Sen. Marsden focuses on climate action

Virginia Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) focused on climate and energy issues at an Earth Day-themed campaign event Sunday at Lake Accotink Park.

Marsden, referred to by the other speakers as “Earth Dave,” lauded the Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020, which calls for Dominion Power to be carbon neutral by 2045.

What needs to happen now, he said, is to convince rural Virginians to embrace renewable energy. “It’s a challenge to communicate that everybody benefits from a clean economy.”

“They’re reluctant to have their land taken up with big solar projects,” he said, so we need incentives to make that happen.

Marsden faces Heidi Drauschak in the Democratic Primary on June 20. The winner will face Republican candidate Mark Vafiades in November.

If re-elected, Marsden vowed to continue to oppose Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a crucial factor in preserving Virginia’s clean air and water.    

He plans to hold a conference this fall with local government leaders, power company officials, and landowners to develop a plan on “how we’re going to get green energy flowing in Virginia, how we’re going to get trees planted, and how we’re going to restore our environment.”

“Everyone is saying climate is an important issue,” he said. “Climate is probably the only issue. Because until we solve our climate problem, everything else we care about – our families, our future, our grandkids, our legacy on this planet – depends on us, right now, getting it done here in Virginia.”

Addressing climate change “is the most important issue we face here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America, and on our planet.”

Climate Cabinet Action gave Marsden a 100 percent rating on its 2023 Climate & Clean Energy Scorecard and an A+ rating overall, Legislative Director Blair St. Ledger-Olson announced at the campaign event. The Virginia League of Conservation Voters gave Marsden a 100 percent rating, designating him a ”legislative hero.”

Among the other speakers at the event were Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41), a former speaker of the House of Delegates and current candidate for governor; Fairfax County Planning Commissioner and candidate for Mason supervisor Andres Jimenez; and former Gov. Ralph Northam.

In addition to addressing the importance of protecting the environment, Northam urged action to curb gun violence and protect women’s access to reproductive care. “There is no reason that a group of legislators, most of whom are men, should be telling women what they should and shouldn’t do with their bodies,” he said.