Author: CCAN Supporter

On Wednesday, over 70 concerned Maryland residents rallied in front of Baltimore City Hall before the City Council’s first public hearing about the dangers of crude oil trains travelling through the city.
Our rally joined the North American “Stop Oil Trains” week of action, uniting communities across the U.S. and Canada fighting to protect people’s safety and our climate from extreme oil.
As the rally kicked off at 5:30 p.m. in 90-degree heat, a sea of red shirts and stickers converged on the green lawn across from City Hall. Rally-goers assembled a replica “oil train” marked with the dates and sites of accidents that have occurred across North America in 2015 alone — in West Virginia, North Dakota, Illinois, and Ontario. A last-minute sign repair pulled my attention away from the beginning rally. By the time I looked up, the amount of red had doubled.
The rally-goers listened intently as each speaker expressed his or her concerns about oil trains rolling through Baltimore. This week marked the two-year anniversary of the worst oil train disaster in North America, in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, which killed 47 people.
“It’s clear that a crude oil train derailment in densely populated areas like Baltimore City could lead to a disastrous loss of life and property,” said Delegate Clarence Lam, MD, MPH (District 12—Howard and Baltimore Counties), who spoke at the rally and testified before the City Council.
“Oil trains don’t have to explode to be dangerous,” said Trisha Sheehan, Regional Field Director at Moms Clean Air Force. “They leak toxic chemicals, endangering everyone’s lungs, especially those most vulnerable to air pollution—our children.”

Mike Tidwell, director of CCAN, wrapped up the rally with a fiery speech. “Baltimore is in the blast zone,” he exclaimed. “City Hall is in the potential blast zone!”
The “blast zone” is the one-mile radius around railroad tracks that could be impacted by an oil train derailment and fire. In all, ForestEthics calculates that this zone includes 165,000 Baltimore residents.
The rally closed with Mike starting some chants and leading the crowd into City Hall. As I waited in a line to get into City Hall, I asked a fellow rally-goer what brought him out: “Once you know about an issue as threatening as crude oil by rail it’s hard to not stand up and do something,” said Cullen Simon.
This was the first hearing on oil trains City Councilmembers had held, and our crowd filled the seats with red “No Bomb Trains in Baltimore” stickers.
Speakers called on city and state leaders to act now to protect local rail communities. Specifically, the City Council should place a moratorium on approving permits for crude oil shipping terminals until local emergency management, health and safety officials study the associated dangers.
Presenters included Delegate Lam, Dr. Ana Rule, an air pollution researcher from Johns Hopkins University, Fred Millar, a rail safety expert, and Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer at CCAN.

The presenters urged the City Council to place a moratorium on permits for crude oil shipping terminals as a step to prevent vulnerable city neighborhoods from becoming a gateway for even more of this dangerous cargo.
While federal regulations govern the movement of oil on railways, city officials have the power to regulate terminals where the oil is unloaded to be shipped on barges to East Coast refineries. The Baltimore Sun has reported that over 100 million gallons of highly volatile, toxic and climate-polluting oil has been shipped out of Baltimore over the previous two years — up from zero gallons the two years before.
The rally and hearing coincided with over 80 events planned across North America during the week of July 6th to draw attention to the growing threat oil trains pose to our health, safety, and climate. Organizers of the week of action are demanding a federal ban on dangerous oil trains.
Thanks to everyone who turned out in Baltimore, we made a big impact in getting this issue on the radar of city officials and important media outlets. The Baltimore Sun, WYPR radio, and the Baltimore Brew all ran stories on the protest and hearing, which will help educate more residents about this growing problem.
As the national week of action closes on Sunday July 12th, CCAN and supporters will continue to press forward to pass a moratorium on crude oil shipping terminal permits in Baltimore.

The July 4th weekend ended with a bang on Monday night when the Charlottesville City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Virginia’s legislature to clamp down on climate pollution.
The resolution calls on Virginia to join the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This program would make Virginia’s biggest polluters pay for the carbon they emit and send the money back to our state. We’re not talking chump change: RGGI is projected to generate $200 million annually for Virginia by 2020 to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency projects statewide, and to prepare Virginia’s vulnerable coast for rising seas. You can learn more about this policy solution on our Safe Coast campaign page.
With the Council’s 5-0 vote, Charlottesville became the second city after Norfolk to pass a resolution urging our General Assembly to act on this climate solution. Across the state, CCAN is urging city councils to pass resolutions in favor of Virginia joining RGGI. It’s a key part of our plan to build momentum in the lead up to next year’s legislative session.
We’ve got momentum behind us. In the 2015 General Assembly, CCAN worked with Del. Ron Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach) and Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond) to introduce a bipartisan bill — called the Virginia Coastal Protection Act — that would have made Virginia the first southern state to join this successful pollution-cutting program. We came within one vote of passing the bill out of a key Senate committee, and saw an outpouring of support from Virginians across the state.
Building on this victory in Charlottesville, CCAN will push forward with supporters in other cities and counties across Virginia to pass resolutions. Email Statewide Organizer Charlie Spatz at charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org to get involved with a local campaign, or start your own!

On Friday, May 29, a two and half year moratorium on the practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, became law in the state of Maryland – making Maryland the first state with significant gas reserves to put a legislative moratorium on fracking (under a pro-fracking Governor no less).
This victory was inspiring not just because of what it means for staving off the impacts of drilling to Marylanders’ health, air and water, and not just because of what it means for keeping two years’ worth of harmful greenhouse gas emissions from fracking out of our atmosphere. It was inspiring because of HOW it was won: this was a true grassroots victory.
Marylanders from the mountains to the shore have fought for years to protect our air, water, economy, and climate from the gas industry, and this year was no different: the grassroots movement behind this two and half year moratorium was unrelenting.

• Nearly 200 groups signed on in support of the campaign, launching a brand new website in January, and together flooding legislator’s offices with phone calls and emails, and organizing huge rallies in Annapolis month after month after month.
• Nearly 50 students descended on Annapolis in February, meeting with dozens of legislators to show them that future generations of Marylanders don’t want to live with the toxic legacy of fracking.
• More than 120 small businesses signed on in support of the campaign in less than two weeks in March, begging the question: is fracking really the right move for Western Maryland’s growing tourism and agriculture economy?
• Over 50 farmers and food artisans joined together to bring their message against fracking to lawmakers, hosting a first-ever Farmers Against Fracking reception in Annapolis.
• And, finally, when we passed the bill through both Maryland’s House and Senate with bipartisan, veto-proof majorities in April, sending it to Governor Hogan’s desk, his office received thousands of emails and hundreds of calls urging him to let it become law.

This victory belongs to the Marylanders who pushed every step of the way. And we won’t let up now.
The grassroots movement that flooded the General Assembly and Governor Hogan’s office with calls and emails this spring will only grow and get louder over the next two and a half years, building the movement it will take to make sure fracking never comes to Maryland.
We hope you’ll join us! Because we know that the gas industry isn’t giving up, as long as there are profits to be made. In fact, industry lobbyists are already maneuvering to put fracking on the fast-track as soon as the moratorium lifts in October 2017.
We can’t let that happen, so CCAN is hitting the ground running THIS SUMMER to build the movement for a permanent, statewide ban on fracking. Here’s what you can do right now to help:
Sign the petition: Add your name to the call for a permanent ban on fracking in Maryland, and then spread the word to your friends to build our movement.
Get involved with city and county-level efforts to ban fracking by emailing CCAN’s Maryland Campaign Coordinator Shilpa Joshi at shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org. We’re building the momentum from the ground up by getting local municipalities to go on the record for banning fracking in Maryland!
 
 
 

This May, a group of Virginia students embarked on a bike ride across Virginia to build the movement against Dominion’s proposed 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The project would carry fracked gas from West Virginia to North Carolina, threatening treasured natural resources and our climate.
Samyukta Venkat was one of 19 students who joined the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride (ACPRR), following the path of Dominion’s project in Virginia and meeting with impacted landowners. After the ACPRR concluded, the memories and empowerment stayed with her. The ride helped launch Samyukta into a world of climate activism:
Your name: Samyukta Venkat
Your age: 18
Where you live: Herndon, VA
Where you go to school / what are you studying? University of Virginia, Computer Engineering (hopefully)
What are the impacts of climate change that hit closest to home for you?
Things are changing so fast. Learning about the history of the planet has taught me how the changes in climate have occurred so slowly in the past. They were hardly noticeable on the time scale of human lives. The planet exists with a beautiful system to monitor and adjust climate change so that even if it fluctuates, it remains habitable. In the past fifty years humans have somehow managed to emit enough CO2 to basically kill a system that has worked for billions of years. I’m so young and in my short life I’ve already seen Virginia’s climate changing; it is definitely something that is directly affecting us. We hear about the fires and drought on the west coast, the rising of sea levels and so many other consequences of climate change. To believe in a future for our planet, I’ve realized I need to get up and do something.
Why did you decide to get involved in taking action on climate?
My mother has always been a huge advocate for being green at home – people always laugh at me when I tear off tiny pieces of paper towels in lieu of a whole sheet. She always said we should do whatever we can to preserve the planet for our future – every little action is like spare change that adds up. Past that, I didn’t really take action until the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride (ACPRR). Learning about the pipeline has ignited a new passion in me. I’m so ready to learn more about climate justice and what I can do to take action. I’ve been converted, radicalized, and climate-actioned!
What has inspired you most working in your community?
In my community, I’ve done my best to share my experiences of the ACPRR and try to talk to people about what I’ve learned about climate action. People have been really receptive and a lot of them want to learn more which is really awesome.
Why did you decide to join the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride?
I joined the ride because one of my hall-mates, Maria, told she was participating. It seemed like a great way to start the summer and I really wanted to learn more about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and natural gas infrastructure as a whole, and what resisting climate change looks like.
What impacted you the most on the ACPRR?
Picking one thing that impacted me the most is so incredibly difficult. Our trip was packed with opportunities for me to see how the pipeline would hurt the land and its people. I remember watching a documentary while we were at Sherando in which a woman was returning to Virginia after years of living in Texas. She was talking about how the pipeline is ruining her dream of moving back. With tears streaming down her face she said, “They’re ripping up my mountains.” That really hit home the connection these people have with the land and how much they love it. Also, the experience of actually biking through Virginia opened my eyes to what exactly was being destroyed. I have always seen Virginia through the filter of growing up in Northern Virginia, but I’ve learned that there is so much more to this lovely state. I think it’s also worth mentioning how empowering the light brigade was [where activists lit up a “Dominion: No Pipeline” message overtop of a Dominion-sponsored concert at night in Richmond]! It showed me that a small group of people can find such creative ways to have their voices be heard by many.
How do you plan to continue resisting the Atlantic Coast Pipeline & other fossil fuel infrastructure in VA?
At this point, my plan is to spend the summer meeting with and talking to the people I met during the ride to keep learning about fossil fuel infrastructure. I’m trying to spread the word about it at home, and I’m trying to help out by doing analysis of input sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by citizens. In the fall, I want to join the Climate Action Society at UVa and see where that takes me!
What do you like to do when you’re not advocating in your community?
My spare time is occupied by making music, cooking, reading, doing yoga, taking an obscene amount of photos, and now a bit of bike riding! I’ve also recently gotten hooked onto House of Cards.
Who would you high five?
I would high five everyone I’ve met so far during this wonderful introduction to the world of climate justice. This is a community of absolutely the most welcoming human beings – I have never felt so at home with people so quickly before. Special two-handed high five to Maria DeHart for starting me on this journey and Kendall King for helping me to continue it.

Our Safe Coast Virginia Campaign is off and running this summer as we work to build support across the Commonwealth to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act in the 2016 legislative session. We’re kicking things off at the city council level by passing resolutions in favor of this critical climate legislation. Already we’ve passed a resolution in Norfolk and we’re eagerly anticipating a favorable vote in Charlottesville next month. Across the state we’re working to pass resolutions everywhere from Alexandria to Harrisonburg to Virginia Beach.
The Virginia Coastal Protection Act would direct Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — a cooperative effort including nine East Coast states from Maine to Maryland that caps carbon emissions from power plants, requiring utilities to purchase carbon allowances for the pollution they emit. The annual proceeds from RGGI would help fund coastal adaptation and climate resilience efforts as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency programs statewide. Read more about this policy solution by clicking here.
By passing resolutions at the city council level, we can show legislators in Richmond that communities across Virginia are demanding action on climate. There’s no limit to how many resolutions we can pass and we welcome you to get more involved.
Campaigns Underway:
Albemarle County
Alexandria
Arlington
Fredericksburg
Hampton
Harrisonburg
Leesburg
Portsmouth
Richmond
Roanoke
VA Beach
If you or a group you’re affiliated with would like to join an existing campaign or start your own, please get in touch with me at Charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org. We can get you connected with groups already running local campaigns or help you get started on your own. Working at the city council level is an easy way to familiarize yourself with lobbying and we’re here to help throughout the entire process.

This spring, CCAN sprung into action to challenge Dominion Virginia Power, Virginia’s largest monopoly power company and #1 climate polluter.
The action kicked off in early May, when over 150 protesters gathered in front of Dominion’s shareholder meeting in Glen Allen to protest Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and other dirty energy investments. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a planned 42-inch fracked gas pipeline threatening to cut through Virginia, and riling up resistance all along its route from West Virginia to North Carolina. Following the meeting, 19 students from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) pedaled off to ride the proposed route of the pipeline, talking to front-line communities about why they oppose the project along the way. When the riders arrived in Richmond, they joined with local city activists to illuminate a special message during Dominion’s premier green-washing event of the year.
Read on for a photo recap of all of the action. As spring gives in to summer, the actions against Dominion’s dirty energy polices continue with screenings of Won’t Pipe Down, a documentary about the pipeline and those fighting it, and “Music for the Mountains,” a concert event hosted in Nelson County.
With Virginia climate activists, pipeline fighters, and the media alike shedding increasing light on Dominion’s dirty energy pollution, this summer will be the perfect time to keep turning up the heat!
May 6th, 2015 – At Dominion’s annual shareholder meeting, a huge crowd turned out to express opposition to Dominion’s dirty energy investments and dirty politics. Buses full of pipeline fighters from communities in Augusta, Nelson and Buckingham county joined the protest to get their voices heard. While the energy was high on the outside of the meeting, Dominion executives faced opposition inside as well. Six out of the eight shareholder resolutions presented demanded the company to take action on climate change. 

 
May 9th, 2015 – The Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride begins in Augusta County, Virginia. The students from VSEC rode a total of 235 miles along the proposed route of the pipeline before converging at a rally in Richmond, Virginia.

 
May 13, 2015 – The student activists stopped along their bike route to talk to those living on the front lines of the pipeline fight. Jack Wilson shows the riders his beautiful property in Nelson County that is threatened by the pipeline. Like Wilson’s story, the students met others along the path and gathered their stories, which reaffirmed the cause they rode for. 

 
May 15th, 2015 – Student activists rally in Richmond, Virginia before starting on a Critical Mass bike ride to Dominion’s green-washing event Riverrock, the biggest outdoor festival in Richmond hosted annually by Dominion Power.

 
May 15th, 2015 – On the way to Riverrock, the riders stopped at Dominion’s headquarters in Richmond, where they circled the plaza outside donning bright blue No Pipeline t-shirts.

 
May 15th, 2015 – A “light brigade” of activists spells out a special message for Dominion, as a packed crowd below enjoys one of Riverrock’s nighttime concerts.
  
 
May 16, 2015 – Anti-pipeline activists go into the crowds at Dominion’s Riverrock to give out information, petition and take over Dominion’s event hashtag #SeenAtRiverRock.

 
In the lead up to all of this grassroots action, CCAN and anti-pipeline allies united to deliver 5,000 petitions to Governor Terry McAuliffe urging him to rescind his support of the pipeline. CCAN activists also submitted over 500 public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in April. Through the comments, we urged federal regulators to conduct a thorough environmental review that considers the full climate-disrupting impact of the fracked gas the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would carry — as well as the environmental benefits of NOT building it at all.
With Virginia climate activists, pipeline fighters, and the media alike shedding increasing light on Dominion’s dirty energy pollution, this summer will be the perfect time to keep turning up the heat — with your help!

Next Actions

July 2nd – CCAN sponsors a screening of Won’t Pipe Down, a short film telling the story of the people and places caught in the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, on July 2nd in Richmond, Virginia. The viewing is followed by a panel with a group of grassroots organizers fighting the pipeline. Join us Thursday July 2nd at 7pm for an active movie night! 
July 18th – Pipeline fighter groups Friends of Nelson County and Friends of Augusta are coming together to host a music event on Saturday, July 18th in Nelson County. Join neighbors from across the Commonwealth to enjoy “Music for the Mountains,” a festival raising funds to fight the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Join us Saturday July 18th at 3pm for a fun grassroots event!

Learn More

Visit domtruth.org to learn the full truth about Dominion’s dirty energy investments.

Every summer, CCAN hires talented and passionate young people from across the region to join us as Fellows and interns. This summer, our Fellows and interns will be spreading out across the region to protect Virginia’s coast from rising seas, bring more clean energy to Maryland, stop dirty energy projects like fracking in Western Maryland and pipelines in central and southwest Virginia, and draw attention to the growing threat of bomb trains rolling through our cities and towns. Ultimately, they’ll be building the people-powered movement it’s going to take to bring the fossil fuel industry to its knees and tackle one of the most important issues of our time.
Thank you, in advance, to our Summer 2015 Fellows for all of the great work you’re going to do this summer!
And if you cross paths with one of our hard working fellows this summer, please join us in welcoming them to the CCAN team!
Introducing…CCAN’s Summer 2015 Fellows:
Beatrice Ohene-Okae – Safe Coast Fellow, Richmond, VA
Beatrice is from Alexandria, Virginia, and is currently a junior at the University of Mary Washington majoring in Environmental Science. She is a student organizer with the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition and the Virginia Student Power Network. On her campus, she is involved in DivestUMW and UMW Students United, which focus on  promoting sustainability and transparency as well as social and economic responsibility. Her passions include eating strawberries, learning more about sustainability issues around the world, and trying to play her violin.
 
Kendall King – Safe Coast Fellow, Richmond, VA

Kendall is a rising second year at the University of Virginia. She’s originally from the east coast, but her parents currently live in Tulsa, Oklahoma and she attended high school there. She serves as media liaison for the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, as well as Outreach Coordinator for the Climate Action Society at the University of Virginia.  
 
 
 
 
Nqobile Mthethwa – Atlantic Coast Pipeline Fellow, Charlottesville and Richmond, VA
Nqobile is a 3^rd year at the University of Virginia, studying Political Science with a concentration on Foreign Affairs with a minor in Global Sustainability. She’s the political engagement coordinator of Virginia Student  Environmental Coalition and a member of UVA Climate Action Society. She attended several energy and clean power plan hearings for the VA Energy Plan while interning with Appalachian Voices in 2014 and worked with  Organizing for Action’s Climate Change team on Clean Power Plan and solar initiatives. Recently, she’s been  working on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline resistance effort, organizing against natural gas infrastructure. She’s really interested in policy pertaining to energy in Virginia and how to build student political power to steer universities and the state towards a fossil free future.
 
 
 
 
Millie Smith – Mountain Valley Pipeline Fellow, Richmond, VA
Millie just finished her sophomore year at Virginia Tech. She is in an interdisciplinary environmental studies program, with a concentrations on civic agriculture and urban planning. Based in Blacksburg, she has worked most with building community power and opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
 
 
 
Nate Levine – Hampton Roads Organizing Fellow, Norfolk, VA
Nate is a native of Virginia Beach, and it’s his love of surfing and the ocean sparked an urgency to fight climate change.  He is currently pursuing a B.A. in English: Creative Writing and a B.A. in History at the University of Mary Washington. At Mary Washington, he directed his passion for environmental justice into organizing with the DivestUMW campaign, which is pressuring the administration and Board of Visitors to withdraw their investments from the fossil  fuel industry. In his spare time, Nate enjoys surfing, hiking, writing poetry, and playing guitar.
 
 
 
 
 
Alex Krass – Bonner Center for Civic Engagement Fellow, Richmond, VA
Alex Krass is a rising senior at the University of Richmond, majoring in Environmental Studies and Business. He started working on the divestment movement on Richmond’s campus. Originally from Vermont, he has lived there most of his life, giving him a true appreciation for the outdoors. Alex’s fellowship exists through a partnership with the University of Richmond’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement.
 
 
 
 
Jamie DeMarco – Clean Energy Fellow, Takoma Park, MD
Jamie grew up in Baltimore and is currently a Chemistry and Environmental Studies double  major at Warren Wilson College. He enjoys running, climbing and acting, but has recently  come to enjoy activism more and more. This past year, he was involved in campaigns to reform smoking  policies on his college campus, and volunteered as a sexual assault crisis responder. He also tied himself to the  White House fence and lobbied Senators to combat climate change.
 
 
 
Kiernan Colby – Healthy Communities Fellow, Takoma Park, MD
Kiernan is a senior Community and Justice Studies and Religious Studies major at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Kiernan is a Quaker, musician and activist committed to fighting for the restoration of the Earth. When not organizing for social justice, Kiernan bikes, reads and plays guitar in a funk band. This summer, Kiernan will be working with CCAN and Forest Ethics as the regional coordinator for an international “Stop Oil Trains Week of Action.”
 
 
 
Sarah Snead – Don’t Frack Maryland Fellow, Takoma Park, MD
Sarah is a rising senior at American University, majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Economics. She is from Westminster, Maryland originally. For the past 3 years she’s helped organize on her campus with Fossil Free AU. In her free time she plays on the women’s ultimate Frisbee team.
 
 
 
Lauren Chartuk – Communications Fellow, Takoma Park, MD 
Lauren is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in English. Lauren is the Senior Secretary for Poictesme, VCU’s literary journal. She is also part of the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, working with the media team and holding a seat in VSEC’s council. When she isn’t working with VSEC or Poictesme she’s in a hammock reading, or practicing her French in preparation for COP21 in Paris. Sauvons l’environnement!
 
 
 
CCAN will also be joined this summer by two Takoma Park based Special Projects Interns – Derek Burtraw and Robin Rice.
 
Derek is a senior at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, working on a double major with Environmental Studies and Music.
 
 
 
Robin Rice is a rising sophomore at the University of Vermont.
 
 
 
Again, WELCOME to CCAN’s Summer 2015 Fellows and interns. We’re so excited to be working with you!