take a wild guess. The answer is the same as always.

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TODAY IS THE DAY!!! Tues., Jan. 12 is Election Day in the 8th district. Vote for Democrat Bill Fleming for State Senate!

Find your voting location at Bill’s site… htt://www.flemingforstatesenate.org/. Polls are open from 6am to 7pm. Go vote and then come back here and tell us about it.

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First I got the email where McWaters is basically crying about the Democrat who ruined Christmas. Now the Repug, who has raised 40x as much $ as that Democrat, is crying about how effective tonight at midnight he can’t fundraise. So give to him now, goddammit!

SUBJECT: FINAL APPEAL!!

Finally, we have a unique situation in which the special election is being held the day before the beginning of the legislative session. Therefore, assuming that all your volunteer efforts pay off at the polls and Jeff McWaters is elected as our next State Senator, he will only be able to accept donations through tomorrow, January 12th at 11:59 pm. State law does not permit legislators to accept contributions while the legislature is in session. So please consider making a safe and secure online contribution by clicking the “Contribute” button below. Your immediate contribution of $1000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or even $25 is extremely helpful! As you can imagine, campaigns are expensive, so won’t you please help us!!

Poor poor Jeff McWaters.

GET OUT TO VOTE TODAY! VOTE FOR BILL FLEMING! Let’s not allow this arrogant Republican to win! Let him know Senate seats cannot be purchased.

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Help Bill Fleming win by canvassing tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 11):
- Launch 11:00 a.m. Asian Food Market 315 N. Great Neck Road at the Intersection of Great Neck Road and Virginia Beach Blvd.
- Launch 2:00 p.m. Galilee Episcopal Church at 3928 Pacific Ave.

If calling voters is your thing, Bill’s got a virtual phone bank system set up. Call from the comfort of your own home. Email Susan for more info… smfincke@hotmail.com.

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The 2010 General Assembly starts on January 13, and as usual the emails and action alerts will be flying especially as we combat the numb-nuttedness that McDonnell and Cuccinelli will assert on their cronies in the House of No.

I plan to tag bills of interest again via Richmond Sunlight. I’m also going to pay especially close attention to emails coming from the Virginia Organizing Project. This group represents a number of the issues I care most about and are a good clearinghouse of info. I’m pretty well tapped into environmental issues, and easily follow emails from gay rights and pro-choice groups. Other issues involving education, guns, budget, and labor, I have a harder time tapping into.

Speaking of VOP, I’m definitely participating in their Lobby Day this year:

VOP will partner with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in a citizen lobbying trip to the Virginia General Assembly.

VICPP’s Advocacy Day for All People of Faith will be held on Tuesday, January 19th at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond. Doors open at 8:00 am, the program starts at 8:45 am and ends at 2:30 pm.
Some issues that we will be briefed and then advocate for are:
• capping payday and car title loans at 36%,
• voting rights for felons who have served their time,
• balancing the budget without cutting core services and punishing the neediest in our society, and
• working for laws that help us to provide clean and sustainable energy.

The cost is $20.00. You can register on-line at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org. Follow the instructions there. We are trying to procure a bus, and we will need 40 people from Tidewater (Virginia Beach through Williamsburg) to do so. Scholarships are available, so don’t let the $20 registration fee hold you back. If needed, contact me at TStanley@virginia-organizing.org and we will work out the registration fee.

Sign up for the lobby day at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

Lift your citizen voice at the General Assembly with VOP and the Interfaith Center on January 19th!

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Ha… went to Wikipedia to check on the spelling of “lackey” and got these apropos synonyms… “Bitch, ass-kisser, crawler, sycophant, toady, apple polisher, bootlicker, fawner, hanger-on, pawn, attendant, tool, instrument, parasite, cohort (chiefly U.S.), valet, menial, minion, footman, sycophant, yes-man, manservant, flunky, brown-noser, flatterer, groveler, groveller, truckler”.

WTF does Delegate-elect Ron Villanueva know about offshore drilling? Nothing! Yet according to yesterday’s Virginian-Pilot, the Republican “has filed a bill to clear the path for offshore oil and gas drilling”.

VB Mayor Sessoms for the first time pulled together his Mayor’s Alternative Energy Task Force in 2009. His goal was to weigh in all the options, which included dual presentations of offshore drilling. The pro-drilling from Sen. Frank Wagner and the anti-drilling from my boss with the Sierra Club. Was Villanueva there? No. Did Villanueva attend any of the Mayor’s energy task force meetings? No. Has Villanueva ever considered or otherwise sought out the opposing points to drilling? No. Does Villanueva always and in any way swallow it down for Frank Wagner? Yes.

Pathetic, Villanueva.

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Okay… a show of hands…

How many noticed Rep. Glenn Nye twisting in his seat as Sen. Yvonne Miller gave her speech last night at soon-to-be Sen. Bill Fleming’s Democratic Unity Rally? Damn… wish I recorded it!

UPDATE: Crew of 42 has more.

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There is no denying that we didn’t work very very hard in 2009. As a result of all the blood, sweat and tears, I’ll make the following predictions:

1. Bob McDonnell will be outed as the buffoon he is on all things energy related. All of us totally jazzed up about Virginia’s offshore wind will come to the conclusion that he provides only lip-service to the cause. His agenda is first and foremost to Big Oil and Big Coal. Bob ridiculously makes a lot of noise about something completely outside his control. And while visions of rigs drilling for oil in 2011 dance in his head, other Atlantic coasts states are erecting wind turbines in 2011. We lose unless other forces (perhaps the U.S. Navy?) can wrest the bull by the horns and act as the “public” in “public/private partnership”. The potential for Virginia is just too powerful, even for Gov. Bob and his cronies. Meanwhile, MMS unofficially postpones Virginia’s enrollment in the 2007-2012 OCS program and any drilling off Virginia’s shores is more appropriately considered with the rest of the Atlantic coasts states enrolled in the 2010-2015 OCS program.

2. Federal climate change legislation passes with both Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Jim Webb voting “yes”. Webb’s vote will be earned as a result of a lot of compromises that will make this bill way less than perfect. But like the Clean Air and Clean Water acts which weren’t ideal, shit can be amended.

3. As a result of this Federal action, the Old Dominion Electric Coop will give up on the Surry coal plant. The now $6 billion price tag for this monstrosity will go up and potential investors will start backing away from it. The final nail in the coffin will be Hampton Roads cities, towns and counties, who stand to gain nothing from its construction and suffer only its ill effects, each one by one offering resolutions in opposition.

4. The public uproar over dirty Dominion will force GA legislators to stop kissing its ass. In 2010, Dominion will still get everything it wants but legislators finally finding balls will start to insist on certain accommodations, starting with fly ash disposal, mandatory renewable energy standards, and mandatory energy efficiency.

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Democratic Unity Rally
Friday, January 8, 2010
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
2100 Parks Avenue, Virginia Beach
SPECIAL GUESTS:
Congressman Glenn Nye
State Senator Creigh Deeds
State Senator Yvonne Miller
State Senator Ralph Northam
Delegate Brian Moran
Delegate Kenneth Alexander
And more surprise guests!

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Dear Eileen,

Bill Fleming has stepped up to be our Democratic candidate for the Virginia State Senate in the 8th District and we need every Democrat to get out and vote. Election Day is January 12, just one week from today.

Register to Vote: The deadline is TODAY — Tuesday, January 5th. If you have children, family members, or friends who can register to vote but have not done so, please encourage them to register so that they can make their first Democratic vote. Registration can be done in person at the Voter Registrar’s Office at 2449 Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach (across the street from the McDonalds).

Absentee Voting: If you qualify to vote absentee you can vote at the Voter Registrar’s Office at 2449 Princess Anne Road until Saturday January 9th. If you have a child going off to college, remind them to vote before they leave. If you or anybody else may have difficulty voting because they will be away or cannot make it to your voting place, you can vote early in person.

Why This is Important: Democrats currently hold a one seat majority. With the two upcoming special elections in the Commonwealth, we can reinforce this majority by adding additional Democratic seats. But it depends on all of the Democratic voters in the 8th District.

Please check out the links below for more information on Bill Flemming and sign up to volunteer today. There is just one week left to make a difference in this important election.

Click here to visit Bill’s website.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Click here to make a contribution.

Please share this information with folks — we need to spread the word about this important election. Thanks so much for all you do to support our great Democratic candidates.

Sincerely,

C. Richard Cranwell
Chairman

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In case you didn’t notice, we’ve changed blogging platforms. We’re back to being a Wordpress blog now. However, there is one thing I miss about our old platform, and that is the Calendar widget. I’m currently looking for a new one, but in the meantime, events will have to go into a post such as this.

WHAT: Meet and Greet with our 8th State Senate Candidate Bill Fleming
WHEN: Sunday, January 3, 5-7 pm
WHERE: Home of JoAnn & Buzzy Hofheimer, 6400 Oceanfront Ave. (64th St. at the ocean, north side). Click here to RSVP.

WHAT: Sierra Club Chesapeake Bay group meeting with guest speaker CCAN’s Chelsea Harnish presenting an overview of the upcoming 2010 General Assembly and our environmental agenda
WHEN: Monday, January 4, 7-8:45 pm
WHERE: Meyera Oberndorf Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd.

WHAT: “Crude”, the film Chevron doesn’t want you to see. This award-winning documentary film chronicles the epic battle to hold oil giant Chevron (formerly Texaco) accountable for its systematic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon – an environmental tragedy experts call “the Rainforest Chernobyl.” Remarks offered afterward by yours truly with the Sierra Club.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 6, 7:15 pm
WHERE: Naro Cinema, 1507 Colley Ave. in Norfolk

WHAT: Virginia Beach Democratic Committee business meeting and election of officers
WHEN: Wednesday, January 6, 7-9 pm
WHERE: Bayside Library, 936 Independence Blvd. in VB

WHAT: Ladies Legislative Roundtable’s first meeting ahead of the 2010 GA session
WHEN: Saturday, January 9, 9 am
WHERE: Friendly’s (restaurant), 5764 East Virginia Beach Blvd. in Norfolk

WHAT: Special Election. Vote for Democrat Bill Fleming!
WHEN: Tuesday, January 12, polls open 6am to 7pm
WHERE: Virginia’s 8th Senate District

WHAT: Conservation Lobby Day. Join dozens of environmental groups and activists in telling legislators what you expect from them this General Assembly session. Click here for more info.
WHEN: Monday, January 18, 9am to 2pm
WHERE: Centenary Methodist Church, Richmond VA (411 E. Grace Street)

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Not many Republican legislators have even a clue or appreciation for land conservation. But based on the short but sweet legislative record (click here to view his bills patroned) of my representative hog farmer Delegate Barry Knight, you’d think he’d know better.

Yet of all the Virginia Beach General Assembly delegation, he scored the worst. The League of Conservation Voters gave him 25%. He did even worse than Frank Wagner with 26%.

Here’s all the scores from 2009:
Bouchard 86%
Northam 79%
Mathieson 75%
Y. Miller 67%
A. Howell 57%
Tata 46%
Iaquinto 45%
Purkey 39%
Stolle 27%
Wagner 26%
Knight 25%

We’ll be talking to Del. Knight! Conservation Lobby Day is Monday, January 18 from 9am to 2pm. Click here for more information.

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Yes, Virginia, we have a candidate! Long-time Virginia Beach business owner Bill Fleming throws his hat into the ring, running for the 8th district State Senate seat in a special election on January 12, 2010.

Bill will be the representative in the General Assembly who serves every citizen of this Virginia Beach district and not just the privileged powerful few. His resume is quite remarkable… research physicist with IBM, founded a technology firm specializing in small business technology solutions and employing hundreds to include local veterans, serves on advisory boards at Tidewater Community College and ECPI College of Technology, member of several local environmental groups to include Lynnhaven River NOW and Back Bay Restoration Foundation. (Click here to read Bill’s entire bio.)

Bill kicks off his campaign tomorrow (Tues., Dec. 29) at 12:30pm at the Hilton Garden Inn – Virginia Beach Town Center. Check out his website at FlemingforStateSenate.org and join us at our Friends of Bill Fleming for State Senate page.

Two Meet and Greets with Bill Fleming are scheduled: Oceanfront area at the home of JoAnn & Buzzy Hofheimer, 6400 Oceanfront Ave. (64th St. at the ocean, north side) on Sun., Jan. 3, 5-7pm (click here to RSVP) and in the Upton-Ocean Lakes area at my home, 1205 Whitestone Way on Tues., Jan. 5, 6:30-7:30pm (click here to RSVP). If you’d like to host a Meet and Greet for Bill, contact Susan Finke at smfincke@hotmail.com.

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From NPR: “It was just before Christmas last year when a massive coal ash retention pond gave way near Kingston, Tenn. An estimated one billion gallons of the gray material spilled into a river and inundated acres of sparsely-populated land. One year later, clean-up is going slower than expected and it’s more expensive too.”

Meanwhile, the EPA’s promised regulations to tighten down on the handling and disposal of toxic ash from coal-fired power plants has been delayed.

Industry groups argue that if coal ash is regulated as a hazardous waste (no, duh!), it “could force nearly 200 coal-fired power plants nationwide to close”. And that’s a bad thing?

“A national coal combustion products regulation will alter the technology and economics of coal-fired power plants,” Ken Ladwig of the Electric Power Research Institute told a House subcommittee. “Some owners would decide to prematurely shut down rather than incur the costs of compliance, while others would convert their ash handling and disposal systems and continue to operate in the post-regulation market.”

“It is impossible to imagine that the imposition of basic landfilling standards will bring down the U.S. power industry,” shot back Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans.

“Generally, coal-ash is not subject to any concrete set of national standards to govern the safety of the impoundments or toxic pollution that leaches from them. Rules vary widely from state to state”, writes Ken Ward in the Charleston Gazette.

Here we go with Exhibit A of AG-elect Cuccinelli’s pronouncement to block and/or circumvent any Federal ruling. Roll out the red carpet for ODEC’s Surry coal plant’s slurry impoundment ponds bordering the James River and the Chesapeake Bay, Dominion’s fly ash pile in York County (“Mount Ashmore“) looming ever higher, and coal ash used to sculpt way more than just golf courses.

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