Climate change is real, and we can't afford to ignore it and continue doing the same old things we've always done. I'm a new Viriginian and I would like to see VA lead the country in the promotion and production of renewable energy. Here are some of the ways we should do this:

• Eliminate barriers to customer-owned and third-party financed solar power?
• Encourage customer-owned battery storage?
• Develop pumped hydroelectric storage facilities to store wind and solar power -- NOT fossil fuel generation -- and construct them on brownfields, not greenfields?
• Require utilities and regulators to work harder to reduce retail electricity consumption 10% by 2020?
• Place a moratorium on new fracked gas pipelines because existing infrastructure can already meet our energy needs?
• Eliminate the $20 million mining pool bond cap, so that funds will be there to clean up land previously mined for coal.
• Give state tax breaks for purchase of hybrid and electric vehicles and promote the wide expansion of electric vehicle charging stations. Every single gas station should have at least one.
• Incentivize fitness businesses to invest in energy storage devices connected to their aerobic machines and use the energy to run the centers as much as possible.

I have grandchildren and I am worried about the Earth they will inherit. There is no good reason to remain dependent on fossil fuel.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment.