Cartoon: Petroleumville
DC-Area County Passes Carbon Tax on Coal Plant in Absence of Federal Carbon Cap
A Maryland county bordering Washington, D.C., today passed a $15 million Continue reading
Kerry-Lieberman Bill Continues Dangerous Direction for U.S.
The Climate Reality Check coalition (CRC) – consisting of faith, social justice, environmental, and other public interest organizations – announced today that the American Power Act introduced by Sens. John Kerry (MA) and Joe Lieberman (CT) is the wrong direction for U.S. climate and energy policy. Continue reading
Wind not Oil!
As the Gulf Coast oil catastrophe quickly grows into one of the largest environmental disasters in United States history, Hampton Roads residents rallied in Virginia Beach today to call for a permanent moratorium on offshore drilling and a renewed focus on developing wind farms off Virginia’s coasts instead.
The Gulf Coast oil spill disaster is a tragic reminder that the price of offshore oil drilling is far too high. A similar spill off Virginia Beach could reach as far south as Cape May and reach into the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia is on track to become the first state on the East Coast to open its shores to offshore oil drilling following Bush-era roll back of moratoriums protecting Atlantic drilling. To demonstrate the risk posed by offshore oil drilling, we staged a mock “oil slick” at Virginia Beach’s oceanfront.
In light of the tremendous safety concerns raised by the Gulf Coast oil spill, the Obama Administration announced Thursday it was suspending hearings on a proposed oil lease sale off Virginia’s coastline. While we are encouraged by this announcement, we urge the Administration to replace the permanent moratorium on offshore oil drilling while re-doubling efforts to develop wind farms off Virginia’s coast instead.
Today’s gathering in Virginia Beach was part of a massive grassroots movement taking place around the country, of communities calling for an end to offshore drilling and the need to move towards a clean energy future. Over 50 protests nationwide are expected this week.
CCAN Applauds Va. Oil Lease Suspension, Urges Permanent Moratorium
The U.S. Department of the Interior today suspended Continue reading
Does Gov. McDonnell want black sand beaches in Virginia?
With oil continuing to spew from the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico at a potentially growing rate- the size of the slick has tripled in the past couple of days– many experts are now worried that this spill may affect more than just the gulf coast.
A BIG Victory!
Wow. Today is a great day for the climate movement and our nation as a whole. After months of hearing rumors about the possible dreadful components of the Senate climate bill and President Obama’s announcement to open our coasts for offshore drilling, with Virginia at the top of that list, we finally have a victory to celebrate. This afternoon, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar announced his agency’s approval of the Cape Wind project. This project, nine years in the making, will meet 75% of the area’s electricity needs with clean, renewable energy. Finally, the US is moving toward a clean energy future.
This announcement is incredibly personal for me because I spent almost 4 years trying to make this project a reality. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see it through to the end but the victory is just as sweet from a distance. Now I am using my experience and knowledge to push offshore wind for Virginia, which hopefully won’t take another decade to come to fruition. Just yesterday I was appointed to DEQs offshore wind Regulator Advisory Panel to flesh out the permitting and siting guidelines for projects off our coasts. This is going to be a daunting task but I look forward to the adventure.
And on a side note, the DMME opened up the appliance rebate program for Virginia residents today so if you are thinking of buying a new energy star appliance check their website first! Hurry up though because these funds will run out quickly!
Mont. Co. "Carbon Tax" on Big Polluters is a Key Step Toward Protecting Kids and Our Climate
On Earth Day 2010, I salute Councilmember Roger Berliner for proposing one of America Continue reading
CCAN Director Honored to Receive '40 Environmentalists in 40 Years' Tribute
To mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day 1970, the Montgomery County Council today named CCAN director Mike Tidwell as one of the County’s top 40 environmental leaders over the past 40 years. Continue reading
A Tale of Two Cities and The Broken Promise of Coal
Crossposted from CBF’s Blog.
I recently drove down to the blackwater swamps of southern Virginia to witness a tale of two cities. Many residents of tiny, rural Dendron (population, 300) see their community’s economic salvation in the construction of a coal-fired power plant. But others are deeply worried about the health impacts of toxic mercury pollution and microscopic soot particles. Down the road from Dendron, the town of Clover, Virginia, tried a similar path to renaissance 17 years ago — and learned a sobering lesson.
I started my journey in Dendron, located about 50 miles west Norfolk, Virginia. Once the home of a booming lumber mill, today the only remaining business in town is Bailey’s Convenient Mart. The signs out front proclaim “Mountain Dew” and “God Loves You.”
“There is nothing here right now — no stores, no playgrounds, no entertainment for our kids,” said Fred Moore, a longtime area resident, as he leaned against an out-of-service pump out front of Bailey’s. “If you even want to get gas for your lawn mower, you got to go 10 miles either way. But change is coming with the power plant. This could bring in a lot of people.”
The Dendron Town Council in February approved a rezoning that will allow the construction of a 1,500 megawatt coal-fired power plant Continue reading