Public Policy Virginia

Public Policy Virginia was launched by Al Weed and Diana Abbott in March 2005 in the aftermath of Weed's first unsuccessful campaign challenging Virgil Goode for the 5th district U.S. House of Representatives seat. According to a notice on its website, as of October 31, 2011, PPV would "be closing its doors for new business."

History

"In the first year, PPV concentrated on two issues, universal health care and biofuels. Of those two, biofuels quickly became central to PPV’s mission because of its threefold benefits of boosting rural economies, reducing fossil fuel dependency, and alleviating watershed pollution through the planting of secondary and cover crops and reducing farm waste run-off. To promote a biofuel industry in the Commonwealth, PPV hosted two conferences on biofuels, developed an innovative resource CD for distribution, paid for David Bransby of Auburn University to brief stakeholders in the Virginia Tobacco Commission on the value of switchgrass as an alternate crop, and organized the Virginia Biomass Energy Group (VBEG). PPV was numbered among the leaders in biofuel advocacy in this region by the end of its first 18 months."

"At that time, Al Weed’s second electoral run for Congress created a potential conflict of interest with the tax-exempt, non-partisan mission of PPV, therefore the Board of Directors chose to halt operations pending the November 2006 election. The two staff members were released in August. In December 2006, PPV returned to action, broadening its long-held interest in biofuels to encompass biomass energy, working to create a stronger and wider network of stakeholders involved with VBEG. In 2007, PPV created the biomass energy track at the 2007 Commonwealth of Virginia Energy & Sustainability Conference in Lexington."

External Links

• http://www.ppvir.org