In the fight against climate change and dirty energy polluters, there’s a lot going on. Some of it is good — take the global boom in solar power and its increasing affordability. Some of it just encourages us to push harder and faster. But whether the news is encouraging or frustrating, local or global, knowledge is power. That’s why we’re bringing you a new recurring blog post from CCAN: The Weekly Climate Insider.
Every week, we’ll keep you in the loop with important climate stories impacting Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and beyond. We’ll touch on big issues in our campaigns, like the threat of fracking and sea level rise, and we’ll also bring you broader climate news.
Let’s get started.

This week in Maryland, fracking is the hot topic.
The Capital Gazette published an article on results of a study by Environment Maryland revealing the danger fracking poses to our water supply. While energy industry leaders and fracking proponents say there are sufficient regulations in place to protect our water, this isn’t the case. The Environment America report suggests that no regulatory scheme is good enough protection against the 280 billion gallons of dirty wastewater produced by fracking in 2012 alone or against the methane the process releases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
Fracking is playing a role in the state’s political arena as well. The Baltimore Business Journal reported that candidates in Maryland’s gubernatorial race disagree on how to proceed with fracking in the state.
Maryland and six other states have joined together to sue the EPA over wood boiler emissions standards. The Washington Post reports that New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont are suing for the EPA to update regulations that haven’t been changed in 25 years. These boilers are responsible for 13% of the nation’s soot, which is a cause of air quality and public health problems nationwide. While they’ve already been banned in some states and heavily regulated in others, an EPA restriction would lead to national change.
Meanwhile in Virginia, the political landscape is being shaped by coal and carbon.
So what’s all the fuss about? New regulations proposed by the EPA would limit carbon pollution from future power plants. The agency proposes a requirement that new coal-fired plants capture 30-60% of their greenhouse gas emissions, but provides no new restrictions on existing plants.
An October 8th article from Think Progress discusses the critical role carbon pollution and the proposed EPA limits are playing in the gubernatorial race between Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe.
A Politico poll reveals that 45% of voters support these proposed regulations. Within that breakdown, the partisan differences aren’t surprising; more Democrats support the proposed regulations while more Republicans oppose them. Independents tip the scales in favor of the regulations with 44% in favor and 36% against them.
Interested in more global news? Let’s zoom out.
First, some news about the news. The LA Times declared last weekend that they will not be running letters to the editor that deny the existence of human-caused climate change. Editor Paul Thornton said about the policy, “I do my best to keep errors of fact off the letters page; when one does run, a correction is published. Saying “there’s no sign humans have caused climate change” is not stating an opinion, it’s asserting a factual inaccuracy.” This is a powerful statement by the Times, and CCAN encourages the Washington Post to take this same stance against printing misinformation by climate deniers.
The New York Times reports that by 2047 the coldest years will be warmer than hottest years in the past. This increase will occur even faster in tropical climates than in more temperate regions. However, there’s hope. According to the article, “the models show that unprecedented temperatures could be delayed by 20 to 25 years if there is a vigorous global effort to bring emissions under control.”
Which is why none of us are giving up any time soon.
Feeling inspired?

• Marylanders, join us on our Crossroads 2013 Tour: Clean Energy, Not Cove Point!
• Virginians, register for the Safe Coast Virginia Conference to learn how you can fight the effects of climate change in coastal Virginia.
• In DC? Sign the petition for more wind power, not dirty black liquor.