---
title: "Governor McAuliffe: Stop Taking Dirty Money"
date: 2016-07-21T19:41:06Z
modified: 2016-07-21T19:41:06Z
permalink: "https://350action.org/governor-mcauliffe-stop-taking-dirty-money/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: As a Virginian, I am extremely concerned with the close ties between Virginia politicians and Dominion Energy.
wpid: 798
categories:
  - Uncategorized
featured_image: /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ecerz9-1.jpg
author: 350 Action Team
---

This morning, I found myself voluntarily going somewhere most Americans despise: the local Department of Motor Vehicles office. Why, you ask? Virginia Governor Terry McAulliffe was speaking and I wanted to know: “**Governor, will you urge Virginia Democrats to stop taking money from corporate polluters like Dominion Energy?”**. He responded, “People are free to take money from wherever they want to” and “I won’t tell people what to do”. As a Virginian who voted for Governor McAuliffe, I was frustrated with his response, as it shows that he and other VA politicians side with corporations rather than the safety of their constituents. As a Virginian, I am extremely concerned with the close ties between Virginia politicians and Dominion, as I am worried that our drinking water is at risk of becoming unsafe and I am concerned for the safety of the rural communities that will be directly impacted by natural gas pipeline fracking.

My name is **Stephanie Tulowetzke**, and I am a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Master of Social Work program with a concentration in Social Work Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice. I am a member of VCU’s chapter of Virginia Student Environment Coalition, a multi-university student group that aims to build student power in order to address environmental issues in the state of Virginia. I came into this work after having a professor my senior year of undergrad who had done a lot of work involving environmental social justice. I have only been involved with VSEC for about a year now, but I’ve been able to get involved with multiple actions, including the Our Generation Our Choice rally/march, lobbying at the General Assembly on behalf of the Virginia Coastal Protection Act, a sit-in at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality office that highlighted the dangerous connection between major energy company Dominion and the DEQ, as well as the event I attended this morning.