For Immediate Release
July 1, 2014
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
CCAN Applauds Gov. McAuliffe for Re-Launching State Climate Change Commission
VIRGINIA BEACH—Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response to Governor Terry McAuliffe’s announcement today that he is re-starting the Governor’s Climate Change Commission:
“By signing this executive order, Governor McAuliffe is re-dedicating Virginia to addressing the costly and increasingly dangerous impacts of climate change. We applaud Governor McAuliffe for taking this step forward just six months into his term. Indeed, we don’t have a moment to lose.
“Given our coast could face over five feet of sea-level rise by century’s end, we need immediate action not only to adapt to the impacts we’re locked into, but to reduce the combustion of oil, coal and natural gas that is driving climate change. Hampton Roads has the potential to be ground zero for clean energy solutions that will protect our coast while growing our economy.
“We look forward to working with the McAuliffe administration and this newly announced commission to put an ambitious plan into action. That’s why, on July 9, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and our partners in the region will release a bold solutions plan outlining how Virginia can reduce pollution and address the very real impacts of climate change residents are already experiencing in the Hampton Roads region. We will be working with the commission to implement as many of these recommendations as possible as soon as possible.”
BACKGROUND: In 2007, former Governor Tim Kaine took an unprecedented step in Virginia by establishing the state’s first commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing Virginians: climate change. Kaine’s Climate Change Commission met for several months and proposed dozens of recommendations for the commonwealth to implement. Unfortunately, the commission was dissolved and the recommendations were shelved during the McDonnell administration. Governor McAuliffe is demonstrating his dedication to dealing with the climate crisis by restarting this commission.
On Wednesday, July 9, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will release a first-of-its-kind “Safe Coast” report detailing the most devastating effects of sea-level rise threatening the Tidewater region and presenting a concrete action plan to forestall or cope with the worst of them. The report will be released during a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on July 9 at the Unitarian Church of Norfolk (739 Yarmouth Street), located in the city’s flood-prone Hague neighborhood.
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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build and mobilize a powerful grassroots movement in this unique region that surrounds our nation’s capital to call for state, national and international policies that will put us on a path to climate stability.
