D.C. statehood

Energy plans

Re “Virginia approves 9 solar farms for Dominion Energy, including facilities in Chesapeake and James City County” (May 3): I would like to point out a few issues that got my attention.

First, according to the article, the proposed installations will be able to produce enough power for 125,000 homes — when the sun is shining. Nothing was mentioned regarding nighttime or cloudyday operation, which I assume would be substantially less.

Second, another article, “Tesla’s solar shingle stumble,” (May 4) made reference to “unsightly” or “ugly” panels, which will have to be accepted as normal in solar panel operation. This article explained that there was interest in solar shingles because they were considered more visually appealing than solar panels. However, the solar shingles have been “20% to 30% less efficient” than current solar panels being manufactured. It appears that the solar shingle concept will require years of research and development before becoming economically feasible.

Before anyone jumps up and points at me while yelling, “fossil fuel polluter,” I would like to point out that I believe that solar power (and wind power) have a place in today’s and tomorrow’s world as supplemental power sources.

Closing down fossil-fuel-burning power plants will have to be accompanied by construction of greater-capacity nuclear power-generating facilities to ensure the continuity of society as we know it. The vision of a fossil-fuel-free world will have to remain as such, given the ever-increasing demand for power and transportation of goods on a worldwide basis that currently depends heavily on fossil fuels.

Roger Gossett, Suffolk

Vote McAuliffe

With the unpredictable long-term effects of COVID-19 and climate change, the commonwealth needs a governor who is prepared to handle the many challenges Virginians face. Fortunately, Terry McAuliffe knows how to get things done. As Virginia’s 72nd governor he made substantial investments in education, restored voting rights to 173,000 Virginians, laid the groundwork for Medicaid expansion, signed a domestic violence gun-safety law that was one of the toughest in the nation, and helped create 200,000 good-paying jobs.

McAuliffe has rolled out extensive policy proposals on education, the COVID-19 recovery, criminal justice reform, health care, workforce development, gun violence prevention, affordable housing, climate change, and much more. Sea levels in Hampton Roads are rising at some of the highest rates in the nation. As governor, McAuliffe will make funding available for innovative projects like Hampton Roads’ Sustainable Water Infrastructure for

Tomorrow program to alleviate the effects of sea level rise. The investment will not only ease the effects of climate change, but could also save the region an estimated $2 billion.

I trust McAuliffe to build an equitable post-COVID-19 economy that lifts up all Virginians. He has bold plans to ensure unemployment benefits, retrain workers for high-demand jobs, and increase funding for the Virginia Mental Health Access Program. By focusing on improving opportunities for workers and investing in mental health resources, McAuliffe will ensure that Virginians can move forward from the turmoil caused by COVID-19. I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes as Virginia’s next governor.

Joe Dillard Jr., Norfolk

Almost everyone can agree that the citizens of Washington, D.C., deserve full voting representation in Congress. However, D.C. statehood is not required to make this possible. Just follow the same retrocession process that was used to return the land originally ceded by Virginia to D.C.

The D.C. retrocession was the process of returning to the commonwealth of Virginia a part of the land that had been ceded to the federal government of the United States for the purpose of creating its federal district for the new national Capitol. The land was taken in 1790. It was returned, after many stages of federal and state approval, in March 1847.

In similar fashion, if both Congress and the Maryland General Assembly agreed, jurisdiction over D.C. could be returned to Maryland, excluding a small tract of land immediately surrounding the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court building. By so doing, the citizens in D.C. would gain voting representation in Congress as residents of Maryland without a challenge to the constitutionality of the action.

So, why are the Democrats not pursuing this approach? Surely, the Republicans would readily support it, it could be done quickly, and President Joe Biden can rightfully claim that he is seeking to work across the aisle to achieve the mutual goal of voting representation for the citizens of D.C.

Robert Kugler, Virginia Beach ‘Free’ education

Re “President Biden pushes for free pre-K, community college in visits to Yorktown, Portsmouth” (May 3): Every time a politician — or a newspaper — uses the word “free” to describe a government program, there should be a clangorous gong that immediately sounds. No government program is “free” — they are all paid for by us, the taxpayers.

David Herrelko, Virginia Beach