You may have heard that our very own Ted Glick is going on trial on February 24th in D.C. Superior Court for hanging a “Get to Work; Green Jobs Now” banner in the Hart Senate Office Building the day the Senate returned from its summer recess. The prosecution has said it wants to make an example of him and send him to jail for at least 30 days, possibly more, for this deed. If you want to support him and the cause by coming to the trial, you can sign up here.

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Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network explains a bold and refreshing new perspective on how to cap carbon emissions in the United States.

Also, here’s an interesting TV interview about the bill that Mike Tidwell conducted with John Passacantando, former director of Greenpeace USA. The interview is part of a cable-access show called The Coffee House that is viewed on stations nationwide.

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Last night the Dendron town council moved forward on permitting the Cypress Creek coal-fired power plant. Can’t say they really voted for it since the 3 council members against the plant abstained from voting. The Mayor decided that this was still considered a tie vote and cast the deciding vote in favor of re-zoning the land. Legal experts feel that this highly unusual so we shall see what happens on that front.

During that meeting, an economic analysis was publicly released for the first time. The analysis estimates that during the height of construction, only 3 Dendron residents would be employed to build the plant and only 14% of those temporary construction jobs would go to Surry County residents. Even fewer locals would be permanently employed if the plant is built due to the highly specific skills required for the jobs needed. You have to wonder how half of the Town Council and the Mayor could still vote in favor of such a destructive project with so few jobs coming to the local community.

Nevertheless, coal plant opponents are winning. You may be scratching your head wondering how I came to that conclusion, so let me tell you. ODEC submitted its applications for this project to DEQ in December 2008. A year and 3 months later they are just now getting the local permits so that that application can begin moving forward. What should have been the easiest part of this lengthy process for them took over a year. ODEC should be wondering if this is how long the EASIEST part is going to take, how long will the more in-depth applications take? Only time will tell, but we will be there along with thousands of other Virginians to stop this plant in its tracks. They may have won this battle but we prolonged it and we WILL win the war!

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This blog was written by Caroline Selle, a student at St Mary’s College of Maryland

I just read the transcript of the State of the Union Address and don’t really know what to say. So here goes.

I’m running on empty. I’m exhausted. School plus my job plus the all of the environmental organizations I’m involved with equals something that’s probably not sustainable. But I’m going to keep working. Along with all of the rest of you amazing people, I’m going to keep making sure that my voice is heard.

Some (okay, many) of the things in the President’s address were disappointing. Coal and nuclear will never be clean sources of energy. But the fact that the President spoke about clean energy at all gives me hope. In his own words, he called for, “a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.”

I’m going to go ahead and call that one a success.

The White House is listening. We knew that before this speech, when they set up a meeting with youth environmentalists, three Cabinet secretaries and the head of the EPA. We knew that when Obama finally decided to go to Copenhagen. And know we now because the President addressed the nation on the issue of climate change.

The President is listening, so let’s keep getting louder. Let’s call for a clean energy revolution. Let’s build coalitions within our communities. Let’s work from the ground up to “Define Our Decade” and each ask our leaders to “Show Me Democracy.” Let’s reach out to each other. Let’s be an all inclusive movement, because the issues we’re facing don’t discriminate. Our President responded to our asks, so let’s keep asking.

I was exhausted before; I’m energized now. And I know that I’m going to keep working. I’m going to keep protesting and calling and petitioning and organizing and inviting and recruiting. Because now I am certain that my voice is being heard.

Who’s with me? Let’s start a non-violent, all inclusive clean energy revolution. We know we have power. The last election had the largest youth voter turnout, ever. (And ever is a pretty long time). Our government is listening, and we need to tell them what we want.

Let’s call for clean energy. Now.

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On January 23, 2010 nearly 350 people gathered on a beach outside the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis to draw attention to the climate crisis and highlight the number everyone living on this planet needs to know: 350.

Check out the video from CCAN’s 5th plunge to Keep Winter Cold below (it’s my first video). Enjoy!

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First the good news: Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. just announced that it is testing the waters of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging stations in anticipation of the cars hitting Greater Baltimore streets later this year.

There’s no doubt that cars with cords are coming. According to Wired, most of the major automakers are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, and at least two of them — the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf — could be on the road in some areas by the end of 2010.

In fact, one recent report, found that plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles will make up nearly 20 percent of the global market by 2030.

The added electricity demand created by these new electric vehicles silently zipping around our streets is expected to pose a challenge for utilities and electricity generators in the coming years. So BGE is getting ready.

“We recognize many Maryland consumers are looking forward to buying plug-in vehicles and we want to ensure we’re ready to meet their need for smart charging options,” John J. Murach, director of business planning and corporate performance for BGE, said in a statement.

The Baltimore Business Journal has the full story.

Now for the compromise: A Rockville wind developer has settled a lawsuit by environmental groups by agreeing not to build 24 turbines and abandoning 31 proposed sites at a West Virginia wind farm. The groups are concerned about potential harm to the endangered Indiana bat.

Don’t get me wrong. It is important to properly site wind farms and protect animal populations. But, in an era of rapid global warming, when President Obama somehow feels compelled to cite “clean” coal and nuclear power as solutions to our climate crisis, we desperately need to start getting wind projects off the ground. West Virginia is far ahead of Maryland, which, to my knowledge, currently has zero wind projects up and running or even in the works (please correct me if I’m wrong). Virginia at least is doing a little better with one project under construction.

We can meet much of our energy needs with clean, safe and renewable energy such as wind and solar. We just need to get going!

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This is cross-posted from Sierra Club’s Blog

This is the weekly post from Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.

Today, Jan 28th, Sierra Club and our allies at Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, NRDC and grassroots groups across the country are participating in a national day of action to urge the Obama Administration to move forward with strong, federally enforceable rules to regulate coal ash disposal.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on proposed rules to ensure the safe disposal of coal ash – the byproduct of burning coal for power. As expected, the coal industry is fighting to maintain the status quo on coal ash, backing a proposal that ensures coal ash is treated less responsibly than household trash.

The nearly 136 million tons of coal ash generated each year is full of harmful toxins like arsenic, lead and mercury. People living near the coal ash sites have a staggering 1 in 50 risk of cancer. Both EPA and the National Academy of Sciences have years of research making it clear that coal ash is becoming increasingly toxic and confirming time and again that coal ash poses a threat to human health.

We must treat coal waste as a hazardous substance and not take away the opportunities for residents of communities impacted by coal ash disposal to provide input on how the coal ash should be handled.

Our goal with a day of action on January 28th is to generate thousands of emails, phone calls and letters to the editor of national and local newspapers calling on the Obama Administration, to bring an end to the delay.

We hope you will share the information about the day of action with your local activists, allies, colleagues, friends, and family. Want to get involved? Here are two things you can do on Jan. 28th and beyond:

1. Email Action: Send an email directly to the White House in support of this EPA rule. Everyone who takes action on our alert will be automatically invited to submit a letter to the editor of their local newspaper as well.

2. Then, post this message as your facebook status with a link to the online action alert: “I asked President Obama to protect all US residents from hazardous coal ash sites around the country, and you can too: http://action.sierraclub.org/coalash!”

One thing is clear—coal must be cleaned up and the industry will not clean itself. Residents across the U.S. want the coal industry to clean up and not expose them to health hazards like air pollution and coal ash. We need strong regulations to hold coal accountable and speed the transition to a clean energy economy.

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Mike Tidwell has an Op-Ed in the Richmond Times Dispatch today about how the efficiency bill introduced by Sen. McEachin is exactly the kind of jobs bill we need right now.

Repairing Virginia’s Economy

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has been yelling it from the rooftops for months: The best way to repair Virginia’s ailing economy is to improve the state’s flawed energy policies.

He’s absolutely right, of course, and now he faces a test. With inauguration festivities over, a landmark energy bill awaits McDonnell in the General Assembly. It would create lots of new jobs and, potentially, build badly needed bipartisanship in Richmond.

The highlights: Senate Bill 71 would spur up to 10,000 new jobs and billions of dollars in new investments in a state where unemployment has doubled since 2007 and the budget deficit is a staggering $4 billion. This is not, however, an “offshore drilling” bill to promote oil platforms along the Virginia coast. Nor would it finance new coal-fired power plants and nuclear energy. Instead, it’s a straightforward energy efficiency bill. Using the same common-sense appeal to fiscal sanity that helped McDonnell get elected, SB 71 would promote energy efficiency across the state while saving money for Virginia families.

And the job-growth numbers are for real. Continue Reading »

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A junior at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Andrew Swoboda, recently won a $10,000 scholarship for his research in reducing the amount of platinum needed to make hydrogen fuel cells, reducing the overall cost of production. He is making an effort to cut the cost of alternative energy that could help reduce the demand for mountaintop removal coal mining and other dirty sources. Meanwhile, his elected official, VA state Senator Richard Saslaw, has been an obstacle to investing in energy efficiency measures that would also reduce the demand for coal. Last year he was the decisive vote to block efficiency legislation in committee.

There’s no doubt that energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to meet Virginia’s energy needs and create jobs, which is why it’s one of our top priorities this year in Virginia. Do you think hydrogen fuel cells have a place in making the switch to a clean energy future?

From the Vienna Connection:

Contributing to Clean Energy
Local high schooler improves fuel cell, wins scholarship.

By William Scott Martin, The Connection
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

On Dec. 7, Thomas Jefferson High School junior Andrew Swoboda of Oakton became a fifth place winner for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. Andrew (known to his friends as AJ) Swoboda won a $10,000 scholarship along with partner Ryan Lindeborg for their work on hydrogen fuel cells.

Swoboda and Lindeborg did their research at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the summer of 2009. The research began as simple interest in the subject of fuel cells.

“I’ve always been the kid that likes figuring out new things,” said Swoboda. “The whole idea of clean energy is kind of like a big deal right now, so when I heard about it, it sounded like an interesting thing to do.”

In fact, Swoboda’s paper entitled “Optimization of Platinum Nanoparticles for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Using Pulse Electrochemical Deposition” makes a significant advancement, halving the platinum required to create fuel cells. Continue Reading »

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Two more days ’til the big day! The latest weather reports call for a mostly sunny day with a high around 40 degrees in Annapolis. Whatever it ends up being, we’ll be there wearing our swimming suits starting at 10:30 AM!

There’s still time to join us on Saturday for CCAN’s Fifth Annual Polar Bear Plunge. You can take the plunge, or just show your support from the sidelines.

If you’re coming, here’s what you need to know:

Directions: The plunge is being held on the beach of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis and the program begins at 10:30 AM. The address is 6 Herndon Ave. You can view a map and get directions by going to http://bit.ly/plungemap.

Carpooling: We encourage people to carpool as much as possible. We’ve created a blog post on the keepwintercold.org website where people can offer spaces in your car and people who need a ride can ask for one. Access this service here.

Continue Reading »

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