Roanoke Times Slams McDonnell's Energy Plan

The Roanoke Times has an editorial on Republican gubernatorial aspirant Bob McDonnell's energy plan. His emphasis in off-shore drilling and coal, the editorial says, will not put Virginia on the forefront of the green energy economy:

By necessity, fossil fuels will remain the base source of energy for America's foreseeable future. But McDonnell needs to realize that if Virginia wants to become the energy capital of America, the commonwealth must look to the future of renewable energy. The state simply doesn't have huge reserves of fossil fuels.

And after summarizing the three Democratic candidate's energy platforms, the editorial concludes:

It will take visionary leadership to help the commonwealth focus on renewable energy, conservation and other 21st century approaches to meeting the state's and nation's energy needs.

So far, McDonnell is proposing an energy plan that seems far more suited to the 1950s. Virginia will never be the nation's energy capital with that kind of thinking.