Gov. O'Malley launches effort to convert MD bus fleet to hybrid-electric

Construction is under way on Dominion Virginia Power's $1.8 billion coal-fired power plant in southwest Virginia.

Dominion Virginia Power began construction of the 585-megawatt Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Southwest Virginia this afternoon.

The nation’s second largest utility provider has been given the go-ahead for the construction of a US$1.8 billion coal and biomass plant in the Appalachian Mountains.

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell on April 21 led more than a dozen governors from across the country in signing the Governors' Declaration on Climate Change at the 2008 Conference on Climate Change at Yale University.

Dominion Virginia Power boasts that its planned Wise County plant will burn coal cleanly using state-of-the-art technology.

Mercury emissions figures in its air pollution permit application tell a slightly different story. Dominion proposes to release up to 49 pounds of mercury per year, but critics contend its permit application contains an opt-out clause.

For months, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine enjoyed political popularity replicating that of his Democratic predecessor, Mark R. Warner. It seemed that he had fixed a budget crisis and launched the most far-reaching omnibus land-use and transportation plan in decades. As the 2008 presidential election approached, he was even being mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate, just as Warner had once been put on the list of presidential possibilities.

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, April 18, 2008 (ENS) - Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today led 20 Democrat and Republican governors from across the country in signing the Governors' Declaration on Climate Change at the 2008 Conference on Climate Change at Yale University.

Which weighs more this election year—the economy, or the environment?

This was supposed to be the year the environment and climate change reached a political tipping point. With the House back in Democratic hands and all three presidential candidates making more-or-less green noises, business-as-usual seemed doomed. But then business-as-usual politics intervened.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The 2008 Maryland general assembly adjourned at midnight Tuesday. Throughout the session there were ups and downs as legislators worked to vote on bills

If you want to hear music that will lift you up and make you feel like summer's here and will never leave, come to Baltimore's Druid Hill Park on Saturday, April 26.  Baltimore singer/songwriter Caleb Stine and The Brakemen are playing at the Ecofestival.

In early April, Dominion Power hopes to break ground on a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County. Also in early April, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., could cast a key vote to extend tax incentives crucial to sustaining and expanding clean energy industries. While the state seems intent on providing new energy from dirty coal, our senator might be a key vote in support of clean energy.

A compromise bill approved earlier this year would allow two additional Air Pollution Control Board members appointed by the governor to cast votes on a controversial coal-fired power plant proposed for Wise County, Va.

Congressional investigators said yesterday that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson recommended raising automobile fuel economy standards three months ago based on a staff assessment that carbon dioxide emissions threaten the public's health and welfare, but the Bush administration has taken no action.

Thou shalt recycle - and not smoke a doobie.

The Pope has come up with a whole new slew of sins for Catholics and it turns out driving around in that gas-guzzling SUV may land you in the Ninth Circle.

Dominion Virginia Power made two concessions last week in its bid to build a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County.

Press Release - Office of the Governor - Governor Expresses Support for Legislation That Would Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 90% by 2050

Candidates' plans to counter climate change.

Fact: Virginia gets less than 1 percent of its electricity from “green” sources such as the wind or the sun. Fact: Virginia ranks 38th among U.S. states in energy efficiency. Fact: Climate change is real, and fossil fuel substitutes are needed, according to President Bush’s State of the Union address last year. So how would Dominion Virginia Power respond to these facts?

Green groups push climate, Bay cleanup and energy bills

Thick snowfall provided a wintry backdrop as advocates gathered in front of the State House on Thursday to rally for legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and increasing energy efficiency. 

The proposed Wise County plant has come to symbolize growing debates about the importance of a region's economic health verses the actual health of its residents, the power of Dominion in state government and the looming battle over the future of public investment for our energy.

A vegetarian, the Indian economist made a plea for people around the world to tame their carnivorous impulses.

"Please eat less meat -- meat is a very carbon intensive commodity," he said, adding that consuming large quantities was also bad for one's health.

One argument revolves around health and the environment. The other revolves around money. Which is more compelling? 

Though 2007 generally was considered a good year for "green" causes in Annapolis - passing bills to lower car emissions, boost oysters and protect terrapins - environmental lobbyists aren't resting easy.

"I think there is a sense there's a lot of unfinished business," said Brad Heavner, director of the advocacy group Environment Maryland.