While Dominion Power and Attorney General Cuccinelli rolled out the product of their controversial alliance to harm the environment and the climate, CCANers and members of other allied groups took action today at the General Assembly, stressing the need to Fix Virginia’s RPS, and not let legislators nix our only provisions that reward clean energy.
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New Poll Demonstrates Mounting Support for Offshore Wind Initiative
For Immediate Release
January 17, 2013
Research finds that 72% of Maryland voters support investment in offshore wind development; Nearly four times as likely to vote for a legislator who supports wind power
ANNAPOLIS — A new poll released today shows a growing number of Maryland voters and a strong majority – 72 percent – across all political and geographic subgroups, support investing in the development of offshore wind power. These results represent an 8% increase since similar polling was conducted in December 2011.
“With popularity increasing among voters, legislators who vote for offshore wind power stand to benefit at the ballot box,” stated Karla Raettig, Executive Director for Maryland League of Conservation Voters. According to the poll, Marylanders are almost four times as likely to vote for a legislator who supports offshore wind power rather than against them in the next election.
Cuccinelli and Dominion Move to Repeal Virginia’s Clean Electricity Standard
For Immediate Release
January 15, 2013
Contact:
Beth Kemler, 804-335-0915, beth@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Proposed legislation would harm environment and, opponents say, constitutes a confession that Dominion has accepted $77 million from ratepayers without properly fulfilling intent of current law
RICHMOND—Dominion Virginia Power has informed environmental groups that the company has reached a tentative agreement with Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to support legislation that would effectively repeal the state’s signature clean energy law. The move, environmentalists said, would not only harm the environment but also represents a de facto admission of guilt by Dominion. The company has already accepted $77 million from ratepayers without making the clean energy investments that the General Assembly first intended with its original 2007 law.
Would you drink this water?
On Wednesday, fracking activists held a fracking water taste test directly in front of the State House to showcase for legislators the threat that fracking poses to drinking water in Maryland. In states like PA and Wyoming, concerned homeowners have pointed to fracking as a cause of drinking water contamination.
Dozens of Marylanders from across the state donned red Fracking Moratorium Now! t-shirts, buttons, and stickers to make sure the issue of fracking was on legislators minds as they headed in for their first day of the 2013 General Assembly session.
To convey the dangers and risks of fracking to Maryland water sources, we had a series of water samples collected from PA and Maryland The first sample was clearly contaminated drinking water taken from an abandoned home near a fracking site in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The previous owners, the McEvoy family, suffered severe health impacts from drinking and bathing in the contaminated water and had to move away. Their community, called the Woodlands area, includes 12 families who are still without a clean water source. Please visit: http://www.marcellusoutreachbutler.org/ for more information.
Activists launch fracking moratorium campaign with ‘water taste test’ on Lawyer’s Mall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2013
CONTACT:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022 or 717-439-0346, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Lawmakers are greeted with the choice of polluted well water from a PA fracking area or clean water from a MD State House drinking fountain to underscore risk to state water resources
ANNAPOLIS—As the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session commenced Wednesday, dozens of activists came out to kick off an historic campaign to pass a legislative moratorium on fracking by holding a “water taste test” for lawmakers on Lawyer’s Mall. Activists have declared 2013 the year for legislators to finally put a moratorium in place and guarantee protections for communities at risk of water and air pollution, health problems and other harmful impacts associated with this controversial drilling process.
“Our neighbors in Pennsylvania have drilled first and asked questions later, and the polluted PA well water sample we brought to Annapolis today shows the potentially dire costs of that approach,” said Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Lawmakers need to make our state policy clear in 2013: As long as the gas industry continues to block thorough study of the dangers of fracking in Maryland, there should be no fracking in Maryland—period.”
No study, no fracking
Our view: The potential impact of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in Maryland, both good and bad, is too great not to merit a thorough, unbiased study
Most of us have probably seen or heard the ubiquitous ads promoting domestic natural gas drilling. While they don’t tend to use the word “fracking,” their message about hydraulic fracturing of shale is clear enough — little kids playing happily on green patches of grass and the promise of bountiful clean energy, jobs and all-around happiness all rolled into one.
Two things can be inferred from the ads. First, that those in the oil and gas industry are absolutely intent on selling their product with extraordinary promises; and second, that they are willing to spend an enormous sum to do so.
VA Utilities Receive Failing Grades in Renewable Energy ‘Report Card’
For Immediate Release
December 17, 2012
Contact:
Beth Kemler, 202-641-0955, beth@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Environmentalists agree with AG Cuccinelli that renewable energy law is broken, but propose substantive fixes instead of the repeal of all incentives
RICHMOND—A state environmental group today released an analysis of new data showing that Virginia’s renewable energy law grants electric utilities huge customer-funded rewards for a failing performance. The report puts clean energy advocates in the rare position of agreeing with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, whose office presented its findings that Virginia’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) law is a bad deal for consumers to members of the General Assembly on the same day.
Where the two sides strongly disagree, however, is how to fix the law. The report card offers a suite of solutions that the General Assembly can enact to fulfill, rather than abandon, the law’s original purpose of spurring clean energy in the commonwealth.
Drilling Down: Maryland’s first statewide fracking conference
UPDATE (12/10/12): Read on to take action and to download and view featured presentations from the conference.
On Saturday, nearly 300 Marylanders from across the state are gathering in Baltimore to discuss a big emerging threat to our communities: fracking.
Fracking is a dangerous method of drilling for natural gas linked to widespread environmental and health impacts in neighboring states. The conference is the first to bring activists from across Maryland together with state lawmakers, national climate and health experts, and people on the front lines of fracking in western Maryland and Pennsylvania to discuss the risks of fracking and how our state should respond.
To join us on Saturday and for more details, go to: http://mdfrackingconference.eventbrite.com.
Why Cuccinelli is Right – and Wrong – About the RPS
On Thursday, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli released a scathing, comprehensive report on the ineffectiveness of Virginia’s voluntary Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The following are excerpts of his findings:
Obama Administration Takes Important Step Forward on Virginia Offshore Wind, But Process Raises Cause for Concern
For Immediate Release
November 30, 2012
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
RICHMOND – Chesapeake Climate Action Network Director Mike Tidwell had the following statement in response to the Obama administration’s announcement that it is moving forward with offshore wind lease sales off the coasts of Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island:
“Today, Virginia is one step closer to harnessing clean, offshore wind power, and we applaud the Obama administration for taking this step forward. At the same time, the decision to lease the waters off Virginia as a single block is cause for concern.