Bob McDonnell was sworn in Saturday as Governor of Virginia, and thus his first speech in office was an Inaugural Address, a tone-setting speech more philosophical than programmatic. (Text.) Still, we’ll include it among state of the state addresses we’ve been reviewing, reporting on whether governors mention “manufacturing,” “industry” or variants thereof.
McDonnell, a Republican, did indeed cite “industries” when stating his belief that developing domestic energy will lead to economic growth and jobs for Virginia.
God has bestowed upon our Commonwealth an amazing wealth of natural resources. Virginians have the intellectual capital to use these resources to create new jobs, reduce our energy bills, and make our nation more energy independent.
We will make Virginia the “Energy Capital of the East Coast.” By growing the natural gas and coal industries, expanding the use of nuclear power, and promoting new energy technologies like wind, solar and biomass.
And we will champion environmentally-safe offshore energy exploration and production, bringing with it thousands of new jobs, hundreds of millions in new state revenue and billions in new investment.
Now that’s a strategy for energy security and Virginia manufacturing – developing all the available domestic energy sources at hand. McDonnell is demonstrating leadership on energy and the economy in a way that should guide Congress and the Administration.
For more on State of State addresses, see these posts.
