Governor McDonnell Announces New Leadership Elected to the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority

English: The state seal of Virginia.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Consortium to promote Virginia’s role as a key leader in nuclear energy

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell announced today the election of leadership to the newly formed Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC) Authority.  The 17-member board of directors has elected as its chairman Marshall Cohen, Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications at The Babcock and Wilcox Company.  The board elected Donald Hoffman, President and CEO of Excel Services Corporation and President of the American Nuclear Society, to serve as its vice-chairman. Sama Bilbao y Leon, Associate Professor and Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs at VCU was elected treasurer for the Authority.  Bob Bailey, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Engineering & Research was elected as Secretary. 

“Nuclear energy is an important piece of our ‘all of the above’ approach to energy development not just in Virginia, but across our nation,” said Governor McDonnell.  “Virginia has a unique opportunity to lead in the nuclear energy sector, creating jobs for our citizens, developing a workforce that can meet the needs of the industry and conducting research to advance new nuclear technologies. We are home to two nuclear power generation facilities, operated by Dominion Virginia Power, a shipyard that builds the nation’s nuclear Navy, strong research institutions expanding their work in nuclear engineering and related fields, Babcock &  Wilcox, Areva and other significant companies in the nuclear energy sector. Bringing these assets together around the table to develop research partnerships, workforce pipelines, information resources and educational opportunities will support and expanding industry and be good for all Virginians.  I thank the newly elected leaders for their service and commitment to making Virginia a nuclear energy leader.”

Following today’s meeting of the VNEC Authority, Chairman Marshall Cohen said, “I appreciate the opportunity to lead the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium in its first year as we work to promote Virginia’s rich, diverse and important nuclear industry and encourage additional collaboration and partnerships here in the Commonwealth.  Nuclear energy is responsible for thousands of good-paying jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity in Virginia. We appreciate Governor McDonnell and the General Assembly’s leadership in the formation of the consortium and for recognizing the importance of nuclear industry in Virginia. I look forward to continuing our important work with Governor-elect McAuliffe in the coming years.”

The VNEC Authority was formed as a result of Governor McDonnell’s legislation during the 2013 session of the General Assembly.  Senator McWaters patroned SB1138 and Delegate Scott Garrett patronedHB1790 to establish the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purposes of making the Commonwealth a national and global leader in nuclear energy and serving as an interdisciplinary study, research, and information resource on nuclear energy issues.

The full membership of the VNEC Authority Board of Directors is below:

·         Marshall Cohen of Fairfax, Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications at The Babcock and Wilcox Company

·         David Christian of Toano, Executive Vice President of Dominion Resources and CEO of Dominion Generation

·         Colleen Deegan of Rockville, Maryland, Vice President of Government Programs for Bechtel

·         Donald R. Hoffman of Bethesda, Maryland, President and CEO of Excel Services Corporation and President of the American Nuclear Society

·         Maureen Matsen of Richmond, Counsel for Christopher Newport University

·         Matthew J. Mulherin of Yorktown, President of Newport News Shipbuilding and Corporate Vice President of Huntington Ingalls Industries

·         Dr. Ganapati Myneni of Yorktown, Senior Scientist at Jefferson Lab

·         Michael Rencheck of Powell, Ohio, President and CEO of AREVA, Inc.

·         Ron Sones of Gladstone, Professor of Business at Liberty University and President of SIBS LLC

·         Kiyoshi Yamauchi of Arlington, Chief Executive Director of Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems, Inc.

·         Director of the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy or his designee

·         President and Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership or his designee

·         The Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System or his designee

·         The President of the University of Virginia or his designee

·         The President of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or his designee

·         The President of George Mason University or his designee

·         The President of Virginia Commonwealth University or his designee

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Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on New Virginia Offshore Wind Research Lease

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Determination Clears Way to Offer “First of its Kind” Lease to Virginia

Lease Proposes to Demonstrate Two 6 Megawatt Wind Turbine Generators in the Atlantic Ocean 24 miles off Hampton Roads; Dominion Virginia Power will Lead Project

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement following news that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has made a Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI) that will allow the federal bureau to offer Virginia a first of its kind offshore wind research lease. The lease area located about 24 nautical miles off of the Hampton Roads coastline on the Outer Continental Shelf will host a demonstration of two utility-scale wind turbine generators. This news follows Virginia’s selection as the location of only the second commercial offshore wind lease auction and sale. In September, Dominion Virginia Power successfully bid for that lease:http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1971.

Speaking about today’s new offshore wind research lease, Governor McDonnell remarked, “I applaud the Department of the Interior and BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau and his team at BOEM for taking another important step to advance this vital research and demonstration initiative. Today’s development follows the BOEM September lease auction for commercial scale wind energy development in the much larger wind energy area in federal waters adjacent to the research lease and keeps Virginia at the forefront of an all-of-the-above energy development strategy. Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest utility, won the commercial lease auction and also leads the turbine demonstration project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“Virginia’s port and maritime assets and the gradual slope of the Outer Continental Shelf and consistent offshore wind speeds make this a natural geographic location to demonstrate the feasibility and eventually to develop offshore wind resources at a commercial scale. We have a robust commercial ship building industry and other assets that make Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth an attractive candidate to become the center of construction and logistical support to develop the Mid-Atlantic’s coastal energy resources.

“Virginia did not get to this position of leadership  and great potential by accident. I would also like to acknowledge years of ground laying and ongoing work by many stakeholders.  BOEM, the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority, the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, Dominion Virginia Power, the maritime industry, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and many others have worked together to define the appropriate locations for research and commercial scale offshore wind development.  Key to the identification of these locations has been the protection of sensitive ecological habitat and avoiding or minimizing conflicts with existing uses of the ocean space offshore Virginia, such as military training areas, marine vessel traffic, a dredge disposal site, and areas of concern specified by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility.

“The experience gained under the research lease will help to lower costs and reduce any possible risks from future large scale commercial development. Leveraging other funds, lowering costs and risks and accelerating the sensible and responsible development of our offshore wind energy resource have been the motivations behind all investments of state funds for offshore wind during our administration, including a recently concluded regional ocean geological survey and additional studies and data collection projects now being planned to invest $1 million of FY2014 state funds.” 

The Department of the Interior release is available here:http://www.boem.gov/Press12062013/.

More about the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP)

Dominion Virginia Power and its team is one of seven projects nationally selected by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2012 to receive $4 million each in federal matching funds to undertake initial engineering, design, and permitting for an offshore wind technology demonstration facility. VOWTAP proposes designing, developing, and demonstrating a grid-connected, 12-megawatt offshore wind facility consisting of two 6-megawatt Alstom Haliade turbines mounted on innovative foundations. The project will advance offshore wind technology and gain valuable experience in offshore wind installation and operations, with the goal to reduce the cost and risk of future commercial scale offshore wind projects. In May 2014, DOE will select three projects to receive additional federal funding up to about $47 million in total and proceed with completion of the Front End Engineering and Design. Ultimately, DOE has a target for these projects to be operational by the end of 2017.

The VOWTAP team includes:

·         Dominion Virginia Power – Project lead, owner and operator

·         U.S. Department of Energy – Funding partner

·         Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy – Funding partner and offshore research lease holder

·         National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Federally Funded Research and Development Center

·         Virginia Tech  - Representing the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium

·         Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries

·         Alstom –  Wind turbine manufacturer

·          KBR – Owner’s engineer

·         Tetra Tech – Environmental consultant

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Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on Second in Nation Offshore Wind Lease Sale Off Virginia

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Auctioned over 112,000 Acres Off the Coast of the Commonwealth

Area Anticipated To Produce Enough Electricity To Power 700,000 Homes

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement this afternoon following news that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its live auction to lease an area off the coast of Virginia as the site of the nation’s second offshore wind energy lease sale. The winner of the lease sale is Dominion Virginia Power who bid $1.6 million for the lease.  Today, the Department of the Interior auctioned 112,800 acres offshore of the Commonwealth in a competitive lease sale as one single lease that is anticipated to support 2000 megawatts of wind generation and enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.  The lease area, composed of 19 full Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) blocks and 13 sub-blocks and located 23.5 nautical miles from the Virginia Beach coastline, was selected after intensive work with the Commonwealth and stakeholders to avoid existing uses of the OCS offshore Virginia, including sensitive ecological habitat and shoals along the coast north of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, military training areas, marine vessel traffic, a dredge disposal site, and areas of concern specified by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility.

“I want to congratulate Dominion Virginia Power on winning the lease for 112,800 acres of federal land off the coast of Virginia for offshore wind development.  Dominion is one of the largest energy producers in the country and a great corporate partner in Virginia.  I applaud the Department of the Interior and Secretary Sally Jewell for holding the second competitive lease sale for offshore wind on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.  This again puts Virginia at the forefront of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy development and security strategy to meet the needs of a growing America.  I want to thank Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and her team at BOEM for moving this project forward as part of a comprehensive approach toward meeting our nation’s energy needs and creating more good jobs.”

“Earlier in our Administration we were pleased to accept the invitation of then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to join the Department’s Offshore Wind Consortium, and we worked with the Secretary on the ‘Smart from the Start’ program.   Together with the General Assembly, we created the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority (VOWDA) to oversee the data gathering, research and planning that must be done to support offshore wind development off of Virginia's coast. As part of that effort we are currently working toward final approval of two offshore wind research leases.  

“Virginia’s coast is ideal for wind development. The gradual slope of the Outer Continental Shelf and consistent offshore wind speeds make this a natural geographic location for the commercial utilization of offshore wind resources. At the same time, Virginia enjoys a robust commercial ship building industry poised to become the center of construction for the component parts needed to build the specialized ships, turbines and towers necessary for these upcoming leases, and potentially for additional future wind leases on the east coast.  This will result in millions of dollars in industrial activity and the creation of many new high-skilled jobs in our state.

“Today is another great step forward in ensuring Virginia is the ‘Energy Capital of the East Coast’ and in the development of offshore wind off the coast of the Commonwealth.  We must utilize all of our energy resources, from wind to oil to gas to coal to nuclear, to create good jobs for our people and provide greater energy security for our country.”

The Department of the Interior release is available here.

The McDonnell Administration has taken numerous steps to position the Commonwealth as a national leader in offshore wind energy including:

·         Proposing successful legislation to create the new Clean Energy Manufacturing Incentive Grant (CEMIG) program to focus existing resources for energy development incentives on targeted nuclear, wind, solar and biomass alternative energy projects. The legislation expanded Virginia's economic incentive programs for those companies willing to locate and innovate right here in the Commonwealth and will help make Virginia a hub for clean and renewable energy production.

·         Proposing successful legislation to create a Green Job Creation Tax Credit, an annual $500 tax credit for every green job created with a salary of $50,000 or more, for five years and up to 350 jobs.

·         Joining and supporting the work of former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's offshore wind consortium to reform the permitting process and develop leasing and permitting timelines that would support financing and actual project development; led to the Secretary’s “Smart from the Start” program.

·         Adopting a "first of its kind" in the nation Permit By Rule to streamline permitting of small (< 100 MW) land-based and offshore (state waters) renewable energy projects by addressing all issues of species and habitat, water quality and other state regulatory issues in a single permitting process agreed upon by all interested agencies and other stakeholders.

·         Creating the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority (VOWDA) which oversees the data gathering, research and planning that must be done to support offshore wind development off of Virginia's coast and track issues as they arise, and makes recommendations for promoting Virginia offshore wind development.

·         Conducting several studies to quantify Virginia's offshore resource, and the transmission resources needed and available to support development of that offshore resource.

·         Partnering with the BOEM to conduct a regional ocean geological survey, which will provide data about the ocean floor that will be made available to developers.

·         Filing applications with BOEM for research leases of federal waters so that Virginia can gather data and support new technology development and testing to lead to offshore wind development.

·         Requesting and receiving $500,000 from the General Assembly to support offshore wind development projects, allowing the Commonwealth to continue its efforts to develop data and additional information concerning the resource available in Virginia’s Wind Energy Area, and to make that data available to reduce the costs of development and assist developers in the federal leasing process.

·         Leveraging $300,000 of the appropriation noted above to obtain equal matching funds from the BOEM to engage a geological/geotechnical contractor to conduct surveys of the ocean floor to help determine what sorts of turbine foundations to use in the construction of a commercial wind generation project off the coast of Virginia. 

·         Supporting a team led by Dominion Virginia Power in receiving a $4 million competitive grant from the US Department of Energy for research and technology development related to offshore wind turbine foundations.  Additional partners include the National Renewable Energy Lab, Alstom, Huntington Ingalls-Newport News Shipyard and others.  The project will make use of one of Virginia’s research leases.

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Governor McDonnell Announces First Legacy Project of Richmond 2015 Bike Race

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kicks-Off Fund Drive for World Class Richmond Region Ride Center; Dominion Foundation Donates $50,000

Study: Trail Improvements to Have Annual Economic Impact of $4.5 Million and Create 51 New Jobs

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell was joined today at Pocahontas State Park by leaders from Richmond City, Chesterfield County and Virginia's bicycling community to announce that Dominion Resources has donated $50,000 toward development of the Richmond Region Ride Center, matching Virginia's investment in the project. The Governor requested the state appropriation last session and it was approved by the General Assembly. The Dominion donation officially launches a fund drive to raise the remaining $700,000 needed for trail improvements to Pocahontas State Park.

            Upon completion, Richmond will become the 12^th site worldwide of an International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Ride Center. The center will focus on mountain biking trails in Pocahontas State Park and Richmond’s James River Park System and will serve as a key ongoing legacy project of the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships.

            “Bringing the road championships to Richmond and Virginia is the result of outstanding regional and public-private cooperation,” said Governor McDonnell. “Dominion’s donation to this regional ride center, which will be a lasting legacy for this region, is the epitome of continuing that cooperative spirit. This internationally renowned event will highlight the Commonwealth’s beautiful landscapes and create jobs and economic development for the entire region. ”

            IMBA is recognized as the international leader in the mountain biking community. Their ride centers featuring extensive trail networks are the organization’s strongest endorsement of a trail experience. The centers become travel destinations for mountain bikers from around the world. With the combination of trails in the James River Park System and those existing and to be created at Pocahontas, the Richmond Region facility is expected to be among the most highly rated IMBA Ride Centers.

            According to a study done by Mangum Economic Consulting, Inc. the trail improvements at Pocahontas State Park alone will increase annual economic activity in Chesterfield County by $2.7 million and by $4.5 million in Virginia. It would also generate 31 new jobs in Chesterfield and 51 in the state. The complete study can be foundhere.

            Dominion’s gift is being made through the Dominion Foundation, the company’s charitable giving arm.

            “The establishment of a regional center of this magnitude will put Richmond and Central Virginia on the international map as a premier mountain biking destination,” said Dominion Chairman, President and CEO Thomas F. Farrell II. “The Richmond Region Ride Center will have a long-lasting, positive economic impact for both the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County.”

            An additional 30 miles of trails are planned along with improvements to the park’s current 20 miles of mountain bike trails. In designing the new trails, partners will use a “stacked loop” design, preferred by most mountain bikers. This allows riders to choose from flat, relatively easy trails to more challenging ones. Paralyzed Veterans of America are partners and will work with IMBA and the local rehabilitation community to determine local needs in developing accessible trails.  An additional $490,000 would be needed for a new trail head with expanded parking, a restroom and event staging area.

            Other groups represented at today’s event include IMBA, Richmond 2015, Richmond MORE, Paralyzed Veterans of America – Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Friends of Pocahontas State Park and the Virginia Association for Parks.  The Virginia Association for Parks, a nonprofit that supports Virginia’s state and national parks, is coordinating all fund raising with all funds raised going directly to the project.

            Located in Chesterfield County, Pocahontas State Park is one of Virginia’s 36 award-winning state parks managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The James River Park System is managed by the City of Richmond.

Dominion Resources

Dominion (NYSE:D), headquartered in Richmond, is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy. Dominion and the Dominion Foundation in 2012 gave more than $21 million to some 2,600 organizations to support projects that protect the environment, develop educational opportunities, provide for basic human needs and promote community vitality.

About Richmond 2015

Richmond 2015, Inc. is the independent non¬-profit corporation responsible for the organization, management and promotion of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. The 2015 World Championships is projected to generate approximately $158 million in economic impact, 450,000 onsite spectators and a global television audience of more than 300 million viewers.

Founding Partners of Richmond 2015 include Altria, CarMax, Davenport & Company, Dominion, Genworth, Hourigan Construction, Kings Dominion, Lansing Building Products, MWV, McGuire Woods, Norfolk Southern, Piascik, The Community Foundation, VCU Medical Center and Williams Mullen.  In addition to its corporate partners, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Richmond, Hanover County and Henrico County are all key partners to Richmond 2015.

About the UCI Road World Championships

The UCI Road World Championships is cycling’s pinnacle event, held annually in an international city as chosen by the UCI, the sport’s governing body. Upcoming World Championships will be held in Florence, Italy in 2013 and Ponferrada, Spain in 2014.

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