Time to Power Past Coal!

power past coal
As a new President and a new Congress are about to take office, ending eight long and difficult years under Bush/Cheney, we are glad to be writing to you about important national initiatives being undertaken by the climate movement. We are stepping up our activism to reflect the deepening urgency of the climate crisis, and we hope you will be joining in!

The major focus of these early-2009 initiatives is on coal, for some very good reasons. Coal is dirty and dangerous. It’s responsible for ripping the tops off mountains and creating toxic coal ash. We’re demanding no new coal plants and a quick — and just — transition away from coal to genuinely clean and renewable energy sources.

We need to Power Past Coal, and, indeed, that’s the name of an important new project linking a diverse network of organizations across the nation (www.powerpastcoal.org). USCEC was at the founding meeting of this effort in Charleston, WV. right after the November elections. We are proud to be playing an active role in its “100 Days of Action to Expose the True Cost of Coal and Plug into New Power.” Continue reading

Polar Bears Spotted in the Chesapeake!

polar bear
Photo by Matt Stern

Last Saturday, activists, politicians, dogs and musicians alike took the 4th annual Polar Bear Plunge in Annapolis. I woke up on Sunday morning with a great laugh when I saw this video of all of all of us screaming and running into the Bay (you can see more of the fun in these photos). Many thanks to everyone who participated–despite dire weather warnings–and made donations.

Have a favorite plunger, but didn’t donate? There’s still time to give! If you need a favorite plunger, pick me! Here’s my page: http://tinyurl.com/8qypum. And here’s proof that I plunged!

Extreme weather knocks the "U" off the USA Today Building.

2008 was marked by amazingly extreme weather in the Chesapeake region, culminating in a wind storm that knocked the “U” off the “USA Today” sign in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.

CCAN’s videographer spent much of 2008 documenting extreme weather events across the region. Among catching the amazing wind storm in Rosslyn, he also filmed the aftermath of a tornado near Richmond, and a 400-year-old Maryland oak tree that was felled by another wind storm.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jaytomlin/ExtremeWeatherRetrospective#slideshow

Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund and World Resources Institute propose to sell out the climate

2009 could be the first year we get meaningful legislation coming through congress to deal with carbon and sets us on the path to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 ppm. Unfortunately, a coalition that includes Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund and World Resources Institute, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, is already rolling over and showing their belly to industry folks. They released their proposal today for a totally weak bill that wouldn’t get us anywhere close to addressing carbon emissions.

Kudos to National Wildlife Federation who left the coalition rather than agree to this cop-out. Boo to NRDC, EDF and WRI who sided with General Electric, Conoco Phillips, Duke Energy, DuPont and General Motors to sell out the climate.

Among the seriously lame proposals are subsidies for coal plants that are so-called “clean coal facilities.” The subsidies could cost as much as $540 million a year for a 1,000 megawatt plant according to The Washington Post. Clean coal doesn’t exist. Does it have to take another major disaster to prove this? Or just the one that happened last month in Tennessee Continue reading

Coal Is Not the Answer Slogan Contest

CCAN and our allies at the Sierra Club took our message straight to the coal lobbyists yesterday. Over 5000 slogans were submitted to tell the truth about coal. Some of the best:

  • Coal: Party like it’s 1899!
  • Coal: It’s what’s in your lungs.
  • Coal: A dirty four letter word.

  • Coal: The other second hand smoke.

Planning on driving to the plunge?

If you’re planning on driving to the plunge, please consider offering a space in your car to another plunger. There are several people who need rides from the DC area to Annapolis. Please go to ERideshare and post your ride!

How to find or post a ride:

1. Sign up for an account at http://plunge09.erideshare.com/
2. Enter code “ccan”
3. Post a ride or a ride request
4. View rides, ride requests that are already offered

Earthbeat: Toxic Coal Sludge Spill 48 Times Larger than Exxon Valdez

A devastating environmental disaster occurred in Tennessee when – three days before Christmas, a dam burst and millions of gallons of toxic fly ash slurry knocked houses off their foundations – poisoned water systems – and covered 400 acres of land. In sheer volume alone – this disaster is more than 48 times worse than the Exxon Valdez spill.

Host Mike Tidwell speaks to Donna Marie Lisenby the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper, a program of the group Appalachian Voices, in Boone, North Carolina – as well as Glenn Hurowitz – the media director of Greenpeace USA and is the author of the book Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party.

Mike talks about the planning for a massive demonstration against coal here in the nation’s capital with Ted Glick, the national coordinator of the US Climate Emergency Council. And then we sit down with Alice McKeown, of the Worldwatch Institute to speak about how utility companies LIE when it comes to America’s energy needs.

Download this edition of Earthbeat. Continue reading

One Meat Lover's Low-Carbon Diet

From Mike TidwellCross posted from Audubon Magazinecow

Full disclosure: I love to eat meat. I was born in Memphis, the barbecue capital of the Milky Way Galaxy. I worship slow-cooked, hickory-smoked pig meat served on a bun with extra sauce and coleslaw spooned on top.

My carnivore’s lust goes beyond the DNA level. It’s in my soul. Even the cruelty of factory farming doesn’t temper my desire, I’ll admit. Like most Americans, I can somehow keep at bay all thoughts of what happened to the meat prior to the plate.

So why in the world am I a dedicated vegetarian? Why is meat, including sumptuous pork, a complete stranger to my fork at home and away? The answer is simple: I have an 11-year-old son whose future–like yours and mine–is rapidly unraveling due to global warming. And what we put on our plates can directly accelerate or decelerate the heating trend.

Read the whole story here.

Do we need another disaster to move away from dirty energy?

coal sludge

In one of the most devastating environmental disasters in US history, 5.4 million cubic yards of coal sludge was released into Tennessee waterways when a slurry dam burst and flooded 400 acres in the toxic waste. Water sources for millions of people have been contaminated with toxins that cause birth defects, nervous and reproductive disorders and elevate cancer risks by over 50%. The surrounding are was flooded with a “tidal wave” of sludge, leaving six feet of sludge that covered 12 homes and damaging 42 residential properties. Roads, gas lines and other infrastructure in the region were also destroyed.

The recent toxic sludge spill in Tennessee is now shown to be 48 times larger than the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

We definitely didn’t need a disaster of this magnitude to wake us up to the dangers of coal. Drinking water contaminated by arsenic in coal waste has been shown to increase cancer risks several hundredfold. Exposure to mercury pollution from coal plants has been linked to mental retardation and language development in children. Mountaintop removal mining dumps toxic mining waste into the valleys below, polluting the air and water. Coal plants spew tons of global warming pollution into the air.

Despite the ad campaign lies about “clean coal”, energy derived from coal is ALWAYS dirty. Continue reading

Monsters Eating Mountains?


The Green Gorilla cartoon takes on mountain top removal mining in their latest episode called “Turn it Up Day”. As the city turns up their power, the kids investigate where the power comes from. KJ helps the gang find out that “clean and green” is actually a massive coal-seeking mechanical worm on its way to remove their favorite mountain. That’s when they get active.

This isn’t your typical Saturday morning cartoon but it’s also not that far from the reality of life in SW Virginia. I’m not even talking about the destructive practice of Mountaintop Removal coal mining that has already destroyed or “eaten” 29 mountains. That’s clearly a reality here and on West Virginia’s Coal River Mountain.

The part that seems hard to swallow is the idea that amidst rising energy costs and in the face of global warming that there would really be a “Turn it up” day. As much as we love love love our cars and warm homes. We understand rising energy costs in terms of dollar and cents right? The reality is we don’t and if you don’t believe me, maybe you stopped by the Grand Illumination in downtown Richmond earlier this month. This is where business turned on every single light in order to illuminate the downtown area. Since the connection isn’t as clear as one would hope I’m grateful that the Gorilla in the Greenhouse was able to connect the dots for those unaware.