Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple

Arlington Lawmakers Get Unanimous Support for Solar Power

By ARLnow.com

Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have unanimously passed bills that would create a fund to provide low-interest loans for solar energy projects in the Commonwealth.

The bill in the House of Delegates, HB 2191, was sponsored by Arlington’s Del. Adam Ebbin (D). It passed on Monday.

The bill in the state Senate, SB 975, was sponsored by Arlington’s Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D). It passed on Friday.

The bills would create the Voluntary Solar Resource Development Fund, which will distribute loans to help power customers install solar panels and solar water heaters at their homes or businesses. The fund will receive funding from voluntary contributions and grants. Utilities will be required to promote the funds and let customers opt-in for monthly contributions.

“Virginia has some of the highest solar energy potential in the region, but we’re being outpaced by our neighbors like Maryland, which has only two-thirds our population but thirteen times the number of homes powered by solar energy,” Ebbin said in a statement. “This fund will ensure that more Virginians have the opportunity to power their homes with cheap, clean, renewable energy and help our companies stay competitive in the growing market for solar energy.”

Ebbin said Dominion and Appalachian Power, along with the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations, helped to support the bill.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

State Senator’s Husband Pens Alarming Column — Tom Whipple, husband of state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D), has penned a column entitled “The Peak Oil Crisis: Civil Unrest” for the Falls Church News-Press. He writes: “By failure to guide the country to real solutions to real problems, our leaders are risking increasing violence as the frustrations of an unknowing people continue to grow.” [Not Larry Sabato]

Grocery Store and Development Proposed for Bergmann’s Site — A developer wants to bring a grocery store to the site of the Bergmann’s Cleaners on Lee Highway, provided the county also approves a 12-story apartment building next door. The apartment site is currently zoned only for single family homes. [TBD]

Manee Thai Condemned — Manee Thai restaurant on Columbia Pike has been declared “unfit for habitation” by county building inspectors, according to a sign near the entrance. Other businesses in the strip of stores adjacent to Manee Thai have remained open. [Pike Spotter]

O’Connell Athletic Field Request May Be Pushed Back — Consideration of Bishop O’Connell High School’s request to renovate its athletic field and add NCAA-compliant lighting will likely be pushed back to March. The board is slated to take up the request at its Jan. 22 meeting, but the school is requesting a deferral. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s October — The good news: playoff baseball returns. The bad news: cold temperatures return.

Abuse Charges at Nursing Home — Nearly a dozen employees of the Potomac Center nursing home in Pentagon City have been indicted on charges including neglect and assault. An investigation by the Virginia State Medicare Fraud Office and the FBI determined that employees neglected patient care, forged documents and abused at least one patient. A $10 million lawsuit has also been filed against Potomac Center’s parent company. More from WUSA9.

SUV Rollover Driver Charged — The mother who flipped her SUV on I-395 during yesterday morning’s rain  has been charged with failure to maintain control of her vehicle. The 36-year-old woman and her two kids were taken to the hospital after the accident, which temporarily shut down all southbound lanes of the highway. More from the Associated Press.

Whipple Votes Against Costly Revised Liquor Plan — Gov. Bob McDonnell has revised his plan to privatize Virginia’s liquor stores, but has lost the support of an Arlington lawmaker in the process. Responding to criticism from his own party, McDonnell dropped two proposed tax hikes on cocktail sales and wholesale liquor purchases. The change opened a $47 million per year hole in the state’s budget, prompting Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington) to vote against it as a member of a state subcommittee on government reform. More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Flickr pool photo by Picture Perfect

Local Lawmakers and Thinkers Named to Va. Reform Panel

By ARLnow.com

Governor Robert McDonnell has appointed two Arlington lawmakers to his government reform panel.

State Delegate Bob Brink and state Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, both Democrats, will join 29 other appointees on the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring.

“The Commission members will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the state’s agencies, programs, and services to find out how we can make our state government work better for its owners, the people of Virginia,” Gov. McDonnell said while announcing his selections for the panel. “I look forward to working with these reform-minded leaders to examine how Virginia can better serve the taxpayers.”

In addition to Del. Brink and Sen. Whipple, several top government reform thinkers who live or work in Arlington were appointed to the commission.

One appointee, Bill Eggers, is a government reform expert, a global director for Deloitte Research and the brother of author Dave Eggers.

Maurice P. McTigue, a distinguished visiting scholar at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, and Geoffrey Segal, director of privatization and  government reform at the Reason Foundation, were also named to the governor’s commission.

Commission members will hold their first meeting next month.