From Hurricane Anxiety to Climate Action: A Journey of Hope

Facing the Fury of Nature, One Floridian Now Living in Norfolk Finds Purpose in the Fight Against Climate Change with CCAN

A blog by Britt Flanagan, member of CCAN’S Hampton Roads 757 Climate Action Team (CAT)

Growing up on the Space Coast of Florida, I was no stranger to hurricanes, but this one was different.

Hurricane Milton landfall on radar by the National Weather Service/NOAA

I knew 2024 would be a record season. Weather forecasters were chattering about the potential danger well before it started. Still, I wasn’t prepared. I was caught off guard by the sheer devastation of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Our region suffered $200 billion in infrastructure damages…230 deaths, leaving the unhealable wound of grief in its wake. So when the next storm – Hurricane Milton – reared its head just two weeks later, growing in strength and generating a path directly at my family back home, a special kind of desperate anxiety seized my heart.

Are they prepared? Will they know when to leave? What about my family members who can’t evacuate? How do you grapple with a deadly, uncontrollable force barreling its way to your hometown filled with those you love? Hours dragged on as we waited for impact, flashbacks of Hurricane Helene’s destruction on our minds. How can this season be so severe? What do we have to look forward to in the future? Will things only get worse?

After hours of checking the weather for updates and sending messages to my family to check up on their preparations, the storm finally hit. I remember being glued to my laptop at work, refreshing the weather page as it approached Tampa where it would cross the state and hit the East Coast.

By the time it reached my family, it was a Category 1 hurricane: something they were capable of handling. An exhausted relief washed over me when I heard that everyone was okay the following morning. Still, I was left grappling with that sense of anxiety.

This was a special kind of anxiety that came from a total lack of control. My family either wouldn’t or couldn’t evacuate. A huge devastating storm caused by a force I didn’t know how to grapple with: Climate Change. With climate change’s current trajectory, I’ll likely have to face this same situation again. What does someone do with that? Do they give in? Resign to fear? Hope the next storm downgrades just before it hits like Milton did? How can someone fight a force as big as climate change?

CCAN 757 CAT Action Team Beach Clean-up Event

My answer came at a concert of all places. There, in the lobby, I stumbled across something I was not expecting. Two bright-eyed, inviting individuals stood behind a table draped in blue cloth proudly sporting a logo for CCAN: Chesapeake Climate Action Network. I remember standing off to the side, tapping on my sibling’s shoulder, and pointing eagerly at the table. A flurry of excitement (and admittedly a surge of social anxiety) hit me. Could this be it? Could it finally be a chance to chip away at the ever-present feeling of hopelessness? Leianis, the Hampton Roads Organizer for CCAN, greeted us warmly and, seeing the enthusiasm in our eyes, showed us how we could sign up for updates.

Before we knew it, we were seated beneath a gazebo in Virginia Beach, with dirt on our hands as we built “seed bombs,” small, packed balls (or, in my case, stars) of fertilizer filled with seeds of native Virginian flowers. There I learned that CCAN’s Hampton Roads team was just getting its feet under them and were on their way to an official team launch. Something I had the honor and impeccable timing to be a part of! For the first time, I was surrounded by like-minded people who wanted to fight for the environment and now we had something to pour that energy into.

757 CAT Meeting

A few months later, we were in Norfolk. Many now-familiar faces surrounded my sibling and me. This was the official team launch: something new and exciting that can do so much good for our region! It was a truly collaborative experience. Leianis expertly led our group through discussions, ensuring everyone had their chance to speak. There was much deliberation as we all worked to find common ground. We each drafted a statement we thought would best reflect the team’s unique ideas in a cohesive way. Then, under the guidance of Leianis and Zander, we crafted a shared purpose statement, (or as I tend to call it, a mission statement). There was surprising power and pride in that little statement. It made this team and its potential finally start to feel real. Now we had something shared, something we crafted together, something we could rally behind. I remember leaving that meeting, feeling an exciting buzz in the air.

Our team continues to grow and develop structure. We’re each coming into our own: seeing how our little puzzle piece fits into the bigger picture of the team. There’s a flurry of ideas and potential as we pave our way forward, and for the first time in a long time, I’ve been struck with a new special kind of feeling: hope.

This fight will be a long one. There will be wins. There will be losses. I may have to face my fair share of scary storms along the way. The difference this time is I will be fighting back, and I won’t be alone.

A blog by Britt Flanagan, member of CCAN’S Hampton Roads 757 Climate Action Team (CAT).

Become an action team member today!

The Greater Cost of Eliminating DEI in the Face of the Climate Crisis

Written by Kate Saylor, CCAN’S NoVa New Leaf Volunteer

The Trump administration has chosen to recklessly eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the fabric of our federal government, and many businesses, large and small, are following suit. If only climate change would take a similar tactic and focus its efforts only on those with the means to respond to its devastating destruction, rather than taking a DEI approach by giving disadvantaged communities an equal (and often greater) taste of its wrath.

New Orleans, LA, August 30, 2005–Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

With the elimination of DEI, the administration aims to achieve more “merit-based” hires, but I fear that, as has historically been the case, hiring committees (made up of predominantly affluent white men) will hire candidates that look, sound, and feel familiar, creating a government that doesn’t understand what it’s like to grow up without wealth or privilege or with skin pigmentation that betrays one as “other.” This will be so incredibly dangerous during a time when, again, climate change does not follow the memo to target only the rich and privileged. Of course, it would be lovely for climate change to focus its devastation only on those who have, say, another house they can retreat to. Perhaps though, we could settle for it to target only those who have comprehensive home insurance, a personal vehicle or two, and excellent health insurance to cover the detrimental effects of wildfire smoke and other pollutants, heat-related risks, and even the impacts on mental health that climate change brings.

But it won’t. Climate change will not reserve its wrath for those who can afford to face it. Instead, it harms the poor, who for example, are more likely to buy houses built in areas more prone to flooding, who can’t afford to evacuate, and who don’t have access to health care when they’re impacted.  Communities of color often face higher health risks from environmental hazards (e.g., air pollution, traffic, contaminated water) and are more vulnerable to climate-related health effects due to racial and socioeconomic disparities, including lack of access to quality housing, education, and food.

Turning our backs on DEI will mean not only fewer job opportunities for intelligent, creative, qualified members of the LGBTQIA+ community but also less access for people with physical or mental disabilities. Climate change, however, is not giving up on its DEI pursuits. Those who identify as queer can still expect a more difficult time recovering from climate disasters. This may be because recovery efforts are often powered by churches and other nonprofits that sometimes turn away the LGBTQIA+ community and other minorities. Perhaps it goes without saying, but climate change also has no intention to stop targeting our community members with limited abilities. From evacuation services to recovery to maintaining support services during emergencies to everyday struggles with air quality, the negative impacts of climate change disproportionately harm people with disabilities.

Asheville’s River Arts District Five Weeks After Helene

My sister was in the hospital this fall on a ventilator. She has Downs Syndrome, and, we discovered, a very rare autoimmune disease. Because she was fighting for her life, she didn’t have to fight for saline at the time, but many others did because saline was in short supply after Hurricane Helene hit a critical manufacturer in North Carolina. Last week however, as she received life-saving treatment for her autoimmune disease, we were told that the treatment should end with a saline drip, but saline is still in short supply, so she couldn’t get it.

Eliminating DEI from the federal government eliminates the opportunity to cultivate a culture of listening to the voices of those most impacted by climate change. But here in our communities, we can still make a difference. By joining grassroots organizations like the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, we can amplify the voices of frontline communities, push for stronger policies, and advocate for a more just, sustainable future. Together, we can take concrete steps to reduce emissions, protect our environment, and ensure that those most affected by climate change have a seat at the table. Now is the time to act — our communities need us, and our planet depends on us. Get involved, stay informed, and help create real change!

Written by Kate Saylor, CCAN’S NoVa New Leaf Volunteer

Meet Meredith Prescott: CCAN’s New Invasive Vines Organizer

Hello! My name is Meredith (she/her) and I am thrilled to be joining the CCAN community as the Invasive Vines Program Manager.

My relationship with nature began in the wild forests and rocky coastlines of rural Maine, where I spent my childhood exploring. I moved to DC in 2015 to study Public Health at George Washington University, where I also had my first taste of service learning in local parks.

Studying public health while doing volunteer work in urban green spaces helped me see the fundamental connection between the two. I quickly learned that in DC, both parks and public health tell a story of inequality. It shocked me to learn that we can predict expected health outcomes in DC simply on geography alone. Which side of the Anacostia River you live on may literally add a decade or more to your life expectancy. And in these same areas where residents have worse health outcomes, we also see underfunded and underutilized public parks.

After graduating from GW, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. With the Student Conservation Association, I brought groups of high school students to complete conservation projects both in Rock Creek Park in NW DC and National Capital Parks-East (NACE) in SE DC. Both parks are rich in biodiversity and provide much needed sanctity from the city with their trails, picnic areas, and recreation spaces. However, the difference in management and upkeep of these two green spaces could not be more stark. In Rock Creek, you will see residents enjoying miles of well-maintained hiker/biker trails and pristinely mowed picnic areas. Meanwhile, NACE parks in SE DC often feel like a jungle of neglect, with trails made impassable by erosion and overgrowth, trash littering the ground, and entire swaths of forest overtaken by invasive species. This makes sense when you consider that Rock Creek Park receives over five times the funding per acre. (Additionally, the National Mall receives 80 times more funding for its 146 acres than NACE parks does for its 8,000 acres).

Despite the challenges and frustrations, my work in these parks has been incredibly rewarding. It’s not just about maintaining green spaces; it’s about empowering people. For many of our young people, hands-on service to the land is a much needed way to take action in what sometimes feels like a powerless fight against the climate crisis. It inspires me to see young people who may engage in this work primarily to fulfill a volunteer requirement and emerge with a sense of community, passion, and gratitude for the ability to spend time outdoors.

In my time working in DC parks, I have built trails, planted trees, installed countless erosion control structures, and even constructed a boardwalk or two. However, there has been no project that is both rewarding and low-maintenance like invasive species removal. It’s a tangible, hands-on way to make a noticeable difference in a short time and a great way to build community around outdoor work. We may not be able to fix the systemic issues that have gotten us to this point in the climate crisis, but we can all go outside and tackle those invasive vines one by one. And in the face of massive biodiversity loss at a global level, it is more necessary than ever.

I am thrilled to kick off this new chapter with CCAN, reigniting this volunteer program and working towards making every green space accessible and thriving. Every vine pulled is a step towards a greener, more equitable world. Let’s get to work!

Click HERE to learn more about CCAN’s efforts to save trees from invasive vines. If you’re interested in getting involved, email meredith@chesapeakeclimate.org

 

Funding for this project is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program in partnership with Casey Trees. 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Offshore Wind: Up Close and Personal

By Jess Rampulla

On a warm September day, twenty-two CCAN staff members, friends, and supporters boarded a boat in Virginia Beach to see offshore wind turbines, located twenty-seven miles off the coast of Virginia. This once-in-a-lifetime experience was truly remarkable, and I was thrilled to be able to share it with other members of the climate community.

At eight in the morning, our group boarded a boat along with members of Dominion Energy staff and Rudee Tours to begin our five-hour trip. You could feel the excitement from everyone on board, ready for the journey ahead of us. While the first moments driving out proved to be rockier than expected, our CCAN group continued to exclaim how excited they were to be here, with people making jokes about if everyone had taken their dramamine for breakfast. After the water settled, we all loaded into the boat’s inner cabin, just big enough to hold everyone on board, to hear a presentation from a Dominion Energy staff member on what to expect during the trip, and facts about the amount of power wind turbines could produce.

After the presentation, everyone shuffled back out on the deck to enjoy the warm weather and try and catch a glimpse of the turbines. We could just barely see them off in the distance around ten miles offshore. On our journey out, I had conversations with several CCAN donors and supporters on board. Reasons for making the journey varied from “we could never have passed up this opportunity” to “I’m doing this to give my grandchildren a better future.” As the turbines became more visible, people on board began to snap pictures and crowd towards the front of the boat. Everyone wanted proof that they were here today, and to have evidence to share with all their friends and family back home.

Finally, after around two hours, we pulled up just feet from one of the turbines. Enormous doesn’t feel like quite a strong enough word to describe just how big these power sources were:

The thing that shocked me the most from being so up close was just how quiet the turbines were. They made no sound, aside from the whoosh of air as they spun. The boat stopped for around thirty minutes so everyone was able to admire the turbines and get all the photos they wanted. The joy on everyone’s face as they looked up at these huge structures was contagious. We were looking at the future of off-shore wind energy in Virginia. Maryland State Delegate, Lorig Charkoudian was on board and spoke with members of CCAN’s staff about how this was the ultimate goal for Maryland as well. While at the turbines, we had a surprise visit from a school of fish, swimming and feeding around the bottom of the turbines, proving that these structures don’t affect marine life in the area.

After our stop at the turbines, we started the journey back. We spotted a pod of about twenty dolphins swimming next to our boat, happily jumping in and out of the waves. We ate sandwiches and chips and made sure to keep hydrated and reapply sunscreen. The trip back was more subdued, with everyone appearing to process the magnitude of what they saw. As we pulled back into port and walked off the boat, groups of people formed, all sharing their own thoughts from the trip. As people loaded into cars to drive back home or begin a day of canvassing, I felt overwhelmingly grateful for this experience and to have the opportunity to work for a company like CCAN that helps move the Chesapeake region towards cleaner energy and a more sustainable future.

REPORT: DAMAGING METHANE GAS PIPELINE LEAKS HAPPEN EVERY 40 HOURS IN THE U.S.

Frequent gas leaks are resulting in death, injury, and other damage to our health and environment
for Immediate Release
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

Baltimore, MD – Methane gas – commonly referred to as “natural” gas – has been piped through our communities for heating and cooking for a century, and for just as long, has been subject to dangerous leaks. On Thursday, Maryland PIRG Foundation, Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center and Frontier Group released a new report that finds from 2010 through nearly the end of 2021, almost 2,600  gas pipeline incidents occurred in the United States that were serious enough to require reporting to the federal government. That’s the equivalent to one every 40 hours. 

“For as long as we have used gas to heat and cook, it has posed a risk both to people who use it in their homes and those who live in neighborhoods above gas pipes,” said Maryland PIRG Foundation Director Emily Scarr. “House explosions and leaking pipelines, like we have experienced in Baltimore and across the state, aren’t isolated incidents – they’re the result of an energy system that pipes dangerous, explosive gas through our neighborhoods. It’s time to move away from gas and toward safer, cleaner electrification and renewable energy.” 

In addition to the report, the groups also released a tip guide to provide guidance on what to do if you suspect a gas leak in your community. Of the nearly 2,600 pipeline incidents recorded between 2010 and 2021, 850 resulted in fires and 328 in an explosion. Those incidents killed 122 people and injured more than 600. The total costs to communities from things such as property damage, emergency services, and the value of intentionally and unintentionally released gas, totaled nearly $4 billion. These incidents also resulted in the leakage of 26.6 billion cubic feet of gas, equivalent in its effects on global warming to emissions from over 2.4 million passenger vehicles driven for a year. 

The serious pipeline incidents addressed in the report represent just a fraction of the leaks experienced in the production, transportation and burning of gas. Smaller gas leaks are rife in urban areas, like Baltimore and Montgomery County, while large methane leaks from oil and gas production threaten the climate. A study from 2018 found that leaks from gas lines over the previous two decades had nearly doubled the climate impact of gas. In addition, some serious gas explosions that have caused death or injury in Maryland are not included in the data as they did not occur in the pipeline system.

“Leaks, fires and explosions are reminders that transporting methane gas is dangerous business,” said Tony Dutzik, associate director and senior policy analyst at Frontier Group and lead author of the report. “The incidents included in this report were caused by a wide variety of factors, from operator errors to equipment failures, and excavation damage to natural causes. Fully protecting the public requires us to reduce our dependence on gas.”

The report recommends that the U.S. stop relying on methane gas for home heating and cooking as well as electricity generation. Instead, policy makers should incentivize and accelerate the transition to all-electric buildings and renewable sources of energy, which are cleaner and safer for communities. During the transition, the report recommends that gas infrastructure investments focus on fixing leaks. 

“When rooftop solar panels can power an induction cooktop or electric heat pump, it becomes increasingly unacceptable to saddle society with the risks associated with pumping methane into our homes and throughout our communities,” said Scarr. “It’s time to leave explosive and polluting fossil fuels like methane behind and embrace a future powered by 100% renewable energy.”

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Reposted from: https://marylandpirg.org/news/mdp/report-damaging-methane-gas-pipeline-leaks-happen-every-40-hours-us

Graduate student life in a pandemic

Written by Joanne Sims, Virginia Commonwealth University

Good Bye Spring Break, hello social distancing

It was a rare occasion that the news was on in the middle of my spring break. The first COVID-19 cases had just spread to Virginia.  Suddenly the post-midterm peace was pushed aside for a pandemic. 

About a week into “stay at home” my socials became littered with “the earth is resetting itself” type posts about how the oceans and sky were cleaner now that we all stayed inside and it made me a little fearful. Climate change, an issue you can’t see, was still happening whether I went outside or not. Suddenly all my classes were discussing COVID-19 impacts on sustainability practices and public health. 

Jack of all trades! How I became a student, teacher, and caretaker all at once.

I had already planned to go back to my mom’s house for part of the break so I just headed there with way fewer clothes than would eventually be required. My spring break got extended to two weeks when the stay at place order and school cancellations were announced. Thankful for my mother free child care was delivered right at her doorsteps (Me!).

I have two younger siblings, one in pre-school and one in high school. My new role became part time-grad student and substitute teacher. My day consisted of waking up, doing pre-K worksheets, prepping breakfast and lunches, and organizing a schedule of daily classwork for my high school sibling. 

This was my first semester in graduate school, studying sustainable planning. Switching to an online format was… WEIRD. I’ve only done 1 class online before and hated every second of it. Writing memos on environmental impact assessments with Peppa Pig blasting in the background is far from ideal. 

Thankfully most of my professors were pretty chill and the amount of work required this semester was reduced and altered to better fit an online format.  The worst part of virtual learning is honestly discussions on zoom. I used my phone for the first couple weeks because my laptop broke just in time for online classes. Trying to find a time to interject when you can only see a quarter of the class and it feels like your professor is looking right at you is an introvert’s nightmare. 

We had a discussion in my environmental policy and planning class about whether this prolonged isolation will cause a surge in suburban living. The resources strain of urban spawn is less than ideal environmentally, but the idea of having space at a time when parks and other public green spaces are closed is appealing. 

Being at my mother’s house where we have a yard and the ability to not run into anyone was nice at first but something about being able to see and hear people from your 2nd-floor window has a kind of peace to it as well. It is my hope that we’ll see a rise in tiny green spaces, more apartments with courtyards and balconies at least.

I’ve been really thankful that my family has been safe and pretty fortunate so far. My mom’s job actually decreased her hours in order to limit the number of people in the building. They even gave masks to all the employees and their family members. 

I definitely think being in the house with my family, who I normally see a couple of times a month, has been very stressful. Homework and babysitting don’t always agree with each other. I took a short oasis to my apartment to work on the finals. This increase in family time has made me value my peaceful one bedroom. 

One of my biggest concerns during the pandemic has been my grandmother. She doesn’t drive and relies mainly on carpools and public transportation and the majority of her time was spent at church in large group settings. 

I’ve been in charge of ordering all her groceries and working as tech support so she can video call family. Grocery delivery is super easy but she isn’t very adept with technology so a lot of my free time has been occupied with opening facebook’s lives of her pastor. 

My next goal is to get her to figure out how to open Netflix or at least send her some DVDs so she’ll stop impulse buying from catalogs out of boredom. She called asking if I could send her a VHS player so I got my work cut out for me. 

Looking into the future

Prior to the pandemic, I was feeling wishy-washy about my future. I was thinking about leaving graduate school but the state of the economy is making a Masters degree look more appealing. I’ve only been on the job/internship hunt for a couple of months and since COVID I’ve noticed a significant drop in job opportunities. I’m still hopeful but I’m definitely expanding my net to things that weren’t necessarily interesting to me. 

I have a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and I’m not sure how a lot of the non-profit work I’m interested in will be fairing during a recession. An economic downturn won’t help already disinterested people care about the topic of climate change but it should. 

The speed of how quickly things turned from bad to worse with the pandemic can happen with our environment. It also gave me hope, seeing how quickly we’ve adapted to things like social distancing.

Hopefully, this shows people that fast-pace advancements for the health of our country are feasible and that we are resilient when it comes to change. 

Coronavirus and Climate Change

A couple of weeks into the worldwide observance of social distancing practices and pandemic-preempting government lock-downs, miraculous tales of a rejuvenated planet in typically smog-choked, polluted corners of the world began to populate our social media news feeds. Dolphins were frolicking in Venice’s canals again! From India, video footage emerged of a species of civet cat long thought to be extinct, strolling the empty streets of Calcutta like it owned the place. Over Chinese cities, clouds of toxic gas around industrial centers have dissipated, with emissions down at least 25% in February due to efforts to control the coronavirus, and residents can breathe freely for the first time in recent memory.

These are beautiful images, for all that they play into self-flagellating human narratives. Look how bad we are for the planet, the story goes, but isn’t it amazing how quickly Mother Nature rebounds to a state of pristine, Edenic glory when we leave her alone for a few days! The truly unfortunate thing about each of these stories, though, is that they aren’t true—or at best, they are heavily qualified. Each of the first two links in the previous paragraph leads to an article debunking the associated claim. There were no dolphins in the canals of Venice; the person who took that video of a civet cat in India had mistaken it for an endangered cousin. The third link, a CNN report about lower CO2 emissions and air pollution in China, verifies that these levels are down in Hubei and other areas under quarantine, but with the caveat that, as soon as the economies of these regions start back up, pollution levels will quickly rebound to previous levels, and may even exceed these levels, as the country tries to make up for many weeks’ worth of halted production.

two color-coded maps showing a dramatic reduction in NO2 pollution over industrial northeastern China
reduction in NO2 pollution in China resulting from Covid lock-downs

Although the day may seem far off now, there will come a time in the not-too-distant future when COVID-19 is no longer a meaningful threat. Treatments are likely to emerge that reduce the severity of symptoms and the mortality rate, and potential vaccines have already entered human trials, although it will take many months to sufficiently vet and produce these. When that moment comes, surely we will collectively breathe a sigh of relief. Yet we will still be facing record-high annual temperatures, rising sea levels and historically catastrophic weather. There can be no palliative treatment, no vaccine for these. Just as governments worldwide mobilized rapidly to counter the spread of the coronavirus, modern society must reorganize and restructure itself radically if it hopes to withstand the systemic shocks that the effects of climate change are all but certain to augur.

Some argue that the current pandemic is an opportunity to model effective long-term responses to climate change. As with a fire drill, or a dress rehearsal, we are learning first-hand how well we respond to a threat that majorly disrupts the functioning of society, but does not in itself threaten to destroy it. “COVID-19 is climate on warp speed,” says climate economist Gernot Wagner. “Everything with climate is decades; here it’s days. Climate is centuries; here it’s weeks.” Hence, the damage that climate change threatens to wreak will not occur in the span of a few weeks or months. Rather, following the progression of over a century of scaled industrial activity on this planet, these effects will continue to show themselves gradually—yet their impact will be orders of magnitude more profound.

“The virus has shown,” writes journalist Beth Gardiner, “that if you wait until you can see the impact, it is too late to stop it.” This statement is sure to hold true many times over for climate change. Yet in dealing with the current crisis, we seem to have lost sight of the primary threat to humanity’s continued growth and well-being in our time. Just last week, the EPA introduced “drastically relaxe[d]” rules for polluters in the midst of the coronavirus’ spread.

COVID-19 is a global emergency, to be sure, and we are right to focus the majority of our efforts and energies on preventing its spread and minimizing the loss of life that it causes. Nevertheless, we owe it to ourselves and to future generations to look further ahead than the end of the quarantine.

portrait of author: young white man with facial hair against white background

Text by Joseph Pickert. See his original blog post here.

From Pipelines to Progress: Joining Virginia Together to Fight Dominion’s Monopoly Powers

Everything we ever thought as possible in Virginia politics is rapidly shifting in the Commonwealth. From the the ballooning number of ACP permits being rejected in court, to the State water control board voting to reconsider the crucial 401 permit for EQT’s Mountain Valley Pipeline, to the State Corporation Commissions rejecting Dominions Integrated Resource Plan for the first time in history, the fossil fuels industry, and Dominion in particular are in full blown panic mode as their longtime role as Richmond’s uncontested power broker is drawing to a close.
Over the past several weeks, CCAN has been hard at work alongside nearly a dozen local and regional grassroots groups to organize a series of events highlighting the Regional Greenhousee Gas Initiative (RGGI). Joining RGGI is one of the primary ways we can continue our momentum against Dominion Energy’s dirty policies – while making them pay for all of the harm that their disastrous policies have incurred in vulnerable communities around the Commonwealth. The series, titled From Pipelines to Progress: Virginia Unites for Jobs, Clean Energy and Social Justice, made its way to Fredericksburg, Richmond, Staunton and Virginia Beach.
Over 200 Virginians came out to attend the series, which featured delegates, councilmen, health care professionals, faith community leaders, advocates for low-income communities, and an activist storytelling training given by the hardworking people over at Progress Virginia. All speakers honed in on one central issue: how absolutely vital it is for Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2019.
In an attempt to greenwash his legacy for higher political aspirations, then-governor Terry McAuliffe signed Executive Directive 11 in twilight hour of his administration, mandating that the commonwealth link with the RGGI program. This means that Dominion and other big fossil fuels polluters will be forced to lower emissions from power plants — cutting carbon emissions down by up to 30% from these facilities statewide. The problem is, however, that unless Virginia formally joins the program through legislative action, Dominion will be allowed to keep the hundreds of millions of dollars that the program would generate each year.
If the money went back to the Commonwealth it could easily be invested into the communities that are already suffering the most from Dominion’s policies. That means investing in coastal resilience for our vulnerable coastline and into energy efficiency so that low-income residents can save money each month on their already exorbitant energy bills.
To underpin the importance of this, the series included a presentation from CCAN Virginia Director Harrison Wallace. Wallace’s presentation honed in on his own personal story and the urgency for Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). “When it comes to the climate crisis, we are in a speeding car headed off a cliff, and Dominion is at the wheel” said Wallace to packed churches, libraries, and auditoriums across the Commonwealth. “Luckily”, Wallace continues, “we are at a watershed moment.” Dominion sees the writing on the wall, their reign of uncontested rule over Richmond is drawing to a close, and it is up to everyday citizens to stand up and demand they no longer write their own rules at the expense of public health, rate payers, and the climate.
 
 

 
The action doesn’t stop now. As the speakers stressed, it is more important than ever for Virginians to continue the momentum that we have gained and take the power back from Dominion Energy. That means coming to Richmond this January and speaking with your legislator about the urgency of addressing the climate crisis. They need to understand that Viginia needs to formally join RGGI immediately as Virginia’s first step of many towards 100% renewable energy.
CLICK HERE NOW TO RSVP FOR OUR LOBBY DAY ON MONDAY, JANUARY 14TH.
See you there!

 

STATEMENT: Governor Northam Fails to Protect Citizens of Union Hill

Community Leaders Accuse Dominion Energy of Blatant Environmental Racism Over Controversial Compressor Station for Fracked Gas

 
RICHMOND, VA — Today, the Northam administration removed two members of the Air Pollution Control Board from their posts before a crucial vote on the gigantic and deeply harmful Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station in Buckingham County, Virginia. These members were a part of a crucial bloc of votes which led to stronger environmental protections in recently the re-proposed Carbon Reduction Plan and they both showed concern about the permit for the Buckingham compressor station. The proposed 54,000-horsepower compressor station — situated a short distance from the homes of the descendants of freedmen in the community of Union Hill — would run 24 hours a day and constantly fill the community with loud noise that is comparable to a jet engine. Facilities like this pollute the air with nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter and are linked to severe respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, as well as cancer. This compressor station is needed to keep gas flowing through Dominion’s controversial $7-billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Since the day this project was announced, community advocates in Union Hill have sounded the alarm on environmental justice concerns. Scores of concerned citizens have rallied and protested across the state in opposition of these projects. Hundreds turned up in Buckingham County to give public comment against the project. Thousands more sent written comments to the DEQ which requested the agency deny the permits. Yet no matter how many Virginians said this was a bad idea, Dominion continued pushing for this location. The Union Hill community is a rural, low-income, mostly African-American community where residents are less likely to have the resources to pursue legal challenges.
Even though Mr. Bleicher and Mrs. Rubin both had terms that were set to expire in June, their roles would have extended indefinitely if the Northam administration had not taken action.
This decision comes just weeks after the world’s top scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a dire warning sounded the alarm bells for the world to move away from dangerous fossil fuels at a rapid pace.
Harrison Wallace, Virginia Director of CCAN, stated in response:

“We are shocked and incredibly disappointed that the Northam Administration is terminating the terms of Air Board members Rebecca Rubin and Sam Bleicher. This deeply controversial move comes just weeks before a crucial vote on the Buckingham Compressor Station for fracked gas. The people of Union Hill and Buckingham County deserve a fair hearing from the full board. This decision will rob them of that opportunity. Governor Northam has now officially taken ownership of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and ownership of this compressor station, a facility which involves strong elements of environmental racism. The governor must understand that with today’s action, the public will now hold him responsible for all the future harm to water, the climate, farmland, and human life that now could come to Virginia.”

Offshore Wind Energy is a Breeze: Environmental & Wildlife Impacts

By Chloe Taylor, Katrina Vaitkus, Zachary Felch, Justin Stacey, Miranda Mlilo, Amanda Speciale, Katie DeVoss

Chloe Taylor, Katrina Vaitkus, Zachary Felch, Justin Stacey, Miranda Mlilo, Amanda Speciale, Katie DeVoss

Who we are:
We are a group of University of Maryland students majoring in Environmental Science and Policy. For our senior capstone project, we are researching the impact of offshore wind energy to help CCAN prepare for the upcoming public comment period for the proposed Ocean City US Wind Project. We will be creating a series of blog posts to provide information about different aspects of offshore wind and its impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, the economy, and wildlife. This is the last of our three part series.

Although offshore wind is relatively new technology, there is significant evidence proving that offshore wind farms do have a positive impact on the local environment. The negative impacts caused by offshore wind farms are short-lived, as seen at multiple European offshore wind farms such as Horns Rev, Nysted, and Egmond aan Zee. Many scientists currently studying the environmental impacts of offshore wind have found that there is a net positive environmental effect resulting from the existence of these farms.

Environmental Impacts
The development of the offshore wind farm in Ocean City, Maryland will cause some immediate negative impacts from physical disturbance of the local habitat as well as noise pollution both above and below the surface of the water. However, multiple studies conducted on several active European offshore wind farms (Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee, Horns Rev) have shown that most, or all, of these negative side effects subside over time, eventually becoming negligible. These studies have also shown that there are many positive environmental impacts which occur as a result of the introduction of the wind farm into the ecosystem. These can include, but are not limited to, creation of habitat for wildlife species, increased total biomass, and increased biodiversity.
Although there will be significant modification of the local environment, this will create room for growth in both species richness and diversity. Sites typically chosen for wind farms have naturally occurring sandy sediments. In order to support the wind turbines, large rocks will be introduced to build up the foundation and to increase stability of the monopiles. These large substrates create new habitats for many species of fish and invertebrates. Thus, despite initial disturbance, operating wind farms are capable of supporting many organisms. Benthic communities and aquatic vegetation have found the large substrates around the monopiles to be particularly useful as sites for colonization.
Some images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observatory have shown sediment plumes resulting from the flow of water around the monopiles of wind turbines carrying disturbed fine-grained sediments with the current. These plumes can be up to 30 meters wide and several kilometers long. However, increased turbidity in the waters near operating wind farms has proven to subside and to have negligible impacts on local wildlife. After five full years of operation, Egmond aan Zee wind farm in the Netherlands showed zero negative impact on the benthic communities within the wind farm site resulting from increased sediment flow.

Marine Species Impacts
Marine organisms face several negative impacts from the creation of wind farms including increased noise pollution. However, the benefits that come from the creation of the wind farm outweigh the negative effects. The noise levels created by fully operational offshore wind farms have shown minimal long-term disturbance of organisms within the local area, however knowledge on this topic is lacking and requires further study over longer periods of time. However, the most dramatic noise pollution occurs during pile driving, but it is not a long-term impairment. One Dutch study showed an increase in the detection of dolphins inside the wind farm area as opposed to outside sampling sites. This same study also reported the return of seals to the area following completion of construction.
According to a study conducted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the noise generated by an active turbine may be audible to marine mammals from just over 40 miles away. Ongoing research explains methods that can be used to significantly reduce the impact of noise on the surrounding environment.
Following the construction of wind farms, each turbine may support marine wildlife on a large scale. Each wind turbine is able to support up to four metric tons of shellfish that attracts other marine wildlife to the area, similarly to that of an artificial reef. The wind farm will then attract a wide range of organisms to the area due to the newly available habitat and resources. The higher abundance of smaller organisms will attract larger predatory organisms to the wind farm and create a healthy marine ecosystem that may not have been as abundant or productive pre-construction.
The increased biodiversity provides marine mammals with high food availability, encouraging them to return to the area in higher abundances than pre-construction. The increase in food availability resulting from the physical structures of the turbines will provide an overall benefit to marine organisms and their ecosystem.

Avian Species Impacts
The proposed wind farm in Ocean City will be positioned in the path of the Atlantic Flyway, a major migration pattern for birds along the east coast of North America. Birds that fly along the Atlantic Flyway may include the bald eagle, golden-winged warbler, and piping plovers. This causes fear that there will be increased bird strikes during the annual migration. There have been several studies to quantify the estimated rate of impact of the proposed wind farm in Ocean City, which has proven to be minimal. In fact, wind farms cause fewer bird deaths than other anthropogenic factors. One of these studies found that, “wind farms and nuclear power stations are responsible each for between 0.3 and 0.4 fatalities per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity while fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for about 5.2 fatalities per GWh.” This data was collected from land based wind farms, where the abundance of birds and bats is much higher than on the coast. As such, the strikes from offshore wind farms would be much lower comparatively to the land farms and other types of energy production. Another study conducted at an offshore wind farm called Horns Rev located in the North Sea found minimal bird collisions with the turbines based on observation and modeling.
Furthermore, few species fly far enough off the coast for the wind farm to interfere with their normal flight pattern. Local bird species who do not necessarily use the Atlantic Flyway for their migration were found to be in higher abundance near the wind farms because of the higher localized biodiversity. Cormorant and seagull populations actually increased in the wind farm area. Additionally, the birds inhabited the area for longer periods of time than previously measured and would nest on the turbines. Birds that are migrating along the Atlantic Flyway are likely to have few strikes and perhaps even use the wind farm for an intermediate point for rest and a source of nutrition. The presence of a wind farm in this area would provide a beneficial site for resting, socialization, and foraging.

Conclusion
Based on findings and information from currently active wind farms, the overall environmental impact of offshore wind in Ocean City will be positive. The area will experience a decrease in carbon emissions resulting from increased biodiversity because of creation of new habitat and food sources, as well as increased total biomass. While wildlife may be negatively affected during construction and servicing of turbines, these effects tend to be short-lived and have shown minimal or no long-term negative impacts on behavior or physiology of species present. Current knowledge of offshore wind has provided a lot of insight into the potential issues which may be faced during construction and implementation, making it possible to anticipate and preemptively act to mitigate any negative effects. Thus, serious environmental harm can be avoided while taking advantage of the benefits of clean energy.

SIGN THIS PETITION TO THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT URGING THEM TO APPROVE OFFSHORE WIND IN MARYLAND!

Learn More: Bringing Offshore Wind to Maryland