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Video: First Victory Against Big Coal in VA

As a follow up from Peebles’ blog post about the courageous Dendron Town Council vote on Monday, here’s our video:

Video by Jay! with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Dendron, Va. chooses its own future.

Dendron, Virginia, has more than its share of challenges. The community of around 300, located in the southern corner of Surry County, struggles with an outdated municipal water system, crumbling sidewalks and no major businesses within the town.

Prior to the Great Depression, Dendron had been a company town of more than 3,000, fueled by the lumber industry’s presence there. Private business thrived in a town that revolved around the processing and export of timber across the country. Despite its character as an industrial one-trick-pony, the town of Dendron had something to stand for, and an industry to be proud of.

Today’s Dendron little resembles that historic vision of the 1900’s boomtown. Largely forgotten by the industry that once supported a thriving community, and facing serious municipal and community problems, such as an unexpected $10,000 water bill, you’d think the small town would take anything at this point to give it an economic boost.

The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative assumed this to be true when executives within the cooperative approached Dendronites with a plan for a new 1,500-megawatt coal-fired power plant, the second largest of its kind in Virginia. ODEC presented the Cypress Creek project with the promise of new jobs, tax revenue, and the idea that one major industry would bring others to the cash-strapped community. Despite local environmental effects and immediate hazards to human health, ODEC worked to assure Dendron residents that they stood to benefit from such a plant’s construction. ODEC also assumed that they’d buy into it without any major hiccups.

The cooperative, which has endlessly dispelled misinformation concerning the proposed plant (see “Hope for Surry Shines through smog”, 3 June), encountered a major hiccup Monday evening. As the Dendron Town Council met for its third meeting to deliberate the adoption of an ordinance that would allow the coal-friendly county board of supervisors to assume the community’s zoning rights, tensions

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative Surry Coal Plant Virginia

Mark Warner hosts energy summit at Hampton University.

This was written by fellow CCAN intern, Jes Kidder. Great job! Warner's Summit at HU
Mark Warner’s VA Summit on Energy Opportunities was held on Friday, July 10 at Hampton University. HU’s president, Dr. William Harvey, started off the summit by talking about how green and sustainable HU is becoming. In fact, one of the first things I noticed once we stepped onto the campus was that the police there drive Toyota Priuses. Maybe one reason I found this so intriguing is that the police on my college campus drive Ford Explorers. My favorite part, however, was how he completely avoided the word “coal”. He would say how they were replacing their existing steam plant system with geothermal because the steam was loaded with tons of greenhouse pollutants, yet never related coal to causing the pollutants. Of course, with all of this talk about becoming green, I found it ironic that there were no recycling bins, considering it’s a pretty simple step to take to become more sustainable. They had plastic plates and utensils, but nothing but a trashcan to put them in. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why HU scored a D+ on their environmental report card last year. Though that’s not to say that I don’t applaud their efforts; it always makes me happy when someone is trying to become more sustainable.

The first out of 3 panels was about weatherization. The panelists included people from the Department of Energy, the VA Department of Housing, the SE Tidewater Opportunity Project, and Rebuilding Together. The main source of discussion was the $37 million, out of $94 million, that was just given to Virginia’s Weatherization Assistance Program through the Recovery Act. Money given to the program will increase twofold, which allows for a 54% increase in the number of houses that can apply for weatherization. All panelists mentioned how their department or organization will be able to assist those who qualify and how this will help not only the people but also the environment.

CCAN's Chelsea Harnish poses with Sen. Mark Warner. We missed the second panel on stimulus funds for state and local governments because we were presenting our Put a Cap on It poster to Senator Mark Warner. The three of us from the Richmond CCAN team, along with around 20 others from Sierra Club, VA League of Conservation Voters, and other environmental organizations met with him. The main topic was the Climate Bill that is being drafted by the Senate. Warner seemed interested in what we had to say; he even offered us a few suggestions that could help us get his and Senator Webb’s approval on strengthening and passing the Climate Bill. Warner said that environmental issues were a priority to him and something he thinks needs to be taken care of. He seemed impressed with our poster, which included over a thousand pictures of VA residents who want a science-based cap on carbon emissions (he seemed even more pleased when he learned it was his to keep). Overall, he spent a good 10 minutes speaking with us, and it felt like he really cared about what we had to say.

The final panel was on the smart grid. This diverse group of panelist included people from the Department of Energy, Old Dominion Electric Cooperatives, Dominion’s Alternative Energy Solutions, Aker Wade, and the Navy Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic. The Recovery Act allotted $4.5 billion for the smart grid, and each panelist talked about how their organization is planning on spending the portion of the money that was granted to them. There were good ideas being shared, such as making industrial fast charging batteries for electric cars and storing and transporting energy created from renewables. I was surprised and impressed that even the lady from Dominion had good plans on how to use the money. She talked about the smart grid in Charlottesville, and Dominion’s plan on making it state-wide in the next 4 years; however, the man from ODEC did not share any ideas. He spent his time complaining how ODEC did not have the time to fill out the application for the stimulus money, so they hardly have any money at all and are unable to really do anything. I found this interesting since they want to build another coal-fired power plant. I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure you need money for that.

On the whole, the summit was a great way to learn about what sustainable ideas and practices are going on at the federal, state, and local levels across the state. It also gave us the chance to tell Warner face-to-face what we thought of the Climate Bill and what more needs to be done.

Senator Mark Warner Virginia

Navigating a Minefield Part 2

Cross-posted from: here

In my first post on the coming climate legislation battle in the Senate, I focused on a myriad of suggestions on how both the politicians pushing legislation as well as environmental activists and organizations could work to get a stronger bill. Despite the monumental challenge of getting to 60 votes in the Senate, as I said in the first post which I won’t repeat in depth here, there are advantages in terms of how to increase the pressure on Senators that we didn’t have in the House. However that isn’t the focus of this post. This post basically shows that absent a much stronger and smarter mobilization in the Senate, there will need to be wheeling and dealing done by President Obama, Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid, along with top Democrats.

As a disclaimer I will say that the “pick your poison” scenario I lay out at the end is not one that I would like to see. It is simply a look at what it’s going to take to get 60. Another disclaimer is this is a long post, so bring a snack. Continue reading

American Clean Energy and Security Act climate change Senate

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Stronger Climate Bill!

Today, I and other CCANers joined with 50+ young people in the Hart Senate Office Building with a one-word message about the upcoming Senate climate bill:

ACES climate change global warming Senate

Chesapeake Bay: Speak of the Devil

Cross-Posted from: here

**These views are my own and not CCAN**

I have a column out today about how despite the fact that every elected official in Maryland talks about the need for saving the Chesapeake Bay, the policies we have been passing(and not passing) are contradictory. A lot of these issues such as highway construction over mass transit and unchecked growth are interconnected with our dependency on fossil fuels and our contribution to global warming. This is one of my harsher columns, but called for in my opinion. Sources are at the bottom.

Chesapeake Bay: Speake of the devil

MATT DERNOGA

Issue date: 7/9/09

Save the Bay! No really, I mean it. Back in 1987, federal and state officials set a target to finish restoring the Chesapeake Bay by 2000, whose value 20 years ago was pegged at $678 billion by University of Maryland economists. Inflation alone would push that value over a trillion dollars. Maybe we were counting on 2000 being the end of the world, but when computers failed to take over and clean the bay themselves, we were forced to set a target of 2010. Whoops. Continue reading

Chesapeake Bay

Strong Men Take Over Senate Hearing

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the Environment and Public Works Committee Tuesday as the Senate drafts its version of a clean energy and climate bill. Grassroots advocates with CCAN and the Avaaz Climate Action Factory, some wearing strong man suits, turned out in force to demand a stronger bill. In honor of Administrator Jackson’s presence, we specifically demanded restoration of the EPA’s authority to regulate global warming pollution from coal plants.

As you know, the House of Representatives successfully passed H.R. 2454, a 1,400-page cap-and-trade bill that was the result of months of negotiations. The bill underwent many changes as its authors – Congressmen Markey and Waxman — negotiated to get the votes they calculated it needed to pass. The result? The House-passed bill just isnt’ good enough.

In one of the most controversial compromises, the House repealed the Clean Air Act provision that empowered the EPA to regulate carbon pollution from dirty coal plants.

Without this provision, the Obama Administration is powerless to stop hundreds of old, dirty coal plants from spewing global warming pollution into the air. Some of the biggest climate polluters on the planet could be let off the hook.

Even worse, the coal industry is trying to build at least 100 more dirty coal plants. For years, environmental and citizen groups have blocked these plants. Right now the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is fighting two proposed coal plants in Virginia alone. If this Clean Air Act provision is eliminated, local groups may be unable to stop another generation of dependence on dirty coal.

Tuesday marked the beginning of a series of hearings and high-level meetings aimed at producing a Senate complement to the House climate bill. CCAN and others will be working non stop to make sure the Senate bill truly delivers on the clean energy future we so desperately need. Want to stay in the loop? Join our special “Hill Force” list and we’ll keep you up to date on how to get involved.

ACES climate change global warming Senate

Calling all Climate Superheroes

In the recent House climate vote, the Maryland Congressional delegation broke largely in favor of protecting our climate. Seven out of eight of our Congressional representatives or about 90 percent of the delegation stood up for climate and clean energy action by voting yes on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. That statistic puts Maryland among the top ten states in terms of percentage of the state Congressional delegation that voted yes on the bill.

Besides begging the question why peak-oil-Cassandra Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD-06) decided to vote against the best chance our country has had in years to break our dependence on oil, this vote stands as a testament to the Maryland Congressional delegation’s appreciation of the severity of the threat that climate change poses to Maryland.

Marylanders should count themselves lucky to have leaders that are so plugged in. As we at CCAN are always quick to point out, Maryland is the third most vulnerable state in the country to sea level rise, and few states are more in need of federal leaders who understand the need for federal climate action.

This fact is underscored by a recent study which shows that the forecast for climate impacts on Maryland is direr than previously predicted.

According to the EPA study, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region, there is growing evidence that sea level rise in Mid Atlantic states like Maryland is accelerating, and that the combination of rising seas and stronger storms could result in unforeseen tipping points for vulnerable wetlands and islands.

Preventing this dire forecast from unfolding will require bold action from the federal government, so it’s heartening that our leaders are acting in their constituents’ best interests. However, as I wrote in a post last week, and Mike Tidwell emphasized in a recent letter, while the ACES bill is a baby step in the right direction, the solutions it offers fall far short of what is truly required to slow climate change and protect the Bay.

We need a stronger bill from the Senate, and that means we need our Maryland Senators to not just match but better the level of leadership exhibited by Maryland’s Congressional delegation. The time for climate heroes has passed; now’s the time for climate superheroes. Of course our elected officials’ legislative muscle is only ever as strong as our voices. So get on the phone to Senators Mikulski and Cardin today to help pump them up!

ACES climate change Senate

Glenn Nye's balancing act.

Glenn Nye is experiencing an identity crisis.

As the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R .2454) prepared to go to vote two weeks ago, Virginians remained in doubt as to how the Congressman from the Eastern Shore would vote. A Blue Dog Democrat at a sprightly 34 years of age, Nye represents a largely conservative constituency on the shore, and his voting record has so far reflected that demographic.

Nye opted to vote against ACES, citing worries for the impact on his constituency, particularly concerning potential rate increases for utilities. The bill, according to Nye, would impose “another tax on American families.”

I drew that quotation from a recent blog post by David Campbell, entitled “Nye: Two Faces on ACES.” Campbell, who had written the Congressman earlier this summer, asking for his support on the bill, received two separate responses from Nye’s office after its passage. One appears to be strongly in favor (and as the author notes, does not once mention that Nye voted, “no”), while the other laments a new tax on Americans, one that would be inefficient and wrong in today’s struggling economy. One bill, two letters

Virginia

Don't put climate on back burner

The Baltimore Sun

By Mike Tidwell

President Barack Obama may have made history last November, but he seems deaf to history’s loudest call right now. The president clearly believes that health care reform, above all else, will define his early presidency. But even if Mr. Obama scores total success on health care, few future Americans will care or remember as long as the Earth’s ailing atmosphere goes untreated.

Federal Maryland Virginia