Follow our twitter feed @ccan to get the latest updates on GGERA, Maryland’s awesome global warming bill. It already passed in the Senate, and just passed the 2nd reader in the House.
Update or comment on Twitter with #ggera in your tweet!
NYT: "Shovel-ready projects
An article in today’s New York Times features stories of nearly 60 million in stimulus money that will be spent on projects that will be underwater by century’s end.
“The stimulus project includes shovel-ready projects, which will literally be underwater,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “I think the real tragedy is there’s so little planning for sea level rise anywhere.”
The article talks about Ocean View Avenue in Norfolk, Va., which will have $2 million in stimulus money invested in improvements. But as you can see in the image below, with just 1 meter of sea level rise, as is predicted in the latest reports, the Norfolk area will be more salty than stimulated.
Other Annapolis Fights
Annapolis update: Since our lovely global warming bill is looking great [UPDATE – just passed 2nd reader in the House!], take a minute to talk to you legislators on other legislation that will help decrease our global warming pollution!
The ask of the day? Support smart and fair growth! Smart growth and good land use policies are designed to do things like reduce vehicle miles traveled, encourage public transit use, with added bonuses of improving water quality and creating affordable housing. So – fight global warming through good land use planning!
Take a minute RIGHT NOW and email your Delegate, asking them to vote for HB 295 as amended by committee, and to resist any further amendents.
Who Says Efficiency isn't Sexy?
Check out this awesome video about energy efficiency set to MIA’s “Paper Planes.”
Want to see some sexy efficiency at Mike Tidwell’s Takoma Park home? Register for the next Clean Energy Open House on April 18.
Clean Energy Open House
Come see solar panels! View electric, biodiesel, and hybrid cars firsthand! Eat solar-baked cookies and barbecued veggie burgers from a grill that burns corn kernels! Learn how to landscape your yard with native plants! Buy wind power certificates and energy-saving light bulbs! Test drive a tofu-powered lawn mower! And more! Sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Chesapeake Native Nursery. Free admission to all ages.
Register now>>
BREAKING: DC Rising Tide disrupt and denounce coal conference
Activists expose coal-to-liquids as a false solution
Washington, DC.
Driving Home Efficiency
This past Saturday I joined a dozen other hybrid owners on a gorgeous spring day to… Circle the Capitol in Richmond! Yes, you read that correctly, I woke up early and covered my friend’s Toyota Prius in streamers and balloons and battled downtown Richmond traffic and construction on Broad Street. I did this to send a message that was loud (horns were honked) and clear (in bold font across the side of each of our fuel efficient vehicles). We support Governor Kaine amending legislation that made it through the general assembly session to include the 19% efficiency target that his own Commission on Climate Change recommended this past fall.
Energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest and cheapest way to meet Virginia’s energy needs. With federal legislation in the works to regulate carbon to stave off the most devastating effects of climate change, the Commonwealth can’t afford to miss this opportunity. Energy efficiency equals tens of thousands of jobs for our state, how much longer do we plan to wait?
Historic Shift: Wind Cheaper than Coal in MD!
Like residents of most other states, Marylanders who wanted to buy 100% clean energy were used to paying a premium to be green. Starting this summer, the roles will reverse.
In Maryland, all BGE and Pepco residential customers (about 80% of the population or 1.73 million people) can now sign up for 100% wind power through Clean Currents at rates that are below Pepco’s and BGE’s rates for conventional coal-powered electricity!
CCAN director Mike Tidwell joined Clean Currents president Gary Skulnik (pictured at right) at a press conference last week to announce the historic shift. Standing before a gaggle of TV cameras, microphones and reporters, Gary began: “Usually renewable energy requires an upfront investment, but we’re in a unique situation where you can choose green power and save money at the same time. It almost never happens.”
And he’s right. This crossing of cost lines between wind and coal energy doesn’t happen often, but the shift is beginning. When a similar shift happened in Austin, TX three years ago, Lester Brown described it as “a milestone in the U.S. shift to a renewable energy economy.” A similar situation also unfolded in Colorado around the same time as in Austin.
So what happened in Maryland to make this price shift possible?
Here in Maryland, the decreased rates are the result of a steady decline in wholesale energy prices. Utility companies set their customers’ rates periodically and have not reduced them to reflect the lower prices they are now paying for energy to produce electricity. But Clean Currents and other companies have taken advantage of the downturn in the price and are offering residents as much as two years of power for 10 to 15 percent less than the utilities’ summer rates.
How do I sign up?
To sign up, simply go to www.cleancurrents.com and click on “residential.” It only takes a few minutes to complete the enrollment process (you will need your Utility Account #). Once switched, there will be no interruption of service. Power outages are still fixed by Pepco and BGE, and billing is still handled by the utility. The only difference is that you will save money and be supporting clean, renewable wind power.
Drilling for oil vs green jobs
I will admit that I don’t usually get really angry and pumped up about taking action online. But then I got an update from this organization called “White House 2,” which is basically an exercise in direct democracy, where citizens can post their priorities for Obama, and have other people vote to support or oppose them. Since they’ve gotten a bit of attention and are expanding to share the priorities of Real Americans with Congress, I figured I’d check it out and see how my priorities were doing.
Yay! “Invest in clean energy and create 5 million green jobs” is in the top 10! Woo! Oh wait a minute. So is “Drill for Oil in our own country.” I would encourage you to go and oppose that one.
This was not promising, so I decided to delve deeper. And – horror upon horrors – there are more people OPPOSED to “Joining the International Community on Climate Change” than there are in support of it. And there was NO priority calling for a science-based, industry-wide cap on carbon. Well, until I made one. (vote for it! It’s priority number 1061 or something really ridiculously low right now)
Come on, climateers! We’ve got to make sure that the discussion on climate change is not dominated by special interests and climate deniers. So take a few minutes for strategic clicking, and get our priorities back on the map.
The Budget Buzz
So what’s the deal with Obama’s budget? Why does everyone seem to care about it so much? Well, besides that whole part where the whole world is worried about money, Obama’s budget includes some pretty awesome provisions that we want to make sure stay in there. The key one: $646 billion in revenue from 100% allowance auctionsin a cap and trade system (i.e. making polluters pay for carbon emissions). Even if the targets in there aren’t as strong as we might hope, including the revenue will be a great leverage point for passing a strong carbon cap in 2009.
It should come as no surprise to any regular on the climate blogosphere that special interests (King Coal, to name just one) are not at all happy about this, and are lobbying to get this provision out.
To build the buzz around the budget, please take a minute to call your Senator. This is especially important for all you folks in MD and VA, as Senator Ben Cardin (MD) and Senator Mark Warner (VA) are both on the Senate Budget Committee, and are probably anxiously waiting by their phones just waiting for a constituent like you to call and tell them to do the right thing.
Call now!
Warner’s Office: 202-224-2023
Cardin’s Office: 202-224-4524
The message is simple: Tell your Senator to pass Obama’s budget without stripping the crucial provisions that make sure polluters and other special interests pay their fair share.
Fund Bold Climate Action in 30 Seconds Today
No donation required – just your time and some strategic clicking.
Just Means has teamed up with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to offer 4 grants to organizations that are fighting climate change in different ways.
