Trade, the economy and energy were on the agenda today as Senator Warner visited several communities and businesses in Hampton Roads and southeastern Virginia.

He started in Portsmouth at a ceremony marking the Virginia Port Authority's recent agreement to assume management of APM Terminals. The Port Authority took over the lease for the facility on July 6, putting all of the marine cargo container terminals under VPA oversight for the next two decades and providing an opportunity for growth for the Port of Virginia.

The next stop was in the town of Smithfield, where we strolled along Main Street with Del. Bill Barlow and greeted shoppers and spoke informally with local business owners.

The Senator dropped into the Smithfield Inn and surprised Gus Barlow, who was celebrating his 85th birthday.

He also chatted with a group of Smithfield High School alums who have gotten together for regular lunch dates for more than 50 years.

The Senator also checked-in with executives at Smithfield's largest employer, Smithfield Foods, before heading to Surry for a tour and a briefing at Dominion's Surry Nuclear Power Station.

The.Surry power station has two nuclear reactors which together produce 1.6 gigawatts of electricity - enough energy to power 40,000 homes.

Senator Warner believes modern, safe nuclear power must be part of a "portfolio approach" to cleaner energy if we are ever going to get serious about weaning our country off of imported oil.