June 19, The Washington Post published the following letter to the editor from Virginia LCV Executive Director Michael Town\u00a0offering an overview of where the Governor stands on clean energy and the climate fight.<\/p>\n
The June 12 Local Opinions essay \u201cMcAuliffe\u2019s abysmal climate record<\/a>\u201d missed the mark on where the administration of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe\u00a0(D) stands on clean energy and climate change.<\/p>\n Mr. McAuliffe has done more to move us in the right direction in the climate fight than any other Virginia governor, despite facing a hostile General Assembly. This year, he\u00a0introduced measures<\/a>\u00a0to promote clean energy in Virginia and rejected bad energy policy from the legislature. Mr.\u00a0McAuliffe\u00a0vetoed<\/a>\u00a0ineffective and costly subsidies to coal companies, a huge win for environmentalists and a good first step in leveling the energy playing field, especially if it had been coupled with funding for solar development included in his introduced budget. The governor also rejected legislation attacking his ability to draft and submit a state strategy to implement the Clean Power Plan, a federal initiative to cut carbon emissions from the power sector.<\/p>\n In fact, Mr.\u00a0McAuliffe was the only Southern governor who pledged to keep\u00a0working on a state plan<\/a>\u00a0to implement the CPP during the Supreme Court\u2019s stay. The governor has shown ongoing leadership in building a clean-energy economy for Virginia.<\/p>\n