Well, Creigh Deeds it is. After some deliberating, I ended up voting for Brian Moran, reasoning that although his environmental record is far from perfect, he at least was taking an obvious stand on eco-matters to which voters could attempt to hold him later, if he won. But he didn’t, and regardless of dismal (though better than expected) turnout in yesterday’s Democratic primary, the Virginia governor’s race will be watched around the country. So the way Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell talk about environmental issues over the next few months could have ramifications for future races elsewhere.
Good Deeds?
I won’t pretend to understand the various pressures and maneuverings that will shape this race statewide; a mustachioed professor of politics I’m not. All I know are the issues I care about and the kind of governor I’d like to have. Deeds has been at best lukewarm in his environmental stands, making statements designed to please everyone ("I believe we must promote conservation as well as be on the cutting edge of technology development to address climate change").
Well, let’s at least hold him to what he’s said. He should promote conservation, during the campaign and in office, actively and strongly, beyond just throwing out the word. He should withhold support for offshore drilling if it has negative environmental consequences. He should work to clean up the Chesapeake.
And we should all continue to make known that we think mountaintop removal mining is insane, that the PATH power line is a bad move, and that "carbon sequestration" is not even half an answer to the problem of pollution from coal-burning power plants.
While we’re at it, let’s do some talking about issues that haven’t been put forward very much so far: sprawl, biodiversity, industrial agriculture and the evils of individual juice boxes.
What do you want to hear Deeds talk about in this campaign?