The headlines are glaring with so many articles on energy: the rising cost of gasoline, the trickle-down effect, ethanol, ANWR, global warming, greenhouse gases, renewable energies, and on and on and on. It makes one's head swim.

I thought I would check-in this week to see how Virginia's contract with curtailment services provider, EnergyConnect, was progressing. You may recall Governor Kaine's announcement of the contract in December 2007:

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease...

Through my good friend, Suzette Denslow, Governor Kaine's Director of Legislative Policy, I was put in touch with Tommy Thompson,Energy Manager, with the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.

Mr. Thompson tells me the only state agencies with accounts presently enrolled are the University of Virginia, George Mason University,and Virginia Commonwealth University.

According to Mr. Thompson, the starting point apparently was discussing the initiative with Dominion Power, and it took until recently to resolve those "issues." The next energy provider they will be talking with is Appalachian Power, and so on and so forth.

I asked Mr. Thompson about the $10 million in predicted return to the state, as reported in the Governor's press release in December, and what the cost would be to the state. He tells me that $1.5 million would be paid to EnergyConnect for providing the service; or an 85/15 split. That's an impressive rate of return, if indeed, they can produce a $10 million savings.

There isn't too much to report at this point in time, but I will continue to keep the lines of communication open with the DMME.

My goal is to find some substance behind the headlines and press releases. All the hype sounds great, but "show me the action."

Yesterday was "National Train Day." Amtrak reports an increase in ridership of over one million passengers compared to last year. And yet, the administration is talking about cutting back funding to Amtrak. People interviewed at Union Station by WTOP radio in DC talked about how much they enjoy riding the train as compared to flying, with increasing delays and cancellations at airports, and the comparative ease of traveling by rail. The American public gets it, while our leaders don't seem to be able to grasp it yet. People I know are turning to smaller cars, even scooters, increased car pooling, and mass transit wherever available.

The College of William and Mary recently completed a study this spring addressing students' knowledge and attitudes on climate change, energy savings, and sustainability:

http://jtrobe.people.wm.edu/CampusGreening2008Color.pdf.

Check it out, it's very informative. Our greatest hope for the future rests with tomorrow's leaders.

My next blog will be a follow-up on the Greater Washington DC Energy Efficiency Partnership between Virginia Tech, Hannon Armstrong and Pepco Energy Services.

Stay tuned.