Author Archives: Stephen D. Haner

About Stephen D. Haner

Stephen D. Haner is Senior Fellow for State and Local Tax Policy at the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. He may be reached at steve@thomasjeffersoninst.org.

Session Makes Economic Recovery Harder

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

Now that the Virginia General Assembly’s “Cops and COVID” special session is all but finished, will it be easier or harder for the state’s struggling economy to recover in 2021?  It will be harder, probably. The initial reason Governor Ralph … Continue reading →

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TCI Returns

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

Having imposed a carbon tax on Virginia electricity generation in 2020, the General Assembly starting in January 2021 will consider adding a similar tax on every gallon of gasoline and diesel sold for vehicle use. The Transportation and Climate Initiative, an environmentalist … Continue reading →

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Dominion Green Energy Costs Grow Again

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

As sobering as they were, the initial estimates of how a green energy conversion will explode Dominion Energy Virginia rates have now been revised up. The State Corporation Commission staff now sees it costing an additional $800 per year for a residential customer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy | Leave a comment

How the Unpaid Utility Bills Will Instead Come to You

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Virginia households have fallen behind on their electricity, natural gas, and water service bills in the COVID-19 recession, with no fear (yet) of being disconnected. The moratorium on disconnections is now scheduled to end … Continue reading →

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Economic and Job Recovery? Not the Special Session’s Focus

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Stephen D. Haner

With the Virginia General Assembly’s “Cops and COVID” special session moving into its third week, it seems likely to impede rather than assist the state’s economic recovery from the pandemic. It may also greatly expand COVID-19’s financial burdens in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, State Government | 2 Comments