Author: CCAN Supporter

Recap and Look Forward: Governor McAuliffe’s Energy Plan

Yesterday, Governor Terry McAuliffe formally unveiled his highly-anticipated energy plan for Virginia. The nearly 500-page document was officially released two weeks ago, but the administration presented the plan with analysis for the first time before a room of 200 interested clean energy advocates, utility representatives, business associates, and the general public.
Speaking on the plan, Governor McAuliffe spoke passionately about his desire to catch up to neighboring states in renewable development. Specifically, McAuliffe stated affirmatively that “climate change exists and humans contribute to climate change.” He also declared that “it’s time for the commonwealth to lead on solar and wind generation.” I couldn’t agree more.
The details of the Virginia Energy Plan offer some glimpses into exactly how the governor will accomplish his pledge to use renewables to “diversify and build a new Virginia economy.” Although none of the recommendations in the energy plan are binding in any way, the plan provides an opportunity to lay forth a strong vision for clean energy. On the whole, the plan is fairly strong with some notable exceptions. Without further ado, here’s a recap on the Virginia Energy Plan and a look forward into Virginia’s near future.
A Recap on Renewables
Grow. Strength. Diversity. Those three words were the self-described “hallmarks” of McAuliffe’s energy plan. McAuliffe pledged to make solar a priority and that is evident in his plan. The first set of recommendations deals mostly with solar and calls for the increase of this zero-emitting resource. Among several recommendation, the plan calls for an increase from 1% to 3% in the net-metering program cap. Tripling the total limit would be great if we were anywhere close to the existing 1% cap on net-metering.
(note: the 1% program cap refers to a limit of the percentage of customer-owned net-metering energy in Virginia. Currently, the max is 1% of peak-load from the previous year)
As you know, one of the reasons why Virginia hasn’t sniffed the 1% net-metering limit is because utilities have moved heaven and earth to stop the growth of customer-owned solar dead in its tracks. Current laws place onerous standby charges on solar homeowners and place limits on the size of systems that residents and businesses may install and net-meter on their own property.
But Governor McAuliffe has a solution to at least one of these problems. His energy plan proposes doubling the allowed maximum net-metered system size for both residential and non-residential customers, from 20 kw to 40 kw for residential and 500 kw to 1 MW for non-residential customers.
Additionally, the energy plan recommends the creation of a Solar Energy Development Authority to facilitate the development of 15 MW of solar on state and local government facilities and an additional 15 MW of solar on commercial, industrial, and residential facilities by July of 2017.
These are terrific ideas, but I would’ve taken them a few steps further. The net-metering non-residential project cap should be increased to 2 MW rather than the 1 MW proposed in the plan. Both Maryland and Florida for instance have similar project caps at 2 MW. Although our neighbors to the south, North Carolina, has a 1 MW cap similar to McAuliffe’s proposed new limit, it’s worth mentioning that North Carolina has a very generous state tax credit which is helping to drive solar in the state (Virginia was denied this opportunity by our General Assembly last year and this needed solution is not recommended in the plan). North Carolina also has a mandatory RPS with a solar carve-out (Virginia was denied this opportunity by our utilities and our General Assembly virtually every year and this needed solution is also not recommended in the plan.)
Georgia has a project cap less than Virginia, but benefits significantly due to their state Public Service Commission recently issuing an order mandating the state’s largest utility to increase its solar development by 525 MW by 2016. I can’t imagine our State Corporation Commission doing the same to Dominion Virginia Power.
And while we’re talking total megawatts installed, having an energy plan that specifically calls on 30 MW of additional solar in a state that only has about 15 MW installed may sound great if it were not for the fact that North Carolina has 627 MW of solar currently installed and Maryland has 161 MW. If the governor wants to truly play catch-up to our neighbors, we should set more ambitious goals. All that being said, the eagerness of this administration to grow solar in the state is fairly evident in the plan.
By now you may be wondering why this section summarizing renewables within the energy plan so heavily focuses on solar and not, for instance, offshore wind. Well, that’s because concrete recommendations for offshore wind in the energy plan are hard to come by. The plan mentions the need to develop offshore wind in the 112,000 acres Dominion exclusively leased in September of last year, but there’s no actionable recommendation to be found.
The administration could have, and should have, specifically recommended that Dominion develop this resource as soon as possible and include offshore wind in their 15 year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) mandated by the SCC. But the plan doesn’t go “there”.
A Recap on Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas
The plan encourages more coal exports. The plan endorses offshore oil and gas drilling. The plan doubles-down on increasing natural gas pipelines like Dominion’s behemoth 550-mile pipeline that is generating so much controversy. How can a governor, who so passionately talks about the need to address climate change, endorse the three-headed monster of coal, oil, and gas expansions?
Well, the administration will tell you that it’s a part of the governor’s “all of the above” energy strategy, although the governor assures the environmental community that he is serious about addressing climate change. For what it’s worth, I have zero doubt about Governor McAuliffe’s sincerity in fighting the climate battle, but the mixed message is tough to ignore.
I’ll let others explain how we can encourage Virginia companies to export coal products abroad so other countries can burn it there while stressing the need to address global climate change. It’s akin to a father asking his child to clean his room but allowing the child to shovel clothes under the bed. Out of sight out of mind? Unfortunately climate change doesn’t work that way.
We all know the dangers of offshore oil and gas drilling. Racing to dig deeper and burn more fossil fuels is not the answer. Nor is supporting Dominion’s gas pipeline. But the McAuliffe administration got an earful from 30 or so protesters, mostly from Nelson County, who vented their frustration about the pipeline during his speech yesterday. That’s all I have to say about that.
A Look Forward to Efficiency
What can we expect in the immediate future as a result of the energy plan? That answer has to do with energy efficiency, which aside from solar, is easily the 2^nd biggest component of the energy plan and topic that Governor McAuliffe seems most excited about pursuing. Virginia currently has a goal of reducing energy consumption 10% by 2022 according to 2006 levels. Of course the goal is voluntary for Virginia loves its toothless, voluntary targets.
The energy plan states that the governor will create a new Virginia Board on Energy Efficiency through executive order whose task will be to achieve the 10% reduction target by 2020, two years earlier than the original goal. The new Board will be convened quickly – the plan states by the end of the year. Fast action is necessary as Virginia has achieved less than 1% reductions to-date.
Governor McAuliffe took things one step further in the effort to make Virginia a “leader on efficiency” by stating in the plan that he will appoint a Chief Energy Efficiency Officer in his administration to oversee the aforementioned efforts and jumpstart crucial efficiency programs in state facilities.
As the governor said himself during his speech yesterday, “the cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use.” We need to aggressively explore our efficiency options which has the added benefit of saving homeowners money and creating thousands of new jobs in the state. Here the governor deserves unquestioned praise.
Summary
Virginia has incredible untapped potential in renewables and energy efficiency. While it’s disappointing the administration supports increases in fossil fuels generation and exploration, the level to which Governor McAuliffe openly talks about the need to address climate change is encouraging, and several of the policy proposals outlined in the plan are good steps in the right direction.

The Seas are Rising, and So Are We!

CCAN ignites passion among its core volunteers during a potluck in Norfolk.
As legislators gear up for the Virginia General Assembly to begin in January, CCAN is ensuring that residents of Hampton Roads are prepared as well. Through action and upcoming events, we are working to equip volunteers and community leaders with the knowledge, skills, and resources to ensure that Virginia coastlines are protected. The time is now to begin conversations about what we want to see happen during the next legislative session. We are so thankful to everyone who continues to spearhead the important conversations about coastal protection in Hampton Roads.
On September 28th, we were able to show our appreciation for the great people of Norfolk during a Potluck event. It was a powerful evening, meeting and talking about real issues with volunteers in the Norfolk community. After moving from Baltimore, I was reminded why I decided to return to Hampton Roads and continue to fight for coastal protection…people like YOU! We had a special guest at our dinner, CCAN’s executive director, Mike Tidwell, to discuss the importance of taking action and protecting this extremely vulnerable region of Virginia. Mike is a phenomenal speaker and shared unique insight on what it will take to ensure the safety of residents, reduce fossil fuel emissions and generate funding for coastal adaptation.
CCAN is always looking for ways to impart knowledge and develop the skills it takes to make an impact in frontline communities.
What’s Next? Join the conversation.
Our next event is on Wednesday, October 15th. We will have a happy hour and training on how to tell effective stories about the impacts we deal with in Hampton Roads. Finding the best ways to articulate our personal stories will help us better communicate with others in the community as well as legislators. Can’t wait to see you there!
Here are the details:
Who: CCAN and climate activists from Hampton Roads.
What: Storytelling training and happy hour.
When: Wednesday, October 15th, 7PM.
Where: Pasha Mezze, 340 W 22nd St. Norfolk, VA 23517.

CCAN Responds to Gov. McAuliffe's Release of the Virginia Energy Plan

Governor pledges to catch up to neighboring states in renewable energy and efficiency investments
RICHMOND—Dawone Robinson, Virginia Policy Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response to Governor Terry McAuliffe’s remarks this morning in releasing the Virginia Energy Plan:
“Governor McAuliffe’s emphasis today on investing in energy efficiency and expanding solar power in Virginia are encouraging. Virginia’s vast and untapped renewable energy potential is well documented. We can catch up to our neighbors in clean energy, but only if we finally put the policies in place to harness it. We look forward to working with lawmakers in January to ensure real progress is made.
“However, the plan’s support for expanding fracked gas pipelines is worrisome and in fact contradictory to the governor’s consistent call to address climate change. Rather than supporting Dominion Virginia Power’s titanic gas pipeline, Governor McAuliffe should instead call on Dominion to quickly build safe and reliable offshore wind power in the 112,000 acres the company exclusively leased in September of last year.
“Today Governor McAuliffe spoke passionately about the need to address climate change by catching up to neighboring states in renewable energy and efficiency investments. We hope that in the coming months Governor McAuliffe will show the leadership we need and work toward rapid expansion of renewable energy, rather than compound the impacts of climate change with more fossil fuels like natural gas.”
CONTACT:
Dawone Robinson, 804-767-8983, dawone@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Federal Regulators and Elected Leaders Declared 'Guilty' on Gas Exports

Cove Point Opponents Declare FERC and Elected Leaders ‘Guilty’ on Gas Exports in Friday Protests, Vow to Keep Fighting

In ‘People’s Court’ at FERC headquarters, activists ‘convict’ regulators and leaders—from Pres. Obama to Chairman LaFleur to Gov. O’Malley—for selling out people’s safety and the climate

Calvert citizens rally at the home closest to Dominion’s facility, declaring, ‘We have nothing to lose because we have everything to lose’

WASHINGTON, DC—Vowing to continue the fight to block a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility at Cove Point in southern Maryland, activists held tandem demonstrations on Friday outside the headquarters of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and at a home directly across the street from Dominion Resources’ proposed facility in Lusby.
The actions came in response to FERC’s ruling earlier this week to grant Virginia-based Dominion approval to build the $3.8 billion project. Environmental groups are preparing to petition FERC to reconsider this ruling, given the agency failed to conduct a full environmental impact statement or to fully consider the environmental damage that would come from increased fracking or global warming pollution.
A “People’s Court” convened outside FERC headquarters on Friday morning to “convict” federal regulators and elected officials alike who have helped facilitate Dominion’s polluting project. With Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman presiding as “judge,” FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur, President Barack Obama, Governor Martin O’Malley, Congressman Steny Hoyer, U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulksi and Ben Cardin, and the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners all received unanimous “guilty” verdicts.¹
View the courtroom photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeakeclimate/sets/72157647915257870/
“The Cove Point ruling is a massive failure of federal regulatory responsibility and of political leadership,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “We’re here to name names, and to show our resolve to keep fighting in the streets and in the courts.”
Later the same day, members and supporters of Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community (CCHC) held a press conference and demonstration in the front yard of the family home that is Dominion’s closest neighbor in Lusby, Maryland. The southern Maryland residents vowed to re-double their opposition.
“We are appalled that our government officials and agencies show such blatant disregard for the health and lives of fellow Americans by allowing this project to be the first LNG export facility—in the history of the world—to be built in such a highly populated residential area,” said CCHC members in a statement. “Without a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) the hazards of this operation are not fully analyzed, thus there is no way to adequately mitigate and prepare for all possible harm to residents and first responders.”
“At this point, we have nothing to lose, because we have everything to lose. This is not a done deal, it’s merely the beginning of the next chapter,” said Tracey Eno, a spokesperson for CCHC.
On Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun reported on a clear concession by Dominion that the export project—including the first large-scale gas liquefaction train ever built in a residential neighborhood—could bring grave safety dangers to nearby residents. Despite repeated assertions that potential explosion, fire or flammable vapor gas cloud catastrophes would not extend off-site, the company is now “looking into” constructing a new road to serve as an evacuation route. Currently, hundreds of residents would have no escape route apart from driving directly past the Dominion site.
Environmental groups that have intervened in the FERC process will be petitioning FERC for a rehearing of the Cove Point decision within the next 30 days. If FERC refuses to revisit its starkly limited environmental assessment, it is highly likely that groups will pursue legal avenues to sue the agency under the National Environmental Policy Act.
1. The specific charges leveled at regulatory and elected leaders on Friday included:

President Barack Obama: GUILTY for promoting a destructive “all of the above” energy policy.
FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur: GUILTY for continuing FERC’s legacy as servant of the gas industry—not the public.
Governor Martin O’Malley: GUILTY for literally falling asleep as citizens pleaded for explosion answers.
Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD 5th District): GUILTY for being Dominion’s chief facilitator for Cove Point pollution and harm to the Chesapeake Bay.
Senator Ben Cardin: GUILTY for blatant climate hypocrisy in supporting worse-than-coal gas exports.
Senator Barbara Mikulski: GUILTY for failing to demand a full EIS from FERC.
Calvert County Board of County Commissioners: GUILTY for giving “sweetheart deals” to Dominion while exposing children to appalling risks.

CONTACT:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-396-2153, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community Responds to Federal Ruling on Cove Point

Contact: Tracey Eno, Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community, 443-624-8022, traceyeno@comcast.net
LUSBY, MD—Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community (CCHC) responds to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decision to grant Dominion Cove Point LNG approval to build an LNG refinery/export facility directly adjacent to their neighborhoods:
“We are appalled that our government officials and agencies show such blatant disregard for the health and lives of fellow Americans by allowing this project to be the first LNG export facility—in the history of the world—to be built in such a highly populated residential area. Lusby, Maryland, with a population of 20,483 people, is the wrong place for this dangerous industry. Without a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) the hazards of this operation are not fully analyzed, thus there is no way to adequately mitigate and prepare for all possible harm to residents and first responders.”
CCHC is determined to re-double their opposition. “At this point, we have nothing to lose, because we have EVERYTHING to lose. This is not a done deal, it’s merely the beginning of the next chapter,” says Tracey Eno, a spokesperson for CCHC.
Founded in November 2013, Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community (CCHC) is a community organization that formed in opposition to the proposal to transform a dormant liquefied natural gas import facility in Lusby, MD into a major industrial refinery and export terminal in Lusby (Calvert County, Maryland).
Eno continues, “Considering that our County Commissioners signed a non-disclosure agreement and refused to discuss Dominion publicly, and considering that Dominion does not want the public to understand the hazards of their plan, citizens felt it imperative to focus their efforts on saving themselves. The organization’s purpose is to research and disseminate information about public safety and environmental hazards related to the Dominion Cove Point (DCP) plant which may not otherwise be public knowledge.”
Contrary to DCP’s representations to FERC, suggesting that DCP is in a remote area, approximately 360 homes and a public park lie within just 4,500 feet of the DCP site. This is of significance, considering that during their research, CCHC discovered a 2006 MD DNR report which shows those homes to be at risk of a flash fire NOW—before any new equipment is even added.
From the start, the people living near the DCP facility have not been represented or protected by elected and appointed officials responsible for ensuring their health and safety—from the county to state to federal levels:

(a) The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) signed a non-disclosure agreement with Dominion on August 21, 2012, completely shutting out the public from the process which would ultimately affect them. What’s more, the BOCC decided not to tell the public that the agreement even EXISTED. Commissioner Susan Shaw was quoted in a DC Media Group as saying, “They’re [the public are] never privy to all the information. Do you think we’d let the public know what we’re doing?”
(b) The BOCC exempted DCP’s expansion from local zoning ordinances. A judge has since ruled that action to be a violation of the Maryland Constitution.
(c) The BOCC dismissed the expertise of their own Calvert County Environmental Commission, the one group whose mission is to provide unbiased, scientific information on specific local environmental issues. The Environmental Commission was told to “not concern itself” with the Dominion Cove Point project and instead directed to focus on another (less urgent and much less impactful) topic.
(d) The Maryland Public Service Commission approved construction of a power plant that will not provide any energy to citizens of Maryland, and delegated any further fact-finding and decisions to FERC. The PSC accepted DCP’s purchase of emission reduction credits from elsewhere in the state, without acknowledging that Lusby residents will be forced to bear the burden of increased pollution in their own lungs.
(e) The Maryland Board of Public Works, including Governor Martin O’Malley, voted to approve a wetlands license for construction of a large, temporary pier from which DCP will off-load large equipment to be carried over small county roads to the DCP site. At the hearing, Governor O’Malley quite literally fell asleep—and then approved what appeared to be a pre-determined conclusion, with little or no concern for local citizens.
(f) Now, with this decision, FERC joins the other governmental bodies in blithely dismissing the harmful effects—both ongoing and threats of major leaks, explosions and fires—due to dangerous propane, LNG, aqueous ammonia and other chemicals on site.

In May, 2014 members of CCHC and scores of others appeared at the sole FERC “meeting” in Maryland—and waited from 7am until early evening to state their concerns. For all the hours of waiting, they then learned that not one FERC commissioner was present—and that their voices were unlikely to reach the decision-makers in any meaningful way. (A transcript of more than seven hours of testimony could not capture the real, personal, expert and intense concerns of people who live near the proposed refinery/export facility.)
The CCHC demands have been simple and reasonable. Before granting approval, FERC should:

A) Conduct an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) in order to have a comprehensive overview of pros and cons, with which to base their decision.
B) Order a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, for the safety of on-site workers, residents, and first responders.

These two actions would ensure fact-based, objective and up-to-date assessments. Instead, FERC is using an outdated 2006 Environmental Impact Statement that did not address exports or the $3.8 billion in expanded facilities. The Environmental Assessment (which is less vigorous than an EIS) recently undertaken by FERC staff relied heavily on information provided by DCP, with little or no third-party verification.
Furthermore, CCHC has protested FERC’s failure to demonstrate compliance with the most current fire safety standards in NFPA 59A 2013, a fatal flaw in the Environmental Assessment (EA) that could cost first responders and residents their lives. The new standards appear to have been a direct response to explosions that occurred at a Skikda, Algeria LNG export facility in 2004, that resulted in serious casualties and extensive property damage. Yet elected officials at all levels have inexplicably refused to require that the latest fire safety standards be applied.
The issues now extend far beyond Lusby and Calvert County. FERC’s go-ahead to DCP must be a wake-up call to communities across Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Transporting fracked gas for export from Cove Point requires methane-leaking pipelines and noisy, polluting compression stations that turn the gas into transportable liquid. As notice of Dominion’s application for Cove Point was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2013, and all interventions were due on or before May 3, 2013—just 2 weeks later—every community must be vigilant about DCP’s further plans, as well as those of related companies with different names.
To rectify the situation, comply with the law, and ensure the public welfare and safety of citizens and first responders, CCHC calls for the following actions:
** That the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation step in and insist on full compliance with NFPA 59A 2013 before Lusby becomes home to the first large scale liquefaction train ever to be installed in such a densely populated residential neighborhood in the history of the industry.
** That FERC reconsider and reverse its decision—and order a comprehensive Environmental Impact Study and Quantitative Risk Assessment.
** That Governor O’Malley use any and all legally granted powers to cause the cessation of construction pending the ability of CCHC and its allies to gain a judicial decision on the request for an injunction.

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CCAN Activist Spotlight: Natalie Pien and the first-ever Loudoun Solar Tour

On Saturday September 13th, folks from all around NoVA joined neighbors and local legislators for the first ever Solar Home Tour in NoVA. We visited a handful of Loudoun County homes with both PV and thermal solar, educating local elected officials along the way.
After the tour, we sat down with Natalie Pien, who worked to organize the tour, and hear why using resident clean energy is important to her as a climate activist.
Q: Why did you want to organize a solar tour?
A: The tour was not my idea, but it was a great one that Phil Hostetter (a CCAN activist) came up with during CCAN’s activist conference call last Spring. It is important to promote solar energy in Loudoun. I wanted to showcase homeowners who feel so passionately about using clean, renewable sources of energy that they have installed solar despite the lack of financial incentives. These people understand the problem with using fossil fuels as an energy source and want to do whatever they can to reduce their carbon footprint.
Q: How have you used solar and retrofitting to reduce your home fuel use?
A: The solar panels on our roof is only one part of our home designed to lower our carbon footprint. We installed the panels when there was limited funding from VA when it received federal funds to stimulate the state economy. The Governor decided to designate the funds for solar installations. Without that funding, we probably would not have been able to afford the installation.
Our home has other energy efficiency/lowering carbon footprint features, including:

passive solar design;
2 X 6 framing to allow extra insulation on exterior walls;
thermal mass in the form of water tubes and tiled, concrete floor;
ductless, mini-split heat pumps, providing true zone controlled air conditioning.
high energy washing machine
energy efficient refrigerator
practice composting in the kitchen and the yard
vegetable garden
hybrid car
occasional commuting by bike

Q: What did you hope to accomplish with this tour? And, did you accomplish those goals?
A: The tour was a success! We had elected officials from state government and town of Leesburg government. These officials were able to learn what their constituents have encountered with installing solar under current conditions. Each home was different, showing that any style home can use solar panels. Also, each homeowner had different information and experiences to share. Tour attendees gained a new level of comfort they did not have before. They also got a sneak peak to Solarize Leesburg, a program that will make it even easier to go solar.
Q: What was your highlight of the day?
A: I really enjoyed the last stop on our tour at Sunset Hills Vineyard. Owner Mike Canney gave a really powerful speech about his solar powered vineyard that was interesting and inspiring. It is wonderful to have small business so passionate about solar.
To see more photos from the tour, check our Facebook album here.
Interested in getting involved in our solar work at CCAN? Click here to check out our new solar campaign!

20 Maryland Groups Oppose the Exelon-Pepco Merger

For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 2, 2014

Maryland Leaders Unveil Broad Opposition to Exelon-Pepco Merger

Environmental, consumer, student, business, and faith leaders announce coalition united to stop the merger in order to protect clean, reliable and affordable energy for Maryland

BALTIMORE—A proposed merger between utility giant Exelon and regional utility Pepco Holdings, Inc. faced major new obstacles Thursday when leading environmental, consumer, student, business and faith groups announced their staunch and united opposition at a Baltimore press conference. Unveiling a letter signed by 20 groups, the coalition detailed why the proposed merger would harm consumers and the environment and prevent Maryland from realizing a clean, affordable, and reliable 21st-century electric grid.
Today’s open letter to the pubic lays out the step-by-step evidence for why the merger should be rejected by the Maryland Public Service Commission. The PSC will hold hearings on the merger in early 2015. The letter states that the coalition is “unequivocally opposed to this merger as proposed.” It states that given Exelon’s track record, the groups “are concerned that there is no way forward for this merger that would produce the key reforms and positive elements that Maryland’s electricity grid requires.”
“The proposed merger would take Maryland in exactly the wrong direction at a time when we should be investing in a modern and more customer-centric electricity system,” said Tyson Slocum, Energy Program Director of Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group. “Marylanders deserve a 21st century electric grid that delivers cleaner, more local, and more reliable energy, but this merger would lock over 80% of Marylanders into a 20th century grid controlled by a single company based in Chicago.”
The proposed merger would make Exelon, already a top spender on lobbying in Annapolis and a company with a track record of opposing many renewable energy policies, the largest utility company not just in Maryland, but the entire nation. Exelon is already the largest nuclear power plant owner in the country. The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) must sign off on the merger before it can proceed, and several environmental groups joining Thursday’s event have already intervened in the PSC case.
“Unfortunately, Exelon has been one of the leading voices against policies promoting wind power and other renewable technologies,” said Bruce Burcat, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition (MAREC), which represents wind and solar companies across the East Coast. “But these smart renewable energy policies have helped bring the price of wind energy down to the point that it is now cost-competitive with new traditional power plants, while delivering health and environmental benefits. Exelon is promoting an agenda that would raise the cost of renewable technologies in an effort to reverse the gains made, and that will continue to be made, as a result of these vital and highly effective policies.”
“The Public Service Commission should reject this merger because Exelon opposes most of the major renewable energy policies that Maryland needs to fight climate change,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Maryland has historically been a renewable energy leader and rightly so. With 3,190 miles of coastline, Maryland is the third most vulnerable state in the country to sea-level rise from climate change. Maryland can show real leadership by saying ‘no’ to an energy monopoly in our state, and ‘yes’ to clean and affordable energy for all Marylanders.”
“So many of us across DC and Maryland have been working hard for years to save energy and to shift to cleaner power,” said Joelle Novey, director of Interfaith Power & Light (MD.DC.NoVA), which works with faith communities throughout the region. “We’re very concerned that Exelon’s way of doing business will interfere with our ability to make our own choices about how our energy is produced, distributed, and used.”
Click here to view a PDF copy of the open letter signed by 20 groups opposing the merger.
CONTACT:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Why We Oppose the Proposed Exelon-Pepco Merger

In April, the giant utility company Exelon announced plans to buy Pepco, the electricity utility that serves customers in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Exelon would become the biggest power distributor in Maryland and in the United States — should the deal go through. But for that to happen, the Public Service Commissions in the District of Columbia and Maryland must approve it, and find that the deal serves the “public interest.”
As an environmental group, we are strongly opposed to the proposed merger between Exelon and Pepco. In Maryland, we know this project is certainly not in the public interest. Not only would it give Exelon a near-monopoly over our state’s utility market, but also it would severely restrict Maryland’s ability to transition to the clean, affordable, and efficient electricity grid we need. Furthermore, given Exelon’s track record, which includes opposition to many renewable energy policies, we are concerned that there is no way forward for this merger that would produce the key reforms and positive elements that Maryland’s electricity grid requires.
Today, CCAN joined together with twenty consumer, student, environmental, business and faith groups to announce our staunch and united opposition to this merger. The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) must sign off on the merger before it can proceed, and we are standing together to say: Stop the Merger! No Exelon Monopoly in Maryland.
Sign-on letter opposing the merger:
Click here to view a PDF copy of the open letter signed by 20 groups opposing the Merger.
Press release:
Click here to view our press Release-Maryland Leaders Oppose Exelon-Pepco Merger.
Resources:
“Delaware Panel Sets Hearings on Exelon, Pepco Merger.” Delaware News Journal. 7/10/2014.
“Exelon and Pepco File for Merger in Maryland.” Exelon. 8/19/2014.
“Exelon merger in New Jersey blocked.” State of New Jersey.” 4/26/2006.
“Exelon Tops Maryland Lobbying Spending. RTO Insider.” 7/2/2014.
“Utility Exelon Trying to Kill Wind and Solar Subsidies While Keeping Nukes.” Greentech Media. 4/1/2014.
“Why DC Should Oppose the Exelon-Pepco Merger.” Washington Post. 8/1/2014.

Groups Condemn Federal Ruling on Cove Point LNG Export Facility

Environmental and Community Leaders Denounce Federal Ruling on Cove Point LNG Export Facility

Feds approve massive $3.8 billion source of pollution without a full Environmental Impact Statement

Groups weigh motion for rehearing to prevent safety, climate and economic harm

WASHINGTON, DC—Environmental and community groups are bitterly denouncing today’s decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve permits for the controversial liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility proposed at Cove Point in southern Maryland. They said FERC’s decision defies the facts that the massive $3.8 billion facility, proposed by Dominion Resources, will incentivize environmental damage from fracking across the mid-Atlantic region and, according to federal data, would likely contribute more to global warming over the next two decades than if Asian countries burned their own coal.
Groups that have intervened in the FERC case emphasized that they are assessing issues on which to file a motion for rehearing—a necessary step before appeal. They vowed to continue the fight to protect communities across Maryland and the region from the potentially unprecedented pollution and safety risks Dominion’s Cove Point project would trigger.
Groups also called the Cove Point decision a simultaneous stain on the records of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, who failed to substantively challenge FERC’s reckless process—including the agency’s refusal to conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement—despite pleas from voters and newspapers like the Baltimore Sun.
“FERC’s decision to allow LNG exports from Cove Point is fundamentally flawed because the agency failed to consider the simple fact that exporting LNG will mean more drilling and fracking, and that means more climate pollution, more risk of contaminated groundwater, and more threats to the health of people who live near gas wells,” said Deb Nardone, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Natural Gas campaign. “FERC should be standing up for the public good, not the interests of dirty polluters.”
“FERC’s decision to approve Cove Point is the result of a biased review process rigged in favor of approving gas industry projects no matter how great the environmental and safety concerns,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “FERC refused to even require an environmental impact statement for this $3.8 billion facility right on the Bay. We intend to challenge this ruling all the way to court if necessary. For the safety of Marylanders and for people across our region facing new fracking wells and pipelines, we will continue to fight this project until it is stopped.”
“FERC’s failure to demonstrate compliance with the most current safety standards in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 59A 2013 is a fatal flaw in the Environmental Assessment that could cost residents and first responders their lives,” said Tracey Eno, a member of Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community. “Members of Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community (CCHC) believe that these new standards were a direct response to the horrific explosions that occurred at a Skikda, Algeria LNG export facility in 2004, resulting in serious casualties and extensive property damage. We have endured the betrayal of our own elected officials—most notably, our five Calvert County Commissioners, our federal representatives and Governor Martin O’Malley—who have all inexplicably refused to insist on the latest fire safety standards for the Dominion Cove Point LNG export expansion. We now call on the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation to step in and insist on full compliance with NFPA 59A 2013 before Lusby becomes home to the first large-scale liquefaction train ever to be installed in a such a densely populated residential neighborhood in the history of the industry.”
“Potomac Riverkeeper is extremely concerned about the impact of this new LNG export facility on the entire Potomac and Shenandoah Watershed,” said Sarah Rispin, General Counsel for Potomac Riverkeeper, Inc. “We believe that FERC failed to take into account the cumulative impact that having a major export facility on the Chesapeake Bay will have on the watershed, by driving increased fracking activity in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations, and the construction of new pipelines serving the facility that will crisscross the region.”
“We are carefully reviewing FERC’s decision to approve the Cove Point export facility with our clients and planning our next steps,” said Jocelyn D’Ambrosio, associate attorney at Earthjustice. “If FERC has refused to revisit its inadequate environmental review, will have no choice but to petition FERC to reconsider its decision, and ultimately we may have to take the case to court.”
“FERC’s decision today ignores the many diverse impacts that an LNG export facility will have on local communities both near and far away,” said Michael Helfrich, director of Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper. “LNG export threatens local communities’ health and safety and waterways, and is simply not in the public interest.”
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Earthjustice, the nonprofit law organization that has been representing the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Patuxent Riverkeeper, Potomac Riverkeeper, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, and the Sierra Club in the FERC proceeding, are poised to petition FERC and potentially to sue the agency to challenge an inadequate environmental review.
The Dominion Cove Point project would take gas from fracking wells across Appalachia and liquefy it along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay for export to Asia. The project would be the first LNG export facility ever built so close to so many homes, the first built in close proximity to Marcellus Shale fracking operations, and a potential trigger of more global warming pollution than all seven of Maryland’s existing coal-fired power plants combined. Yet, in its final order, FERC affirmed its highly limited Environmental Assessment, which omitted credible analysis of the project’s lifecycle global warming pollution, potentially catastrophic threat to hundreds of nearby residents, pollution of the Chesapeake Bay and risk to the critically endangered right whale, along with all the pollution associated with driving demand for upstream fracking and fracked gas infrastructure.
Dominion’s project has faced and will continue to face significant and widespread grassroots opposition. A coalition of state, national and community groups in opposition to the project submitted more than 150,000 comments to FERC by the June public comment deadline. In mid-July, more than 1,000 people marched on FERC’s Washington, DC headquarters calling on the agency to halt approvals of all LNG export projects, including the Dominion Cove Point facility, followed the next day by a peaceful sit-in that led to 25 arrests.

Contact:

Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Sunday's Beautiful Sea of People = Power

Yesterday, we started changing everything because of everyone who showed up in the streets of New York City. The People’s Climate March was huge — with the final crowd count of 400,000 people toppling the record books and making this the biggest climate demonstration in history.
The mass numbers were apparent if, like CCAN staff and supporters, you had lined up toward the back of the 20-block-long assembly area. Standing with the Anti-Fracking Allies, who came from all over New York and Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, and beyond, and just in front of the “Debate is Over” scientists’ contingent replete with a “chalkboard” lesson on climate science, we waited until well after 2:00 p.m. to start marching. In front of us and behind us was a sea of people, and a beautiful sea it was.
But it wasn’t just the numbers that were inspiring and change-making, it was who showed up to create them. They really did include just about everyone.
Indigenous communities and communities of color — who, as the banner they held stated, are on the “Frontlines of Crisis, Forefront of Change” — led the march.

New Yorkers flooded out during Hurricane Sandy and other folks displaced from their homes and homelands by rising tides carried symbolic life preservers and tents.

A raucous, dancing and chanting youth contingent of 50,000 filled ten city blocks and united students from 400 campuses.

Immigrants marched. Teamsters marched. Healthcare workers marched. So so many children marched — as well as grandparents. Muslim marchers stood shoulder to shoulder with Christians and Jews and Buddhists. LGBTQ folks like myself were part of every contingent.
In just the immediate few blocks where CCANers set off, we were surrounded by people resisting tar sands pipelines in the Midwest, oil drilling in the Arctic, fracking wells in the Catskills, and the Cove Point liquefied natural gas export terminal along the Chesapeake Bay in Southern Maryland.

To me, the most inspiring part of seeing so many people come together is knowing that so many people understand that we are all connected in this fight. And that is power.
Our record numbers made a bold and decisive statement about the urgency for action. And the diversity therein made a bold and decisive statement about the kind of movement we must build to win it. The solution is clear — switching from fossil fuels to clean energy. So is the biggest obstacle — an economic and political system most often run by and for big corporations, corporations that make money and maintain power by perpetuating injustice, dividing our communities and, ultimately, wrecking the planet.
Creating the change we need on climate will require transforming those systems to serve people and to protect the planet. That transformation won’t be easy, or quick, and it will take a lot more organizing on scales both bigger and smaller than the march on Sunday. But if everyone who marched on Sunday, and everyone who was there in spirit, keeps taking action — and keeps building connections between our movements — we might just have the power to build a better future for everyone.