CCAN launches NoVA New Leaf: our first Northern Virginia action team full of ambition

CCAN launches NoVA New Leaf

Our first Northern Virginia action team full of ambition

We’re proud to announce the launch of NoVA New Leaf! NoVA New Leaf is a CCAN Action Member team that organizes for sustainable and equitable solutions for Northern Virginia. We aim to end fossil fuel dependency and improve resilience to climate impacts through education, collaboration, mobilization, and legislation. 

NoVA New Leaf’s Policy Researcher, Bob Tolf, and CCAN Board Member, Natalie Pien, advocating for climate action at the Virginia Conservation Network’s Conservation Lobby Day.

NoVA New Leaf is one of the few groups where its leaders will ask you, “What do YOU want to do?” We’re looking for passionate environmental advocates of ANY background and experience levels to join us and help make Northern Virginia a leading force on climate action.

As a local chapter, we use a theory of organizing to focus on the BEST ways of taking action in our backyards. We train grassroots leaders to mobilize their communities. CCAN has had other iterations of local chapters throughout the state, but this time, NoVA New Leaf is supported by leadership development through an inclusive membership program. Now, we are choosing campaigns that are winnable, necessary, and support our shared mission.

Are you a Virginia/D.C. resident looking for ways to get involved in your community? A student looking for experience in organizing campaigns? A retiree interested in policy analytics? A neighbor who loves throwing parties and events in your neighborhood? 

NoVA New Leaf meets every second Sunday of the month to discuss new and ongoing initiatives. This year looks like it will be our busiest year yet, so we are looking to grow our membership. Simply fill out this form to become a member today!

Join NoVA New Leaf

The Origin Story

Members sat around a table and decided on what to do as a group.

In a cozy house on a chilly Sunday afternoon, several CCAN volunteers gathered in Northern Virginia—all different backgrounds of experiences, ages, and walks of life brought together by a deep-seated necessity for change. There was food and discussions about what Northern Virginia needed for a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future. 

After the meeting, the newly formed NoVA New Leaf team engaged in a house tour, including a showcase of an induction stove and electric heating system to raise awareness of cleaner home energy sources.

Ever since then, NoVA New Leaf has had meetings all across Northern Virginia, engaged in state-level politics, and worked together with other climate activist groups to make a change.

CCAN volunteers brainstorming new ideas on how to ensure a sustainable and equitable future
CCAN volunteers brainstorming new ideas on how to ensure a sustainable and equitable future
CCANers canvassing neighborhoods and small businesses
CCANers canvassing neighborhoods and small businesses
CCANers demonstrating to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
CCANers demonstrating to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
CCAN organizer Ting Waymouth protests the Mountain Valley Pipeline
CCAN organizer Ting Waymouth protests the Mountain Valley Pipeline

An Interview with Ting Waymouth, Internal Organizer!

We asked Ting Waymouth, NoVA New Leaf’s newly appointed Internal Organizer, on how she found her way onto the team.

“I first joined CCAN in the late spring of 2021, shortly after I had moved to Virginia from New York. I was searching both for community and for the opportunity to take action towards helping advance climate solutions, locally and/or beyond.”

Building a strong, active community of leaders is a necessary component of having resiliency in the face of an ongoing climate crisis. 

“Not only were there opportunities to go to rallies and engage in actions (such as canvassing, tabling, a neighborhood chalk-the-walk event), but I was also invited—in fact, welcomed and encouraged—to bring my own ideas to the table.”

Ting was excited to be welcomed to all the planning meetings and felt motivated by the encouraging community—an experience that she has not often had.

“I didn’t end up sticking with [other climate action-related groups] because it felt difficult to be included in their projects. While [other groups were] friendly, I found myself listening in on hour-long phone calls to people dropping names I was unfamiliar with, without feeling like I could contribute much of anything, and ultimately that did not feel like a good use of my time.” 

Unfortunately, this is an all-too-familiar experience for eager advocates looking to dive into climate action work and directly engage with their communities. Fortunately for Ting, she found NoVA New Leaf right on time.

“As someone who is still relatively new to the area and to climate work, I am excited to continue to build deeper connections with other people who also want to work towards climate justice and cleaner energy in Virginia.”

Not Yet Convinced? See Our Work!

In just half a year, NoVA New Leaf has accomplished many feats and is very active! See what we’ve accomplished so far: 

AUG 2022: Rallied at the VA Department of Environmental Quality to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) AND canvassed at local businesses in Alexandria to generate support for RGGI.

SEPT 2022: Canvassed residents in Arlandria to gather signatures for RGGI petition to the governor.

OCT 2022: Collaborated with CASA to canvass several Spanish-speaking neighborhoods in support of RGGI and tabled at the Alexandria Farmers Market.

DEC 2022: Hosted a solar & energy justice happy hour to collaborate with dozens of environmental activists with several groups working for our common goals AND gathered signatures for Christmas “Thank You!” cards in a Fairfax neighborhood to support Virginia Senator Chap Petersen’s environmental work with clean cars.

JAN 2023: Participated in Conservation Lobby Day, met with state legislators in support of the Affordable Energy Act, RGGI, and with accelerating Virginia’s transition to electric vehicles/clean cars, AND worked with Fairfax County Park Authority to help increase funding for our state parks!

FEB 2023: Adopted our first two campaigns—(1) No Pipelines and (2) Improving Fairfax Parks; finalized our group’s mission statement/branding while brainstorming future projects; AND participated in CCAN’s Polar Plunge! 

Join Our Team

Federal Policy Fellowship

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network seeks a talented Policy Fellow to assist the Federal Director with research, policy development, and outreach. This fellowship is especially designed for students of color seeking to gain experience in the areas of climate change and environmental justice, especially students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, although qualifying candidates from any school are encouraged to apply.

 

About Us 

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the only group in the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. dedicated exclusively to building a powerful grassroots movement to fight climate change. We envision an equitable energy future where truly clean sources of power — such as solar and wind — sustain every aspect of our lives, and dirty fossil fuels are phased out. We strive to include principles of justice and equity in every policy that we advocate for, with the knowledge that racial and social justice is foundational to climate justice.

Last year, we won some huge victories, highlighted by the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, we’re making sure that those legislative wins turn into real climate action. We are taking our “Inflation Reduction Act Roadshow” on a tour of the region to educate people about the opportunities and funding available through this legislation. We are mobilizing alongside the friends we made during the fight to pass that bill to stop harmful fossil fuel projects across the country, like the Willow Project. And we continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for critical legislation in the farm bill to lower methane emissions in agriculture. 

About the Position 

The Policy fellow will have the skills, passion and commitment to take on one of the biggest problems facing our planet. A successful candidate must be able to quickly learn about the climate challenges facing our region, the policies on the table to address these challenges, and the legislative process. 

What You Will Do

The primary responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to: 

  • Climate Change Issue Education and Advocacy 
    • Work alongside CCAN’s Federal team and our allies to promote bold climate action, including implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act
    • Contribute to lobbying materials for key policy changes with the opportunity to lobby alongside the Federal Director
    • Attend/assist in organizing key campaign mobilizations, such as rallies, webinars, or other event
  • Research and content creation
    • Assist the Federal Director and policy team with issue research and the creation of materials such as factsheets, white papers, blog posts, and social media content relevant to our policy priorities
  • Administrative duties and CCAN team expectations
    • Attend internal meetings to learn about and support the work CCAN does across the region on the state and local level
    • Assist the CCAN field team with grassroots organizing and outreach as it pertains to Federal policy goals
    • Work with and learn from the various departments within CCAN including communications, state policy, and field

Qualifications 

The successful candidate will display many of the following capabilities and qualities: 

  • Passion to learn more about climate policy; familiarity with climate issues is a plus.
  • Commitment to environmental justice and amplifying the voices of those being victimized by extreme extraction and the effects of climate change; including Indigenous Americans, Black and Latino communities, low and moderate income communities, rural communities, and struggling farm families.
  • Strong dedication to justice, equity, and inclusion 
  • Ability to work with social media and digital tools to convey complex ideas in accessible ways
  • Ability to work independently while working effectively with a team and seeking feedback and support when needed. 
  • Strong time management skills. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Proven ability to be self-driven, while working effectively with a team 
  • Proven ability to multitask, while prioritizing measurable results 

The Details

CCAN is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse workforce. We value bringing a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives on staff because it makes us smarter and more effective at what we do and, ultimately, we want our staff and supporters to reflect the communities we organize.

This position is based in CCAN’s Takoma Park office. There will be occasional opportunities to work on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Mileage reimbursement is available for all CCAN-required travel except travel to and from the office (commute). The Federal Policy Fellow reports to the Federal Director. 

Compensation is $16.10 per hour for 20 hours per week during the summer over a period of 15 weeks. 

How to Apply

Please fill out the Google form application linked here to apply. We will continue reviewing applications until the position is filled but preference for interviews will be given to candidates who apply before March 21, 2023. You will be prompted to answer a series of short questions and asked to submit a resume and writing sample. Please contact jobs@chesapeakeclimate.org with any questions.

Mobility for All: the Fight for Public Transit

CCAN honors today, February 4, Transit Equity Day and the birthdate of civil rights advocate Rosa Parks. In 1955, Ms. Parks helped spur a national movement against racist Jim Crow policies by refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, resulting in a year long bus boycott. 

CCAN is a proud advocate for frequent and far-reaching public transit to combat climate change and promote mobility for all. Access to reliable and safe public transportation directly leads to improved economic outcomes and quality of life, while reducing air pollution and mitigating climate change. The transportation sector accounts for more than half of our carbon emissions, yet here in the Commonwealth few options exist for those reliant on public transit. Freedom of mobility remains only for the privileged. 

A plan for democracy in transit decision-making

In the fall of 2021, I teamed up with RVA Rapid Transit to apply for the Virginia Walkability Action Institute (VWAI). This program is a joint project by the Center for Disease Control and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to promote active transportation and public transit in the Commonwealth. We came in with a broad intention to elevate the voices and lived experiences of bus riders to the rooms where the decisions about public transit are made. We went through a series of lectures led by VDH’s Dr. Milicent Miller and Equitable Cities founder Charles Brown. We eventually came up with an action plan for a multi weeklong program that mirrored a lot of the information that we had learned in this course to pass onto those in our community. We decided to begin a biannual Mobility University.

We took to the streets to collect stories and start building out our advocate base. This past summer, CCAN and RVA Rapid Transit canvassed Richmond city bus stops garnering feedback on public transit related issues, like increased frequency & coverage, essential infrastructure and remaining zero free for everyone. We were armed with voice recorders and surveys to collect data. We handed out water and fans as we discussed the lacking infrastructure to protect passengers from the heat of the summer. 

These videos and statements were brought forth to City Council meetings and Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) board meetings, to put actual rider experiences in front of those with the power. Getting to 8 am board meetings (off of a bus line that only runs hourly) proves difficult for someone juggling multiple jobs, and we wanted to ensure that everyone’s voices were heard – even if they couldn’t commit to showing up in person at Mobility University. Additionally, from these encounters, we secured a group of 10 individuals from all over the city together to be a part of our inaugural effort.

Mobility University: a training ground for bus advocates

In the fall 2022, CCAN and RVART put on the first iteration of Mobility University, dedicated to educating and empowering bus riders for self advocacy in the transit world. We tackled topics like a history of transit, walkability, transit governance. We also worked to hone our skills as advocates with sessions like testifying and storytelling for change. By the end of our time, we held a graduation for our first class with representation from GRTC in attendance. 

All of our work has resulted in some major wins! Last month, the GRTC board, in response to our outpouring of support, decided to continue to fund the zero free initiative. Through a grant from the VWAI program, we created a standalone project that relates the experience of Richmond public transit to a diverse audience in an easy and palatable way. You can check out this video (in both English and Spanish) that highlights the rider experience and why well-funded transit systems are essential. The viewing party, which we co-hosted with RVART and VAIPL, was attended by over 50 people.

What’s left in the fight

We still have work to do. In conversations with the GRTC, RVART and CCAN are working to put together a transit riders advisory group, which would serve as a key consultant on decisions made in regards to transit in the Richmond metro area. We also need to take action now in the General Assembly session to ensure that we continue to prioritize public transit! State lawmakers are currently considering a great bill that would invest in transit funding, and you, regardless of where you live in the Commonwealth, can help.

Tell your state legislators to SUPPORT HB2338/SB1326. Ensure that we utilize all of the current public transit funding to the best of its ability. Send a quick message today!


Take Action

Danville Register & Bee op-ed: Youngkin says no to good jobs

You don’t need to look hard at census data to see that Virginia and Georgia aren’t very different. With booming populations, a host of technology entrepreneurs and a business-friendly climate, they are both among the most dynamic economic hot spots in the country.

But here’s a crucial difference: In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp is turning that state into one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturing hubs in the nation. Meanwhile Gov. Glenn Youngkin has just rejected a bid by Ford Motor Co. to build a massive battery manufacturing facility in Southern Virginia.

One of these southern powerhouses is racing toward the future. The other, Virginia, is deliberately turning its back on 21st century transportation investments. The reason for rejecting Ford? Youngkin points to vague benefits to the Chinese government. But workers in his state must wonder what their governor has against them.

Other states have taken a better route. Driven by the historic investments from last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, new battery manufacturing plants are planned across the country, with Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan joining Georgia in leading the way, according to the Department of Energy. Over just the last two years, planned investments in the U.S. battery and electric vehicle manufacturing sector quadrupled to $210 billion, more than the annual economic output of Kentucky, according to a report from Atlas EV Hub.

In Georgia, $23 billion of investments in the electric vehicle sector — including from Hyundai Motor Group and Rivian — have been announced, projects that the state says will create about 28,000 jobs.

“I’m fulfilling my promise of creating good-paying jobs for our state,” Kemp told Politico recently, discussing his push to turn the Peach State into the “electric mobility capital of America.” Republican governors from Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee have also recognized that this is where the vehicle market is going — and they want their states to drive this transition.

All of which underscores how Youngkin seems to be driving his state into a ditch.

To expand its domestic supply chain and cut its dependence on imports, Ford is looking to invest in a plant to make lithium iron phosphate batteries in a partnership with a company called Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). The $3.5 billion plant would have created an estimated 2,500 jobs in the struggling southern realm of the Virginia, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

However, Youngkin decided to remove Virginia from consideration for the plant because of his concerns about CATL, which has ties to the Chinese government. This despite the fact that there are already many economic and cultural connections between Virginia and China.

Now, those jobs are going elsewhere. One political observer told the Times-Dispatch that the speculation is that Youngkin’s sudden decision to pull out — which came after the project had been in the works for some time — has more to do with Youngkin’s presidential aspirations than any considerations for Virginia’s economy. If so, that’s a funny way to run for higher office: Politicians often run on their ability to attract jobs and grow the economy, not reject jobs and harm the economy.

Recognizing the benefits of manufacturing investments, state leaders will often promise just about anything to get companies to invest within their borders. Sometimes these tax breaks and promised investments don’t quite add up. This time those incentives make total sense for three key reasons.

First, this is a new industry, one that is primed for dramatic growth. While new vehicle sales fell overall by 8% in 2022, electric vehicle sales grew by a stunning 65%, totaling 5.8% of all new vehicle sales last year. Analysts have been looking at the strong growth and predicting a rapid doubling or tripling of those sales. President Joe Biden has laid out the goal of having half of all U.S. vehicle sales be electric by the end of the decade. We might get there even sooner.

Second, the climate bill Congress passed last year includes record incentives to build out the domestic U.S. electric vehicle supply chain. Those include both new tax credits for everything from mineral refining to battery assembly, as well as expanded consumer credits that reward vehicles built domestically. In part because of these new incentives and requirements, there has been a whopping $40 billion in new clean energy investments announced since Biden signed that bill into law.

Third, clean energy jobs are good jobs. The average hourly wages for clean energy jobs overall are about 25% higher than the national median wage, and those jobs are more likely to come with health care and retirement benefits than jobs across the rest of the private sector, according to a 2020 report by E2.

Soon after he took office, Youngkin wrote in the Post that there are 600,000 former Virginians living “in states that we directly compete with.” He tried to blame liberals in Richmond, but, given the good, new jobs now moving to Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, that number may soon be growing.

By Mike Tidwell. Original published at the Danville Register & Bee.

Daily Record Op-ed: Maryland needs to build more offshore wind projects

Op-ed by Jamie DeMarco initially published in The Daily Record.

Offshore wind is bringing union careers to Maryland, lowering utility bills, and improving our health, but the turbines under development today will not be enough to achieve our goals. In 2022, Maryland passed the Climate Solutions Now Act, which requires the state to slash our emissions 60% by 2031. In order to meet this ambitious legal mandate, we must invest in more offshore wind energy and the transmission infrastructure needed to support it.

Offshore wind, Onshore Benefits

Just last year, the Public Service Commission approved applications from Orsted’s Skipjack Wind and US Wind’s Momentum Wind, bringing the total offshore wind market in Maryland to 2 Gigawatts. These projects are on track to be completed and generating energy in 2026. The four projects approved in Maryland (two from US Wind and two from Orsted) have already produced significant economic and workforce benefits to Maryland. Maryland’s Public Service Commission required the two wind companies to invest $115 million in manufacturing facilities and port upgrades in and around Sparrows Point, or a similar port facility, and contribute $6 million to an offshore wind business development fund.

Those offshore wind projects brought union steel jobs back to Maryland. In August of 2021, US Wind announced plans to build a new steel fabrication facility at the Tradepoint Atlantic site in Baltimore County, now called Sparrows Point Steel. With this announcement, they also announced a $77 million investment in a 90-acre port facility and labor agreements with the Baltimore-D.C. Building & Construction trades union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to provide union labor to support US Wind’s Maryland projects. Orsted has also invested in the local supply chain and has teamed up with Crystal Steel Fabricators, located in Federalsburg, MD, to supply steel components for wind turbines up and down the East Coast, further establishing Maryland as a supply hub for the offshore wind industry.

Significant investments in offshore wind can also lower energy costs for Marylanders. According to a new report from Gabel Associates, these benefits for ratepayers could be significant. If Maryland builds an additional 6,000 MW of offshore wind in the Central Atlantic it could save Maryland $5.3 billion over the 30-year lifetime of the projects. Setting aside the huge environmental and health benefits that offshore wind will provide; ratepayer benefits could measurably outweigh the cost of building this additional offshore wind capacity. Even in the highest-cost scenario the report models, benefits to Marylanders, including ratepayer, economic, and environmental benefits, outweigh the generation costs associated with 6,000 MW of offshore wind.

Clearly, wind works for Maryland. To bring even greater economic and health benefits to our state, the Maryland General Assembly should pass legislation in 2023 to invest in offshore wind development by setting an offshore wind goal of at least 8.5 GW by 2031, initiating a state process to coordinate transmission infrastructure, and investing in the full build-out of the existing lease areas.

An offshore wind energy goal

Many states, in our region and beyond, have established offshore wind development goals through executive orders or legislation. These goals help signal to the market and regulators on the federal and state level that the state is friendly to offshore wind and has aspirations for investments in the industry. Setting a total of 8.5 GW as our state’s goal will help establish Maryland as an epicenter for additional development.

Transmission

In order for offshore wind to be useful, it must be brought ashore. Unfortunately, offshore wind projects in Maryland face a significant barrier to connecting to the grid. Transmission has been handled in the past on a project-by-project basis; to improve efficiency, experts recommend a more coordinated approach that would reduce congestion of multiple lines, increase carbon reduction potential and minimize environmental impacts. By passing legislation to direct the state to manage a competitive transmission procurement, Maryland could establish a coordinated transmission network that solves the issue of interconnection and builds resilience and reliability on our grid.

Building out the existing lease areas

Both Orsted and US Wind have existing space in their lease areas for roughly 700 – 800 additional megawatts each but the current policy (largely the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credit price cap) does not allow for additional development without impacting rate-payers. However, if additional projects could be built without the cost or risk accruing to ratepayers, Maryland could benefit from up to 1600 MW of additional offshore wind energy. This would be possible by having the state directly purchase the energy through the Department of General Services. This energy would serve the state government’s energy needs and then the surplus could be sold on the energy market for revenue.

Our state has been a leader in addressing the climate crisis and setting ambitious climate pollution reduction and clean energy goals. However, those goals can’t be reached without investments to our transmission infrastructure. We also have an opportunity to work with the White House and leverage federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Biden/Harris Administration has set a goal of 30 additional gigawatts of domestic offshore wind by 2030. The momentum for offshore wind is undeniable but Maryland legislators must act in 2023 to ensure Maryland sees the benefits of this clean energy revolution.

Jamie DeMarco is Maryland director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund.

Celebrating 20 Years Of Climate Action, Passage of Historic Climate Bill, and a Promise to Keep Fighting for Our Planet

Celebrating 20 Years Of Climate Action, Passage of Historic Climate Bill, and a Promise to Keep Fighting for Our Planet

“The best regional grassroots climate group in the world” celebrates two decades of struggle and progress with a party and featured speakers including United States Senator Chris Van Hollen, DC Councilmember Mary Cheh, Virginia State Senator Jennifer McClellan, climate activist Bill McKibben and many more

The wine was flowing. The birthday cake was delicious. And the party-goers had a blast! Legislators, activists, and nearly 300 of Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s closest friends gathered on October 20 in Washington, DC to celebrate 20 years of climate action and the recent passage of historic federal climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act. And, most importantly, they pledged to keep working together in the future to fight climate change.

That’s right. It’s been 20 years since Mike Tidwell left behind a successful career in journalism to launch CCAN out of his home in Takoma Park, Maryland. From that humble start grew what Bill McKibben – the renowned author, educator and environmentalist – calls the “best regional grassroots climate group in the world.” Today, CCAN has tens of thousands of supporters nationwide – with 23 dedicated staffers, three regional offices, and dozens of climate activist group allies – all dedicated to protecting our planet.

Event speakers included (left to right): Harrison Wallace, Climate & Clean Energy Equity Fund; Dave McGovern, CCAN Board of Directors; Shruti Bhatnagar, Sierra Club Montgomery County; US Senator Chris Van Hollen; Mike Tidwell, CCAN; Bill McKibben, Author/Activist; MD State Delegate Kumar Barve; VA State Senator Jennifer McClellan; April Moore, CCAN Board of Directors; Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., Hip Hop Caucus.

CCAN’s 20th Anniversary was attended by friends and climate champions from across our region – bringing together key legislative leaders from Maryland, DC, and Virginia all in one room for the first time! Below are a few highlights from the evening.

Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, got us started by recalling early days in the fight against climate change – working with some of the activists who were in attendance at this anniversary event and even getting arrested at several protests with his good friend, Bill McKibben. He concluded by saying, “I’m excited for the movement… but this is the thing. We don’t have 20 more years, so we can’t be here thinking about what we’re going to do 20 years from now. We won’t look ahead to 2042. That isn’t the goal for this organization. We’ve got to fix this now. We’ve got to fix this for our children. And for our children’s children. Thanks so much CCAN for all that you do!” 

  

DC Councilmember Mary Cheh received CCAN’s first-ever Regional Climate Champion Award. After 16 years on the council, Cheh has decided to retire but during her tenure she spearheaded groundbreaking climate bills that became law a good two or three years before similar legislation passed in the surrounding states. They include a 50% renewable electricity standard in 2016, a 100% RES in 2018, and most recently, a bill that — with some exceptions — prohibits methane gas in new buildings in the nation’s capital after 2026. In accepting her award, Cheh issued a friendly challenge to Maryland and Virginia: Please catch up fast!

 

Virginia State Senator Jennifer McClellan gave a rousing speech about her collaboration with CCAN. She talked about the remarkable progress that Virginia has made in recent years including passage of the South’s first-ever clean energy standards, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, and in the same year passed the Solar Freedom Act and Environmental Justice Act, then one year later passing the Clean Car standards. Every step of the way, McClellan said, “CCAN was right there.” Now, she said, there are new challenges but “with your help … Virginia can stay a leader. Happy Birthday!” 

 


Climate activist Bill McKibben, who helped inspire Tidwell to launch CCAN, congratulated CCAN again on its victories and issued a stirring call to action: “Now, more than ever, we need groups like CCAN because we’re moving now from the exhortation phase of this fight to the execution phase! We’ve got to keep demonstrating… but we’ve got to deploy, too. So it’s going to take this set of skills that groups like CCAN have spent so much time developing. Now the role will be to help other people around the country and around the world go down the same path.” We’ve started a movement for climate action and now it’s time for us all to continue – full speed ahead! 

 

US Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), our final featured speaker, first met Mike more than 20 years ago. Van Hollen was running for the US House of Representatives. The Sierra Club asked Mike to write a profile of the young candidate. During the interview, Mike asked Van Hollen what he thought about Mike’s idea to form a grassroots regional climate group, and what advice he had to pass transformative legislation. Van Hollen gave Mike the advice that guides us to this day: “Number one, build the biggest coalition you can for your issue. Leave no one out. Reach out widely. And two, never, ever, ever, ever, EVER, give up.” 

At the 20th Anniversary event, Van Hollen underscored that theme again, urging the attendees to focus on implementation of new legislation. “In many ways, the hard part starts now. It’s also the reality that even if [the IRA] is perfectly implemented, we all know it only takes us part of the way… We need to do more to address all of the challenges we’re facing. And use the opportunity to put more people to work in the clean-energy economy. We’ve got a lot of work to do!” 

In addition, to these and other speakers, we were also joined by other leading legislators — the region’s climate “royalty” who have passed landmark climate bills at the local and state levels, including: 

  • Maryland Senator Paul Pinsky (MD-District 22)
  • Virginia Delegate Rip Sullivan (VA-District 48)
  • Maryland Delegate Kumar Barve (MD-District 17)
  • Maryland Delegate Lorig Charkoudian (MD-District 20)
  • Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Reimer 

And many others, from climate activists to dear friends and family, more than we can relay here! 

Now, take a walk through CCAN’s history by watching this video: 

Video: Celebrating 20 Years of Climate Action with CCAN

Thanks for your support over the years and for helping us continue our work by becoming an Action Member today! 

Become an Action Member

Governor Youngkin’s “All-of-the-Above” Energy Plan Fails Virginia in the Midst of Climate Crisis and the Push for New Renewable Energy Nationwide

RICHMOND, VA-Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s “2022 Virginia Energy Plan” – released today – is a veiled threat to Virginia’s clean-energy progress in recent years and threatens to move the Commonwealth backwards during the world’s last-chance decade to solve climate change. The 29-page report takes a supposedly “all-of-the-above” approach to energy, calling for support for more coal and gas and nuclear while calling for changes to the state’s landmark “Clean Economy Act of 2020” and “Clean Cars Act of 2021.”

Mike Tidwell, Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, issued the following statement in response to the new energy plan from the Virginia Department of Energy:

“As hurricanes bash the U.S. in the east and wildfires torch the west, Governor Youngkin’s new energy plan for Virginia fails to meet the challenge of cleaning our air and solving the climate crisis. His ‘all-of-the-above’ approach would have been fine in 1950 but has no place in the year 2022. Methane gas is not ‘clean’ and nuclear power is fantastically expensive and will not protect consumers or the environment. Instead of embracing false solutions like gas and nuclear, the Governor should be embracing and implementing the Virginia Clean Economy Act and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – policies already on the books and benefiting Virginians. Instead, he calls for review and changes to these fully functioning and successful policies. The people of Virginia want serious solutions, not games, when it comes to energy. They want low-cost wind and solar and the electric vehicles Detroit is all-in on manufacturing. Glenn Youngkin should catch up to modern Virginia and leave 1900s Virginia behind.”

The 2022 Virginia Energy Plan can be read here.

Contact:
Mike Tidwell, Executive Director, CCAN,  mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-460-5838
KC Chartrand, Communications Director, CCAN, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144

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Related campaign:

Youngkin is Marching Virginia Backwards

We Need to Fight against Manchin’s Dirty Deal

US Senator Joe Manchin will stop at nothing to strong-arm fossil fuel boondoggles into existence, especially the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in West Virginia and Virginia. His approach this time? A Dirty Deal with US Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass so-called “permitting reform” legislation.

This label is misleading because the bill would actually sacrifice frontline communities to fast track permits for all kinds of risky, destructive fossil fuel projects.

Tell your Congressmembers: NO DIRTY DEAL!

The MVP is a climate-warming, land-destroying, family-wrecking pipeline that is utterly unacceptable to us. Which is why we have been fighting it from the day it was proposed in 2015. That pipeline would cross nearly 1000 streams and wetlands to transport fracked gas from West Virginia to Virginia and possibly to overseas markets. We unequivocally oppose this pipeline and any legislation that would greenlight it.

The Dirty Deal bill has a difficult path to passage, but we need to pull out all the stops. No one has seen the official legislation yet, but the one-page summary of the deal that was leaked is a disaster – it guts bedrock environmental protections, endangers public health, fast-tracks fossil fuels, and pushes approval for Manchin’s pet project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline – and a draft legislative text that’s circulating is just as bad, it even bears a watermark from the American Petroleum Institute!

American Petroleum Institute watermark on the draft deal: https://twitter.com/jimrwalsh/status/1555223445637632000/photo/1
American Petroleum Institute watermark on the draft deal: https://twitter.com/jimrwalsh/status/1555223445637632000/photo/1

Manchin’s deal will not only attempt to force through the Mountain Valley Pipeline, it’ll also threaten the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental policy.

Here’s what the draft deal claims to do if passed:

  • Shorten the timeline for permitting reviews to two years for major projects and one year for lower-impact projects
  • Allow for more categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Cut climate change out of consideration
  • Prohibit Tribal agencies from requesting applicants to withdraw their applications

…and more. Read the full text at this link.

Lengths of pipe placed the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley Pipeline near Elliston, Virginia, U.S. September 29, 2019. Picture taken September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller (Newscom TagID: rtrleleven529716.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]
Lengths of pipe placed the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley Pipeline near Elliston, Virginia, U.S. September 29, 2019. Picture taken September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller (Newscom TagID: rtrleleven529716.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]

This is a dirty deal written by and for the fossil fuel industry. It’ll also sacrifice frontline communities to fast-track permits for other fossil fuel projects.  Leader Schumer could attach this legislation to a must-pass government spending bill this September, so we must do everything we can to stop this legislation in its tracks.

Manchin’s deal will not only attempt to force through the Mountain Valley Pipeline, it’ll also threaten the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental policy.

We will not stand for this.

Manchin’s Dirty Deal would have monumental repercussions. It would gut existing environmental law by cutting public input and dismissing tribal authority. The clear result would be more dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure that decimates public health and accelerates out-of-control climate chaos.  

No one should be sacrificed for profit. We have to fight back and urge our elected officials to do all they can to stop this terrible legislation. 

Send a message to your members of Congress. Tell them to say NO to Manchin’s Dirty Deal!

Tell your Congressmembers: NO DIRTY DEAL!