Virginia’s energy future

by Robert C. Powell
for Virginia Business
July 2007

In the future, how will Virginia keep the lights on? Virginia Business returns to the issue of energy in a special report this month that looks at how the industry is changing. The challenge these days is to balance growing energy needs against concerns about the environment and our reliance on foreign oil. In our cover story, Garry Kranz examines the future of Dominion Virginia Power after the failure of electric deregulation and assesses the prospects for Virginia’s coal industry as a domestic fuel source. Kranz and Brett Lieberman also look at the development of alternative energy sources, such as wind power and liquefied coal.

This issue also features the second annual CFO of the Year Awards sponsored by the magazine and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. New award categories were added for small and large nonprofits in recognition of the special challenges they face. Richard Foster reports on the efforts many nonprofits are making to adopt some part of the Sarbanes-Oxley accounting requirements.

With retirement on the minds of many baby boomers, we offer two stories. Joan Tupponce examines why so many boomers have failed to save adequately for their golden years. Williamsburg writer Andrew Petkofsky explores the effect retirees have had on that region, a nationally recognized retirement mecca.

On the other end of the career ladder, Special Projects Editor Jessica Sabbath reports on the efforts of many regions around the state to retain young professionals.

Other stories look at the growing demand for health-care architects in Virginia and the changing role of text messaging as a business tool. Maybe the activity from all that text-messaging will some day be harnessed to help solve our energy problems.