Clean energy
As a business owner, I believe in practical, market-driven solutions that benefit both the economy and the environment. At TFC Recycling, we’ve voluntarily converted 42 of our 70 trucks to run on compressed natural gas. Not only is natural gas a cleaner alternative to diesel and reduces harmful emissions into the air we breathe, but it’s cheaper by the gallon and saves us money each time we fill the tank. Those savings add up when CNG trucks are roughly 20% more expensive than diesel models, but it can only get us so far. The way for a fleet transition to make financial sense for a small business is with smart, federal support — specifically, energy tax credits that help offset the higher cost of clean technology, like we have today. That’s why I support keeping the federal energy tax credits and appreciate U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans for standing behind them. These credits don’t grow government — they empower businesses to make responsible, long-term investments while staying competitive. Supporting clean energy doesn’t mean abandoning conservative principles. It means embracing energy independence, job creation and innovation — all through limited government and pro-growth policy.
Historic
Re “A historic opportunity” (Our Views, May 6): Thank you for pointing out historic tourism is big business and that the Native Americans who lived here have stories, too. Virginia Beach’s indigenous people, the Chesapeake, are extinct. But the village they lived in, Apasus, exists as an archaeological site. In 2007, a forward-thinking City Council purchased the land, 2.5 acres of Lynnhaven waterfront, for $850,000. Because it shares a boundary with the Thoroughgood House, the purchase nearly doubled the museum site. Two years later, the state reimbursed Virginia Beach for half of the purchase cost to help preserve the archaeological remains. Museum staff and volunteers dreamed of a nature path that would showcase a couple of longhouses hidden by native plants. The city’s parks and recreation department has not opened it to the public. In the past 18 years, what was once a small patch of bamboo spread, endangering critical archaeological information. The city’s department of history museums has requested funds to develop a plan, a necessary step before it can seek any grant that might help with containing the bamboo and saving the rest of the site. This budget request was denied. Virginia Beach continues to grow a taxpayer-funded bamboo grove, an invasive plant that will eventually destroy the entire site if left unchecked.
Golden age
President Donald Trump has promised that his administration will bring a “golden age” to America. A golden age is considered by most to be one of peace, prosperity and enlightenment. It implies freedom of thought, expression and speech; the rule of law; advancement in science, technology and medicine; educational freedom; and general happiness. In Trump’s first 100 days what has happened? Undocumented immigrants have been imprisoned and deported without due process; scientists have resigned or have been fired from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; we have withdrawn from the World Health Organization; government inspectors general and judge advocates general of the armed forces have all been fired; universities have been attacked; foreign students have been deported for speaking out; and law firms have been punished for having clients considered enemies of Trump. Trump’s Cabinet is composed of fawning sycophants who, with few exceptions, know little of their departments. Is this a golden age? No, not even close. This may well be the beginning of a very dark period in our history, one in which our Constitution is totally ignored. Our republic will be lucky to survive unless something changes. We can only hope.