UMD for Clean Energy Meets Lisa Jackson, Delivers Letter

Our Political Liaison and Lisa Jackson

This is a cross-post from my friend Davey Rogner, a former member of the University of Maryland student activist group UMD for Clean Energy, who wrote this on his blog The Harvest Collective. I also posted it on my blog. I’m currently the Campaign Director of UMD for Clean Energy. We had the pleasure of meeting EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson last week. For more info on Edmonston’s green street, check this out.

Just hours ago I was brushing shoulders with some of the most influential environmental decision makers in the state of Maryland. Members of UMD for Clean Energy were invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the City of Edmonston’s new “green street.” The groundbreaking was ushered in with keynotes from environmental leaders such as US House Representatives Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen; Maryland Department of The Environment’s Deputy Secretary Bob Summers; The Executive Director of The Chesapeake Bay Trust and my former boss when I was his intern Allan Hance; and most notably the Administrator for The United States Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson. Continue reading

Copenhagen and Climate: Going all-in

I have a column out today in the UMD newspaper The Diamondback about the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations, along with a call for the US to do more. It’s difficult to write about Copenhagen in only 550 words given the complexities, along with the reality that the readers don’t know a lot about the issue. A few of the takeaway points I wanted to hit on were

1. The planet is warming.

2. China is not an excuse for inaction.

3. We need to do more than we’re doing, and show leadership. Continue reading

Stopping Coal-Powered Transmission Lines

This is my second post on the need for the Maryland Public Service Commission to reject transmission lines that would take coal burned in West Virginia, and transfer it into my state of Maryland as a source of power. You can find part 1 here. Today I have a column out in the Diamondback making the case against MAPP and PATH, and for offshore wind power. I also want to be sure to plug the rally against the power lines on December 1st at 1pm in Baltimore. You can find out additional information about the MAPP and PATH issue on the Maryland Sierra Club’s website.

MAPP and PATH: Time to draw the line
By Matt Dernoga

I have a minor suggestion for the utility companies. If you’re going to try to portray your attempts to build gigantic interstate transmission lines as a way to transfer renewable energy, don’t connect them to coal plants. Continue reading

UMD for Clean Energy Makes Waves on City Council

UMD for Clean Energy, student group I’m Campaign Director of, has another article out about us in The Diamondback about our efforts during the College Park City Council elections, which culminated in a march to the polls, and got some pretty positive reaction. This new article also chronicles our presentation at a city council work session, where we put forth a proposal about tax breaks for green businesses.

UMD for Clean Energy makes waves on city council

By Brady Holt

Many of College Park’s longtime residents paint the university’s student body as a group that doesn’t care about the city.

But those residents may be surprised at where their city council is getting some innovative environmental policy ideas: the UMD for Clean Energy student group. Continue reading

Nuclear energy: Don't believe the sticker price

I have an op-ed column out today that attacks the threat of a nuclear power plant in Maryland by looking at recent fruitless attempts to build plants, and the cost born by ratepayers.

Nuclear energy: Don’t believe the sticker price

By Matt Dernoga

A common perception of nuclear power is that it’s an affordable, carbon-free energy source that could meet a lot of America’s demand for electricity, if only those darn environmentalists would get out of the way. Unfortunately for nuclear power advocates and Maryland ratepayers, this statement crumbles upon contact with reality. Continue reading

C is for

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On November 4th 2008, students participated in record numbers in the elections and demanded that Congress pass bold climate legislation in 2009. One year later, with legislation still under debate, students are still taking action!

Walter Johnson High School Students gathered during lunch for: “Cookies and Cupcakes for Calls to Cardin on Climate Change.” During the short break around 20 students made calls to Senator Cardin’s office to voice their opinions on climate legislation and enjoyed tasty cupcakes and cookies.

Make a call to thank Senator Cardin! He was instrumental in getting the bill out of committee and keeping some of the stronger provisions intact. Thank him and ask him to keep working to strengthen the bill. Then reward yourself with a cookie or cupcake. Taking action tastes so good!

The Power of the People

The 350.org International Day of Climate Action a week ago was unprecedented, historic, stirring and inspiring. Watching the pictures scroll across the computer screen at www.350.org from literally all over the world, seeing the very concrete evidence of a worldwide grassroots movement for climate justice, was truly unforgettable. It was impossible not to feel that, yes, despite the very long odds, we actually may be able to win the race to prevent looming, catastrophic climate change and to enact climate and social justice.

What is the one thing most needed right now if we are to win this race? October 24th showed us: a visible, growing, mass movement in the streets.

There are some who believed, and still do, that the key to the needed clean energy revolution was the election of Barack Obama. Although it is important to have a President who understands that climate change is happening and that action is needed to address it, it has become very clear over the last nine months of his time in office that this is not enough. Continue reading

Cardin speaks for (and meets with) constituents at Senate Climate Hearings

With the Senate climate fight really kicking off this week with a round of hearings in the EPW Committee our Senators need to hear from us more than ever. That’s why I arranged a little meeting between Maryland Senator Cardin (who sits on the committee) and Maryland climate activist MA Sheehan. To remind the Senator what hard core climate activists many of his constituents are, MA gave him copies of some photos from our big October 24th climate march through the driving rain to the White House. She also handed over a few dozen handwritten letters from constituents, to add to the 1000 that we delivered to the Senator over the summer. Cardin photo delivery

The mere fact that the Senator took the time to meet with (and pose for the lovely picture shown here) speaks volumes about the impact all the grassroots love we’ve showered upon him has had. An even better indicator is the statement Cardin made at the start of the EPW hearings on Monday. In it he talked about the plight of his constituents on Smith Island, the economic benefits of clean energy, and his excitement over the increased transportation funding and consumer protections “polluter pays” principles built into the Kerry Boxer bill. All of this