March shows a big jump in Virginia unemployment claims and more state headlines
The state Capitol. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)
• 'March shows a big jump in Virginia unemployment claims.' – Axios
• 'VUU becomes first HBCU in Virginia to offer doula certification class.' — WRIC
• 'How could federal education cuts impact Virginia school budgets?' — VPM
• 'Youngkin touts Virginia's labor market strength ahead of Virginia Beach visit.' — 13newsnow
• 'Road Shark traffic enforcement campaign returns to Virginia streets.' — WUSA9
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Feds release delayed infrastructure grants, sending $8.6 million to Virginia
A railroad crossing in Virginia. (Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) After years of bureaucratic limbo, Virginia is set to receive $8.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a slate of infrastructure projects that were first announced three years ago. The funding comes as part of a national effort by the administration of former President Joe Biden to clear a backlog of 3,200 unobligated grants that had stalled 'critical investments' in communities nationwide, according to the agency. The department said Tuesday it has now cleared 1,065 of those projects but did not explain why the grants were delayed in the first place. Six awards are headed to Virginia, benefiting Ashland, Smithfield, Petersburg, Richmond and Salem. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation also received $5 million for Phase II of the Jamestown Scotland Ferry Facility Rehabilitation Project. 'While cynics in the press hysterically warned of doomsday delays, USDOT has been hard at work to get America building again,' U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. 'We've done this by refocusing the department on core infrastructure – not enacting a radical political agenda. With a third of the last administration's unprecedented backlog cleared, we will continue to rip out red tape roadblocks to get dirt moving.' Duffy said the agency is working 'diligently' to distribute these 'long-overdue' funds and prioritize core infrastructure projects. As part of the shift, the agency said it has eliminated several policies supported by the previous administration, including requirements tied to racial equity, climate change, and social justice. 'Removing these requirements will save taxpayers millions,' the agency stated, citing increased road construction costs and mandates to report greenhouse gas emissions. Among the Virginia recipients, the city of Richmond will receive $2 million — the second largest award in the state — for the Broad Rock Boulevard Grade Separation Study and Development. The project focuses on improving rail crossings with the goal of enhancing mobility by eliminating delays caused by blocked crossings. Town of Ashland – Ashland At-Grade Crossing Study – $421,200 City of Richmond – Broad Rock Boulevard Grade Separation Study and Development – $2,704,000 Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation – Jamestown Scotland Ferry Facility Rehabilitation Project (Phase II) Revised – $5,048,650 City of Petersburg – Petersburg's Safety Action Plan – $200,000 City of Salem – SS4A Safety Action Plan – $100,000 Town of Smithfield – Smithfield Safety and Connectivity Plan – $136,000 SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Kilgore, Va. House GOP members slam Spanberger's newly unveiled energy plan
Democratic candidate for Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) 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. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Axios
13 hours ago
- Axios
Incensed House Democrats plan ICE funding war
House Democrats, incensed at being repeatedly denied access to ICE facilities, are warming to the idea of using the appropriations process to force policy changes at the agency if they retake Congress. Why it matters: ICE-focused protests and pressure from their grassroots are forcing Democrats to inch away from their instinctively defensive crouch on immigration. But there is internal division on how far to go. "You've got a situation where our base is demanding more and more of us every day," said one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The lawmaker added that "a number of us have been told by constituents that we have to be willing to get shot" while trying to conduct oversight at ICE facilities and "be able to make news out of it." Many Democrats are still scarred by GOP attacks on the #AbolishICE movement and hesitant to take steps that appear to be aimed at dismantling or downsizing the agency. State of play: Just over the weekend, House Democrats in California and New York were refused access to ICE facilities in their respective states to perform checks on detained migrants. Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Norma Torres (D-Calif.) have alleged that ICE officials even sprayed "some type of irritant into the air to push us back." Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) is being prosecuted by the Justice Department for allegedly assaulting law enforcement — which she denies — during a visit to an ICE facility in her state during which she was initially refused entry. What they're saying: Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) said he believes Democrats should "reassess the funding possibilities. Absolutely." He said of being denied access to an ICE facility this weekend: "They ask for money, right? And then ... I go there and they don't allow us to go and check out the facilities." Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), a member of Democratic leadership, told Axios, "Everybody's on board with the fact that what's going on right now is not right, and ... reform is needed." "This administration is ... rounding people up by mistake — they don't care," said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), chair of the center-left New Democrat Coalition. "We can't let that happen." Zoom in: Key Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee signaled that ICE is on the table as part of a broader effort to scrutinize Trump administration spending. "There will be a review of everything ... looking at what are the kinds of things we can do to get our government back on track," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the panel's ranking member. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), the ranking member of the homeland security subcommittee, told Axios: "We're going to look at all funding. ... What's happening right now is really bad." Between the lines: A clash is already brewing over how far to go — with some progressives eyeing actual funding cuts as moderate border hawks draw a bright red line in opposition to that idea. "Some of us would like to see it completely broken down ... I've been talking about reducing funding," said Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized "hypocrisy" among Democrats, "where folks want to campaign against ICE when we're in the minority, but then when we're in the majority, we continue to funnel unfettered funds with absolutely no guardrails." Centrist Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a member of the Appropriations Committee, told Axios he is "sure there will be a push," but he "will not support reducing ICE" funding. The bottom line: Even centrists like Cuellar aren't ruling out supporting potential policy riders to appropriations bills to try to reform the agency. "It's a policy. The men and women, they're the same. It just depends what policy comes down," he told Axios. Ramirez, for her part, was clear-eyed that "you're not going to see an abolishing of ICE" even though "some of us might want that."
