UMD for Clean Energy Letter to Ben Cardin

Cross-posted from: here

The University of Maryland student activist group I am currently campaign director of is called UMD for Clean Energy. In the past year we’ve worked on getting thousands of Powervote pledges, collaborated with state environmental groups to pass a state global warming bill with the strongest short term greenhouse emissions target in the country, and our most recent accomplishments were organizing(with other groups) a 300 person clean energy Town Hall meeting for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer(whose floor debate remarks are incredible), and bringing together students statewide to help turn Maryland Congressman Frank Kratovil’s swing vote on ACES into a yes vote. Our close proximity to DC gives us plenty of opportunities to lobby and have a strong presence on Federal legislation.

This past Tuesday, we delivered a letter to our Senator Ben Cardin’s office in a visit a couple of our members made to DC to meet with Cardin’s office as well as Senator Barbara Mikulski’s. The letter outlined what our group feels should be prioritized regarding improvements in the drafting of Senate legislation over the House climate bill . Although we know we have Ben Cardin’s vote, he is playing a important role on the Environment and Public Works Committee in drafting the Senate bill, and in marking it up. We would like to see the part of the bill that comes out of the EPW committee be as strong as possible, and feel that there can be improvements since the make up of the committee is fairly progressive and full of East and West coast Democrats who states are not particularly coal dependent. Letter is below, and was signed by our elected officers. Continue reading

No prize for me but Sen. Cardin sure deserves one

As you know we have put out the call to get Letters to the Editor submitted in Maryland. And you answered that call! Last week CCAN volunteers submitted four LTEs, so as an act of solidarity I submitted my own to the Washington Post. To be honest they haven’t gotten back to me about printing it…because they are probably considering me for a Pulitzer and don’t want to spring it on me too quickly. So, while I wait on my prize I will publish my LTE here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

To the Editor:

Kari Lydersen’s piece about the important bill introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) to prevent mountaintop removal mining [Miners Boycott Tenn. Over Alexander’s Bill, July 26] was missing a key explanation. Why would a Senator from Maryland

Coal Lobbyists Stooped to New Lows in Effort to Kill Clean Energy Bill

Letters sent to Congressman Tom Perriello (D-5th Dist.) from at least six Charlottesville-based minority groups opposing the American Clean Energy and Security Act were forged, the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported today. Congressman Perriello, a freshman Congressman from the Charlottesville area was considered a swing vote on the legislation. It is unclear whether other Congressmen received similar fake letters. Continue reading

How to Get a Strong Senate Climate Bill, Part 2.5: Write (another) Letter to the Editor

Right now Senator Cardin is helping draft the Senate version of a clean energy bill!

The draft is expected to be released early September when the Senate returns from their August recess. This is OUR CHANCE as Marylanders to ensure that OUR VOICE and values are written into the bill.

Cardin will only fight for a strong bill in the Senate if he is hearing from the grassroots. Sen. Cardin has personally told us that he has recently heard more public feedback against clean energy policy than for it. We must be heard at this critical moment!

Here is just a small example of what we are up against. Check out this Letter to the Editor (LTE) in the Fredrick News Post:

“The world is laughing at us. Why would we ball-and-chain our economic future when it’s scraping bottom now? Oh! I almost forgot, global warming, with the emphasis on global.”

Letters like this are being printed across the state and its time for us to respond! Please, take a moment to respond and write your own letter. JOIN CCAN’s Truth Squad and get the latest updates.

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Last weeks truth squad was focused on the broad benefits of a clean energy economy so this week we will focus on consumers specifically. Here are some talking points:

Consumer Pocketbook Protection

1. Thank our Senator’s for their leadership: I am encouraged by Senator Cardin and Mikulski’s past leadership on clean energy issues and are urging them to champion a strong clean energy bill in the US Senate.

2. Make Polluters Pay: The best way to protect the American consumer from rising energy costs is to make the policy fair by making polluters – not taxpayers -pay for cleaning up pollution. Make sure the Senate bill requires polluters to pay for the right to pollute.

3. Auction the Permits: The EPA says that a bill that gives permits to polluters for free will be more expensive. Protect my pocketbook by auctioning permits to polluters.

4. Rebate the Revenues to the Public: To protect my pocketbook, Senator’s Cardin and Senator Mikulski should push to auction all the pollution permits and return revenues to the public through direct rebates.

Check out Anne’s CCAN blog post to learn more about on consumer protection.

Please, let me know when you submit a letter and again when you get it published: ethan[at]chesapeakeclimate.org

Join the Truth Squad today!

Also, for more info check out our 10 ways to make your Senator a Clean Energy Champ toolkit

We've got the POWER!

And the resources to repower Virginia without the construction of new coal plants or drilling off our coasts. Some might think this is crazy talk but the numbers are there to back me up. I attended a Senate briefing on offshore wind potential that blew me a way! (no pun intended… okay maybe a little pun intended)

offshore windIt is safe to say now that wind both on and offshore is a REAL solution to meet our energy demands. The tides, times and technologies are changing and it’s about time we start construction on Virginia’s first offshore wind turbine.

Here’s why:

1. We have relatively shallow water and few strong hurricanes, which make us a good candidate.
2. We have the highest wind potential in the South.
3. The wind industry CREATES jobs- construction, welding, maritime, ship design and architecture. (slide 8 )
4. Nearly 25% of the investment in wind projects engage the LOCAL community (this number has the potential to grow)
5. We have sites that don’t interfere with commerce or the Navy

wind speed offshore virginia
(Click on the image to view larger size)

Then we can get into the numbers a little bit and do a simple cost comparison between offshore oil drilling and offshore wind.
Offshore wind can create 330,000 MW vs Oil from the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) can create 18,000 MW (in 20 years).
Wind has 16 times the potential of offshore oil drilling! As if that’s not compelling enough, lets look at it through a lens of reducing oil imports. There is a growing trend that is pushing us towards electric vehicles (EV). One EV draws 400 W (.4kW) of electricity. Mid Atlantic cars draw 29,000 MW (EEEK!). Atlantic OCS oil could run 30% of Mid Atlantic cars for 20 years, while offshore wind would run 100% of those cars…. forever! This analysis comes from Willett Kempton’s presentation, which I’m having trouble finding online. he bottom line is there enough wind to matter and we’ve got it right here in Virginia!

It would appear Bob Dylan got it right. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.