Governor McAuliffe Announces $20 Million to Improve Energy Efficiency in Virginia

~ VirginiaSAVES will facilitate low interest loans for approved projects ~

RICHMOND ─ Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today the launch of VirginiaSAVES, the Commonwealth’s first Green Community Program.  VirginiaSAVES is a loan program created to lower financing costs for energy efficiency, renewable energy generation and alternative fuel projects. This low-cost financing tool will be available to local government, institutional and commercial and industrial entities in the Commonwealth.  VirginiaSAVES will be funded through $20 million in federally-allocated Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECBs). (Your tax dollars)

   

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “Providing the public and private sectors with the tools they need to reduce energy consumption and save on energy costs is critical for building a new Virginia economy.  VirginiaSAVES encourages investments that will save money, improve energy security, reduce Virginia’s dependence on federal spending and attract new jobs and advanced energy industries.”

“One of our best economic development strategies is to catalyze strategic growth in the energy sector,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones. “VirginiaSAVES will help businesses and localities save money while creating jobs in high growth industries focused on renewable development and energy efficiency.” 

Developed by the Division of Energy of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, VirginiaSAVES (which stands for Sustainable and Verifiable Energy Savings) is administered by Clean Source Capital and Abundant Power Group. The program is funded through Virginia’s allocation of QECBs.  The QECBs were allocated to Virginia in 2010 by the Federal Department of Energy and re-authorized for use by Governor McAuliffe in 2014 under Executive Order 36.   As the program grows, additional funding may be added as needed.

Those interested in applying for a loan through the VirginiaSAVES Green Community Program can visit the program’s website (http://www.vasavesgcp.com)for borrower eligibility and project selection criteria, service provider registration forms and other program documents and information.

About CleanSource Capital

CleanSource Capital, LLC – CleanSource, based in Charlotte, NC, is the administrator of the Program and is the affiliate formed by Abundant Power Group to administer and grow its SAVES platform using alternative forms of specialized financing as well as provide specialty finance solutions and advisory services in the energy efficiency industry.

Abundant Power Group, LLC (www.AbundantPower.com) – Abundant Power, based in Charlotte, NC, is an energy management services company providing financial and technology solutions for the built environment ecosystem.  Abundant brings expertise in finance, engineering, building science, technology and real estate to each of its programs.

(Our own proposals for lowering the amount of energy we use?  Get rid of big government and big business.  Easy solution.  Now the arguments can begin.)

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Governor McAuliffe Declares September as Preparedness Month in Virginia

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe has proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month in Virginia and he encourages business owners, families and communities to be ready for emergencies. 

“September has historically been the most active time of the year for hurricanes in Virginia,” Governor McAuliffe said. “Whether it’s a natural disaster like a hurricane or a human-caused emergency like terrorism, individuals, families and businesses that take the time to prepare are more resilient in the long run than those who failed to plan.”

Everyone can prepare for all emergencies, including hurricanes, by taking these steps:

• Sign up for text alerts/weather warnings that may be offered by your locality. 

• Download the free Ready Virginia app for iPhone® and Android™. Features:
  • Weather warnings issued for your location by the National Weather Service
  • A customizable emergency plan that can be easily shared with family and friends
  • A checklist for gathering emergency supplies 

• Have basic supplies on hand to last at least three days for each family member.
  • Food that won’t spoil, such as canned and packaged foods
  • Water, one gallon per person per day
  • A working battery-operated radio and extra batteries
  • Flashlights with extra batteries
  • First aid kit
  • A written list of your prescriptions and prescribing doctor(s) and at least a week’s supply of medications
  • Food and water for your pets
• Create a family emergency communications plan. 
  • Decide how and where everyone will meet up with each other if separated
  • Choose an out-of-town emergency contact for your family and give that person’s phone number to each family member
  • Make a sheet of emergency contacts and post it in visible places in your home and workplace.  Don’t rely on your smart phone or online contact lists.
  • Get a free emergency plan worksheet and emergency contact cards atwww.ReadyVirginia.gov or www.ListoVirginia.gov or use the new Ready Virginia app.

People with disabilities or access and functional needs may need to take additional steps. Plan how to handle power outages and/or being asked to evacuate. For more information, visit www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/getakit/disabilities.

The third National Day of Action on Sept. 30, known as America’s PrepareAthon! Day, is a nationwide, community-based campaign for action to increase emergency preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions and exercises. To sign up for America’s PrepareAthon! go to www.ready.gov/prepareand register how you will take action to prepare in September.

(Just a quick question:  How does a governor of a state declare a National Preparedness Month?  Just asking.) 

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Page Middle School, Serious Life Threatening Concerns To Consider

Above is a close up picture of the fence at the back or front of the building where the buses will be dropping off children at the new Page Middle School.  Children are going to want to play on and try to climb these fences.  With the top the way it is, we can see some serious issues coming up where some of the children will potentially get hurt.  Well, you can say, keep the children off the fences and make it a penalty for playing on them.  That's what any good person would think who never had children.  Children are going to be children.  Any penalty here should go against the school, not the children for such a poor design.  This is the very least of the issues we have seen at the new school.

Here is a scene when you go through what most would consider the front of the school, not where buses will be dropping off the children.  The staircase is okay, but look at the top of the stairs.  That is a wide open floor plan between the first floor and the second floor and it is very extensive.  The rail to protect the children is only 3 feet high.  Nothing else to protect anyone from anything.

  Now again, children are going to be children.  Lets see what we can expect with this type of open floor plan.  From the second floor, Johnny is going to want to see his new paper airplane can really fly.  Jimmy will want to see if he can hit Bobbie on the first floor with a piece of balled up paper from the second floor.    Oh and this is just the potential for mild mischief.  Now Madison and Billy do not get along, so while walking down this corridor, Madison comes up behind Billy and takes his bookbag and tosses if off the second floor where it accidently hits little Alison in the head forcing her head into the wall where she is knocked out and has to go to the hospital.  (Pray something like this never happens.)

  Or two children get into a fight by the rails and one or both go over.  Will any of them survive?  In my own opinion, this is a premeditated design disaster.

Wait, it gets worse.

Now take a look at these lockers.  The top of the lockers are at an even match for the top of the rails.  Anyone envisioning a child standing on top of the lockers and playing around?  Way to close to the edge of a very long fall.

This is the view of what is below.  Open education?

Here are some better views of the open corridor from the second floor where the middle school children will be walking everyday.

I walked through this school with an engineer who was mortified by what he saw.  A question that has been brought to my attention is how did the school board manage to get a certificate of occupancy especially when there are no visible escape routes and or facilities for handicapped children that might be on the second floor?  None.  Only item seen was one elevator which during a fire, can not be used according to what we know of fire codes.

If a fire should engulf the front of the building, the children will be locked in an outdoor courtyard that is fully fenced in with locked gates trapping them from being able to get out to safety.  Who designs these buildings?

At least the folks of the school board did think of one escape route that doubles as a king of the hill playground.  That massive dirt pile there might just be the escape route when the area floods.  You know those rising sea levels are unpredictable.  (HEHEHEHEE!)

Now someone from the School Board managed to get channel 13 out to cover the open house day at Page.  I wonder if anyone from the news crew noticed any of these issues?  Did they report on any of the potential issues for the incoming students?  No?  

Now I will give it that the new gym looks pretty nice but lacks bleachers for games against other schools or is competition dead?  My question is who are these workout machines for?  Please do not tell me these are for the children.  Their muscles are not ready for hard core training like this from what I understand.  This is even to high end for high school.  So is this for the teachers at taxpayer expense?  

Other issues well noted was the tremendous waste of space everywhere throughout the building.  Poor planning.  With all the wasted space and all the open areas up through the second floor, that also creates massive heating and cooling issues that is not really a big deal since its the taxpayers who are paying for it all anyway.  Ya gotta love that.  You are stuck with the bills for someone else's carelessness in design and others who approved that carelessness.  Or was it carelessness?  Nah, they just know its your money they are spending so it does not mean anything to them.

Approved by your local school board and probably the state Board of Education.  The same people in charge of our children's education and our future.  Oh, now that is just embarrassing. 

https://goo.gl/photos/8reFUmCLkGSnjw5a6  You can see more photos of the school at this link.

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Route 17 Accident August 26th, 2015 - Photos

Due to computer issues we have had a major delay on getting these pictures up on this site of an accident that happened on route 17 South on August 26th, 2015 at about 2:00 PM.  We had all the photos up that same day, but our system started locking up due to an Adobe update virus.

  The accident started at the end of the Tidewater motel or beginning of the property known as the Salvation army.  The above Toyota Camery was traveling south on 17 at about the speed limit when a another vehicle traveling north on 17 decided to make a U turn and from what we understand, stopped in the middle of the highway.  The other vehicle is described as a white SUV.  That SUV was in the way of oncoming traffic which from what we understand caused the Camery to swerve off to the right shoulder to avoid hitting the white SUV.

  The driver hit multiple signs and the ditch caused the car to flip from what we can tell multiple times eventually landing on its side.  The driver of the SUV drove away leaving the scene of the accident but not before a witness took pictures of the SUV and from what we understand got the vehicle's plate.

  The drive of the Camery did not appear hurt despite how bad the accident looks.  We spoke with him and he seemed fine at that time.  But with any accident, sometimes injuries do not show up until later.  We have no updates on his condition since that time.

https://goo.gl/photos/ZXnxkei9JUZHtL4x9

The above link is to the entire photo series we have on the vehicle accident.  Over 100 pictures.

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Institute a comprehensive background check for all gun purchases in Virginia?

Just about all of the video on the so called Virginia shooting keep being taken down because when you play the video frame by frame, you see a lot of stuff that just does not add up.  The most often asked question is if this was a fake false flag event, why?  Gun Control or Gun grab is the simplest of answers.   Here is the proof of that.

Petition by Patrick Hope
Arlington, Virginia

Like many, I was shocked and deeply saddened to see the recent footage of the shooting of reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward in Moneta, Virginia. As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, I’ve seen gun control bills fail time and again in the state legislature, blocked by the power of the gun lobby. That ends now. We need to put our politics aside and finally institute a comprehensive background check for all gun purchases in Virginia, to stop the next tragedy before it happens.  Currently, Virginia has no law requiring a background check on the purchaser of a firearm when the seller is not a licensed dealer. That means that thousands of guns can be bought and sold without background checks by unlicensed dealers at gun shows and other events. The “gun show loophole” is a clear ploy to avoid taking common-sense precautions that can, and do, save lives. Without universal background check for gun purchases, many people can circumvent the law and easily access a gun -- giving them the opportunity to take away a life in seconds. The great people of Virginia have persevered through the Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007, but we as elected officials haven’t done enough to do better for them since then. We must get this right. Recent polling shows that more than 92 percent of voters in Virginia agree that background checks at gun shows are a good idea, but a small, vocal minority keeps them from becoming law.Governor McAuliffe is once again calling for the passage of this law in the wake of the tragedy. I know we can make a real, life-saving change if we work together right now to make our voices heard -- here in Virginia and across the country. So who is Patrick Hope anyway? Turns out he is a left wing progressive delegate here in Virginia. Progressives do not believe that people have rights, only the government has rights. But he also believes in liberal policies that are designed to make you think that he supports the rights of people. That is a common trick of progressives that so many people fall for.   The above picture shows the female reporter's so called boyfriend's tweet about her death 12 minutes before the on air live incident.  Look at the time and date stamps on the two pictures here.  Something just does not add up.   I suspect that the video at the top will be taken down as well as the pictures of the tweet from the reporters so called boyfriend.  I can't stop that, but you have to ask why do all the search engines keep doing this?  Well, the good news?  Gun sales are up in Virginia and everywhere else all across the nation.  People are not buying this stuff anymore.   Its a fight for your rights.  The progressives don't think you should have any.  You decide if you think you should have rights.  If not and you own a gun, go turn it in.  You can always throw rocks but that too will become illegal.  What are you anyway, a child?  Remember, progressives are smarter than you and think they should control every aspect of your life.  Want to let them?  Its all part of the New Virginia Economy as Terry would put it.