Working for Women, NatGas & VA's 1st Buc-ee's Opens Next Year
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good morning,
I’m in Nashville right now to attend and cover Safari Club International’s annual convention. Stay tuned for updates from the weekend here!
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Quick Thoughts of the Week
If you don’t already, follow IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation (which I helm). I can’t believe it’s been three months since I got promoted to center director!
Via Safari Club: Louisiana Federal Court Upholds 2016 Delisting of the State’s Black Bear.
House Speaker Mike Johnson met with his Baltic counterparts representing the nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania this week.
Independent contractors are fighting the Biden administration’s freelance busting rule.
European farmers are protesting European Union green directives.
John Kerry is out as Climate Envoy and will be replaced by John Podesta.
Crime is out of control in our nation’s capital. Get your act together, D.C. City Council.
Working for Women Report Released
It was an honor to contribute to the third edition of Independent Women's Forum’s Working for Women Report alongside my colleagues Patrice Onwuka, Hadley Heath Manning, Carrie Lukas, Carrie Sheffield, and others. Congrats to Patrice and the Center for Economic Opportunity!
Natural Gas Should Remain Part of U.S. Energy Mix
This has been a busy news week for natural gas.
President Biden caved to pressure from climate activists to pause LNG export projects and his Department of Energy released its final gas stove rule that keeps 97% of stove models (if we are to believe them) after industry and consumer backlash to stove bans.
Earlier this week, I joined the American Public Gas Association’s annual DC fly-in event as a guest speaker to discuss the state of policy and discussed how IWF could partner with them.
Here’s more about APGA:
APGA is the only not-for-profit trade organization representing America's publicly owned natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs). APGA represents the interests of public gas before Congress, federal agencies and other energy-related stakeholders by developing regulatory and legislative policies that further the goals of our members. In addition, APGA organizes meetings, seminars, and workshops with a specific goal to improve the safety, reliability, operational efficiency, and regulatory environment in which public gas systems operate.
Through APGA, public gas systems work together to stay reliably informed about new developments in safety, public policy, operations, technology, and the marketplace that could affect the communities and consumers they serve.
Thank you to APGA VP Stuart Saulters for the invite and to all the members who listened to my remarks!
First Virginia Bucee’s Location Breaks Ground
This week, construction began on Virginia’s first Bucee’s location in Rockingham County.
Where is Rockingham County, non-Virginians ask? This future home of Virginia’s first Bucee’s outpost is near James Madison University off Interstate 81.
Governor Youngkin was present at the event and remarked, “When you have a chance to come visit Buc-ee’s you’ll know why I’m so excited. There’s nothing like it in America.”
According to Virginia Business Magazine, construction should be completed within 17 months—or mid 2025—and support 200 jobs.
The report continues:
Buc-ee’s purchased 21.3 acres for the Rockingham center for $6.6 million in September 2023. The county revealed plans for the location in July 2023 by posting on its Facebook page that the company had applied for a special-use permit for review and approval of a sign plan.
A month earlier, Buc-ee’s paid $6.5 million for 27.68 acres in New Kent County, at Exit 211 off Interstate 64. The county’s economic development department posted to its Facebook page in March 2023 that the chain filed for a conditional use permit for signage. Buc-ee’s is planning to have four total Virginia locations, according a June 2023 news release from S.L. Nusbaum Realty.
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 34 stores in Texas and 13 centers in other states.
Congrats to the Youngkin administration, Rockingham County, and Virginia Economic Development Partnership on this massive win. I hope this location and the planned one in New Kent can be supplemented with one off I-95 ideally below Fredericksburg. Ha!
I will definitely pay this location a visit next year.
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I joined State of the Nation Show to discuss the Osage Nation scoring a victory against onshore wind.
I appeared on The Meg Ellefson Show on WSAU (Wisconsin) to discuss fishing, the Great Outdoors, and wind energy failure,
And Andrew Langer on the Federal Newswire - The Lunch Hour to discuss public lands, Alaska, and natural asset companies.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
IWF: Taylor Swift Shouldn’t Sully Her Reputation With Problematic Carbon Offsets
RealClear Energy: This Year, Congress Must Resolve to Reform the Antiquities Act
District of Conservation
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
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—Gabriella