Federal Representation

The Federal delegation that represents this region in Washington, D.C. comprises two Senators and two members of the House of Representatives because the project footprint spans two Congressional District. With the exception of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements (if applicable), the Federal government for most intents and purposes does not have decisionmaking authority over the project in the political process. But like their state-level counterparts, they can act as “grasstops” in a local community and their opinion carries sway in the state.

Senator Warner is Virginia’s senior Senator and was first elected in 2008. Before being elected to the Senate, Warner served as Governor of Virginia between 2002-2006. He co-founded the company that became Nextel Cellular. Warner typically votes reliably with the Democratic Party, though he sits on the moderate side of the Democratic Senate caucus. He believes climate change and breaking American dependency on foreign oil are important national secuity issues. Warner “favors an ‘all of the above,’ portfolio approach that employs solar, wind, bio-fuels, nuclear energy, next generation battery technologies, and investment in research that focuses on using carbon capture technology so we can continue to use our domestic resources, such as coal, more responsibly.” Warner was one of the lead negotiators of the recent bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021). 

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Warner is unlikely to get involve in this project or make a statement, however, he is generally supportive on new economic development opportunities in Virginia and is supportive of solar generally. Recently, he signed onto a bipartisan letter to the Commerce Department requesting that the solar circumvention case be concluded.  

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Committees: Intelligence; Finance; Banking, Housing and Urban Development; Budget; Rules and Administration

Senator Kaine is Virginia’s junior Senator and was first elected in 2012, he was also Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 Presidential Election. In the Senate, as co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, improving education and workforce training is a focus of the Senators. Prior to joining the Senate, Kaine served as Governor of Virginia from 2006-2010 and served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009-2011. His first elected office was as city council member in 1994 and the Mayor of Richmond four years later. Kaine attended Harvard Law School and practiced law in Richmond for 17 years before beginning his career as a public servant.

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Senator Kaine has been an advocate for clean energy policies and climate action since he was Governor. He supports the development of new renewable energy resources, including solar and wind. He not only acknowledges Virginia’s location on the coast as a front line community in terms of impacts, but has also focused on mitigating economic hardships caused by the clean energy transition is western and southern Virginia by supporting federal and private sector investment in clean energy technologies and advanced coal technologies for those regions of the state. Recently, he signed onto a bipartisan letter to the Commerce Department requesting that the solar circumvention case be concluded.

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Kaine is unlikely to get involved in this project, but like Warner, he is generally supportive of economic development in Virginia’s south-central and western regions. 

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Committees: Armed Services; Budget; Foreign Relations; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Rep. Bob Good is a freshman member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a member of the Freedom Caucus. Ideologically, Good falls in the geographic middle of the Republican House Conference. He voted against the certification of President Biden’s election and perpetuated false narratives that the election was stolen. Prior to his election in Congress, Good served one term on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors between 2015-2019 and was a Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development at Liberty University, following 17 years at Citi Financial. Good attended Liberty University where he earned a BS in Finance and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

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Good does not appear to have a strongly developed view on energy other than supporting “energy independence” through increased fossil production and opposing “anti-American energy policies” from the Biden Administration. He opposed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because he disagreed with what he characterized as “more climate extremism and increased government dependency.” Axton Solar should monitor Rep. Good for any indication he is watching or considering weighing into the debate. He does not have any authority, but may hold some sway as a Member of Congress and former County Commissioner in neighboring Campbell County. 

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Committees: Budget; Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment

Rep. Griffith is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and has represented the district since 2010. Prior to serving in the House, Morgan served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1994-2011, and became the House Majority Leader in 2000. Morgan earned his degree from Emory & Henry College, completed law school at Washington and Lee University School of Law is southwest Virginia. He graduated from Salem’s Andrew Lewis High School.

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Griffith claims to support and “all of the above” energy approach including coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, hydropower, domestic oil, and biomass. Griffith has supporting funding to repurpose reclaimed mine lands for new used. In 2021, he along with Governor Northam announced that Virginia’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization grant program was supporting a solar project in Buchanan County. While it is not clear if Griffith’s support extends to greenfield or projects that are built on former agricultural land, he appears to have openness to the technology when it does not challenge incumbent industries and is positioned as a clear value-add to a community. 

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Committees: Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Investigations (Ranking Member), Health, Energy subcommittees.