Frank Kratovil luvs Green Jobs

Here at CCAN, the MD team and the VA team had a friendly bet going on about competing Town Hall Meetings that we worked on organizing (with some help from coalition partners) – which team could get the most people to turn out to the event? Well, the jury is still out on that one (our headcount is higher, but it was pretty close), but more importantly, this was a great opportunity to chat with MD’s newest Congressman, the Honorable Frank Kratovil.

Above is a picture of Mr. Kratovil, speaking to a packed house about green jobs and clean energy, and how awesome they are, and what is in the simulus package to help create them ($87 billion of investments in clean energy and 1.7 million new green jobs created, if you were wondering).

It was pretty inspiring, all this green talk, and not just from the Congressman. Our other panelists were Dr. Kevin Sellner of the Chesapeake Research Consortium, who had all kinds of fun facts and figures about the terrible things global warming will do to the Chesapeake Bay, and Benjamin Goldstein from the Center for American Progress, who talked about green jobs and clean energy potential right here in MD. Oh and me, I also spoke, so you KNOW that it was awesome.

Didn’t make it, but want to take action? Then send a thank you note to your legislators who supported the green stimulus bill (and if they didn’t support it, we’ll send them a spank you note instead). And spread the word – tell your friends, because it’s time to build a clean energy army!

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James Hansen joins voices calling for action

“I think it’s time we take a stand on global warming,” says James Hansen in this video calling on all of us to take part in the March 2nd civil disobedience on Capitol Hill. Just days after the Washington Post reported that the pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, the scientific community is calling on all of us to ramp up our efforts.

Join us on March 2 as we participate in the largest civil disobedience on global warming in history.

EPA to regulate CO2, or How coal plants die

In the death throes of the Bush administration, then-EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson put the agency on record stating that CO2 is not a pollutant that should be regulated by the Clean Air Act. This week, the current EPA administrator Lisa Jackson announced her intent to overturn that memorandum, putting the EPA on the path toward regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

As a result of this decision, coal plants are dropping like flies. The latest victim comes out of Oklahoma. Opposition groups cite the EPA decision and public outcry, but the reps from the company building the plant say it’s “purely a business decision.” With more and more planned coal plants biting the dust due to “business decisions,” how much longer can coal companies insist that building new coal plants is our best option?

But this hilarious video from 2006 reminds us that the fossil fuel industry isn’t confined to the truth when defending its turf. (No, it’s not a spoof. It’s real.)


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Watch Global Warming Forum with Rep. Connolly Online at 7 pm

Yesterday, President Obama just signed into law an economic recovery bill containing $87 billion in green investment funds–the largest investment ever in clean energy solutions! This is only the first step of many to solve the climate challenge and build a clean economy. In the months ahead, we’ll have to keep pushing Congress and the President to enact strong caps on carbon pollution and a halt to new coal power plants.

Tonight, Fairfax County’s Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11th) will be talking to a packed town hall meeting at the Fairfax City Library about what congress is doing to stop global warming and what you need to do to keep up the pressure. If you can’t make it in person, watch it online on CCAN’s Blog: http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/blog/?p=785
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Bobby Scott talked green at THM in Richmond last night

Last night was the first of several town hall meetings being held across the state on green jobs and clean energy sponsored by the C-campaign. Congressman Bobby Scott spoke to a crowded room (estimated between 100-170 people!). Other speakers included:

Mr. Karl Bren, founder of Green Visions Consulting;
Mr. Michael Schewel, Chair of the Corporate Development Department at McGuireWoods and former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade;
Mr. Glen Besa, Director, Virginia Sierra Club;
Dr. Thad Williamson, Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond; and
Dr. James Wetzel, Professor of Environmental Economics, Virginia Commonwealth University.

After the panel spoke, they opened the floor for questions. People were really excited about green jobs and wanted to know more. One gentleman said he’s been looking at workforce development training and couldn’t find anything closer than NYC. He stated that the price of that particular program keeps going up and up too. He wanted to know why there wasn’t any training for him here in Richmond. A gentleman from a vocational technical school said they implemented a program last year to train troubled youth how to build solar panels. They felt it was more important to get the program up and running then to sit and wait for funding. He said that with the signing of the stimulus bill, they are planning to expand the program and start doing adult training programs as early as next month.
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Adams Morgan Climate Graffiti

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The buzz around the Capitol Climate Action is hot! The action has over 60 endorsing organizations and over 1500 people are registered and willing to risk arrest. It’s taken on a life of its own