The News Virginian
by Bob Stuart
WAYNESBORO, Va. — A survey of Virginia voters shows that 89 percent believe an investment by government and the private sector in infrastructure would have a positive impact on the state's economy and quality of life.
Results of the survey, which was commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers, were released Wednesday.
About 63 percent of state voters said an infrastructure investment would help in creating good-paying jobs. On the other hand, 19 percent said infrastructure investments would hurt the environment.
Clearly, though, most appear eager to move forward with infrastructure improvements. Approximately 85 percent of commonwealth voters support increasing the energy infrastructure in the country as a whole.
The poll included responses from 500 Virginia voters questioned between Nov. 28 and Dec. 3, said Ross Eisenberg, the vice president for energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers. Eisenberg said NAM has done similar post-election polls in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"The message in all three states is that creating jobs and invigorating the economy is what is most important,'' Eisenberg said during a Wednesday teleconference. More than 80 percent of the voters surveyed in the three states support investment in power lines, pipelines, power plants refineries and railroads.
Brett Vassey, the president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, said investments in all sorts of infrastructure would help economic development efforts in Virginia. Vassey pointed to improved roads, bridges, oil and natural gas pipelines, and broadband internet.
“Virginia has to compete globally, whether it is pipelines, transmission lines or wastewater plants,’’ Vassey said. “All of those things are critical to manufacturing competitiveness.”
That's one reason Dominion Power is planning a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina. A portion of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would run through the Shenandoah Valley, including parts of Augusta County. Opposition to the project has been fierce, with protesters decrying the pipeline's effect on the environment and private property rights, along with the potential for accidents such as leaks, explosions, fires, and the fouling of groundwater.
Dominion has said safety is paramount in the construction and operation of the pipeline. They say the energy needs of the country demand more natural gas conduits and say the pipeline will help meet those needs in the region for decades. Opponents say Dominion and the state and federal government should focus more on renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar.
When it comes to manufacturing, the state, like most of the U.S., has lost thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the last three decades, but as Vassey points out, the industry is still key to the state's economy. Manufacturing supports more than 230,000 high-paying jobs across Virginia, which has about 6,000 factories, according to Vassey.
President-elect Donald Trump has spoken of a potential $1 trillion investment by the federal government in improving the country’s infrastructure.
The Trump plan would use incentive-based contracting to keep projects on budget to construct roads, bridges, tunnels, railroads and other needs.
Read the full story in the News Virginian