Claim OwnershipVACo County Pulse Podcast
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© 2025 VACo County Pulse Podcast
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Guests share the legislative pulse of Virginia Counties with Host Dean Lynch.
54 Episodes
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“Data Centers in Virginia” JLARC Report – Interview with Mark Gribbin In this episode we sit down with Mark Gribbin, Chief Legislative Analyst with the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission (JLARC). He is the project leader for JLARC’s “Data Centers in Virginia” report, which was released December 9th. We go over a summary of the report’s findings regarding the economic benefits to Virginia, as well as what challenges lay ahead in regard to meeting the escalating energy demand from ...
Joe Lerch and VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch provide an update on solar industry lobbying efforts to preempt local authority on siting of utility-scale facilities and what VACo and its members will be doing to ensure this does not happen. Where to find out more about topics covered in this episode Commission on Electric Utility Regulation Meeting Page (see 11/26/2024 and click “Materials” for drop down menu)Proposed Legislative Outline for Facility Siting and Permitting CEUR November...
Listen in to Part 1 of a two-part episode recorded in Washington County, where we sit down with business partners Will Clear and Will Payne, who are investing in Southwest Virginia with a particular focus on reclaiming abandoned mine land to repurpose for a reboot of the energy economy of the region. Where to find out more about the topics covered in this episode: InvestSWVAProject OasisEnergy DELTA Lab
Draft Revisions to DEQ Solar Permit-By-Rule (PBR) Regulations – HB 206 This episode reviews regulations that amend the requirements for utility-scale solar installations to receive state permits to operate. Specifically, a 2022 law – commonly referred to as HB 206 - requires that applicants must avoid, minimize or otherwise mitigate certain losses to prime farmland and forests in order to get approval. In a conversation with Jonathan Rak and Susan Tripp with the Virginia Department of Environ...
Part 1. This 2-part episode was recorded on location in Mecklenburg County, which is located on the southern border with North Carolina. In Part 1, we sit down with County Administrator Alex Gottschalk to talk about the unique experience of a rural county that has seen significant growth in both data centers and utility-scale solar.
Utility-Scale Solar – Erosion Control and Stormwater with Mike Rolband In Part 2 of our episode on Utility-Scale Solar, Joe Lerch sits down with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Mike Rolband to focus on issues related to erosion control and stormwater management. We learn about widespread and significant impacts due to developers not adhering to minimum requirements to prevent soil loss and runoff pollution. Director Rolband explains what DEQ has been doing to corre...
Utility-Scale Solar – Legislative Outlook with Dean Lynch In the first of a 2-part episode, Joe Lerch sits down with VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch to discuss the big picture on state energy policy related to solar and recent attempts to preempt local authority on siting of facilities. Central to this discussion is the passage in 2020 of Virginia Clean Economy Act which sets certain targets for deployment of utility-scale solar facilities.
Listen in as Joe Lerch interviews Loudoun County Vice Chair and VACo Board Member Juli Briskman. We learn how the industry has transformed their community, what steps they’ve taken in terms of planning for its growth and impacts, and what other counties should consider when the industry comes knocking on the door.
Part 2. Listen in as Joe Lerch takes a tour of the Equinix facility in Loudoun County. Before hitting the floor to see where all the processing and storage takes place, Chris Kimm with Equinix guides us through the various components of the power to run the data center.
Part 1. Listen in as Joe Lerch interviews Chris Kimm, Senior Vice President of Global Customer Care and Experience at Equinix, an American multi-national corporation that builds and operates data centers. Learn about the data center business, and how they provide a seamless and instantaneous experience for commerce, industry, education, and social interactions. In so doing we touch on a range of topics including energy consumption, water use and how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) pr...
VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch welcomed Delegate Terry Kilgore to the County Pulse Podcast to talk about the 2020 General Assembly Session. The two Scott County natives discussed Equal Taxing Fairness, budget amendments, legislation submitted by Delegate Kilgore, opportunities in Southwest Virginia, and much more.
VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch and Lancaster County Supervisor Jason Bellows discuss the start of the 2020 General Assembly Session and issues of interest to Counties.
VACo’s Katie Boyle talks with economist Jim Regimbal about key elements of the Governor’s proposed budget, which was presented on December 17. VACo’s preliminary analysis of the budget is available at https://www.vaco.org/governor-presents-biennium-budget-proposals/.
VACo’s Angela Inglett speaks with Callan Dudley of Southern Landscape Group about the rising generation of workers. Callan shared how Southern Landscape Group is working with its local school system to inspire students with the employment possibilities within their communities.
In this episode, Superintendent Keith Perrigan of Bristol City Public Schools and President of the Small and Rural Schools Coalition and Jason Bellows, District 3 Supervisor for Lancaster County, member of the VACo Board of Directors and VACo Region 2 Director join VACo’s Jeremy Bennett to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing K-12 education in small and rural communities.
According to a to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Virginia’s veteran population exceeded 725,000 individuals distributed across every locality in the Commonwealth. This constitutes approximately 3.6% of the total veteran population in the United States and ranks Virginia as the 8th state with the most veterans residing within it. The skills, leadership, and experience that veterans carry often benefit the institutions and communities in which they work and reside. Ensuring that vet...
Frank Bossio (Former Culpeper County Administrator) and Sue Hansohn (Member of the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors) jump on the podcast to chat with Angela Inglett about workforce development and to explain why we should encourage young people to explore options apart from the college track. We talk about new methods of delivering career training and the importance of recognizing the dignity of work in all its forms.
In this episode, we meet the recently appointed Chair of the VACo Rural Caucus: Grayson County Administrator Bill Shepley. Bill talks to host Angela Inglett about his love for Rural Virginia, his vision for the Caucus, and his excitement about the opportunities facing rural communities.
Katie Boyle talks with Jim Regimbal of Fiscal Analytics, Ltd., about key components of the budget adopted in 2019 and major economic factors shaping the next biennium budget.
VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch talks with Senate Finance Co-Chairman Emmett Hanger about key policy issues of interest to local governments, including transportation, broadband, and strengthening the state-local partnership.
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